Using Rock Dove Columba livia as a Sentinel Species in Biomonitoring of Benzo(a)Pyrene

Pollutants in urban environments can influence on human health and other organisms such as birds living in the same regions. Therefore, the study of these species, as a sentinel, can realized on the health status of urban environments. The present research was conducted to measure Benzo a pyrene (BaP) concentration in different tissues of Rock Dove Columba livia as a sentinel species in in vitro and in vivo conditions. For this purpose, five groups were exposed to different concentrations (0.1, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mg.kg-1 bw) of BaP. Also, for the comparison of in vitro results with urban conditions, 12 body samples were captured from the Tehran megacity. Results showed different accumulation patterns among the studied groups, which can be due to different intake pathways of pollutants by these birds. According to the results, in case of bioaccumulation factor, the rapid biotransformation rate of BaP in tissues of pigeons might affect their amount. Overall, the fat tissue at first and after that, the muscle tissue of C. livia could serve as a suitable biomonitor for BaP in the Tehran megacity.