2018-09-042018-09-042018-082018-08August 201http://hdl.handle.net/2346/74514This project’s primary objective was to characterize any adverse impacts of two perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) to birds, with growth, development, and survival as the primary endpoints. PFAAs are a class of persistent, anthropogenic pollutants used in a wide variety of products for their non-reactivity, including in aqueous firefighting foam (AFFF). This study evaluated if chronic exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations could alter the health and reproductive fitness of adult birds and any negative impacts in ovo exposure may have on their offspring through maternal deposition into eggs. Secondary endpoints included examining how much accumulation of the target chemical occurs in liver tissue and how the body burden of PFOA and PFHpA, the two target PFAAs of this study, are altered by egg deposition. Furthermore, this project attempted to assess how much of the target chemical was present in egg yolk and how much juvenile quail retain after one month of growth. Chronic toxicity of the two target compounds was tested using Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) as the model species. Adult birds were exposed to drinking water containing nominal concentrations of 20 ng/mL, 1 ng/mL, and 0.1 ng/mL of the target chemical over the course of study (90 days). Juvenile bobwhite offspring were assessed for 30 days to determine any potential fitness effects from in ovo exposure. Residue analysis was conducted on adult and juvenile liver tissue as well as on eggs. Neither PFHpA or PFOA reduced hatching success, reproduction, or adult or juvenile Northern bobwhite survival at 1.860 or 1.745 µg/kg/day, respectively. However, it did appear that chromic ingestion of PFOA (1.745 µg PFOA/kg/day) may significantly increase weight of hatchling birds after one week, an effect observed in other vertebrates. Furthermore, residue analysis confirmed that female birds do reduce their body burden of both PFOA and PFHpA through deposition to eggs. In addition, some non-significant patterns of liver damage were identified in adult birds following chronic exposure.Embargo status: Restricted to TTU community only. To view, login with your eRaider (top right). Others may request the author grant access exception by clicking on the PDF link to the left.application/pdfengNorthern bobwhitePFAAsPerfluorinated compoundsPFOAPFHpAThesis2018-09-04Restricted to TTU only. For access, please download URL file and log in when prompted.