The translocation of white phosphorus from hen (Gallus domesticus) to egg

Thousands of waterfowl deaths occurring at Eagle River Flats (ERF), Anchorage, Alaska, USA, have been attributed to the ingestion of white phosphorus (P-4) particles. White phosphorus has been found in the egg of one herring gull (Larus argentatus) and in the yolks of some shorebirds at ERE The presence of P-4 in eggs suggests potential toxic consequences for avian reproduction. This study was undertaken to determine the magnitude and potential importance of P-4 translocation from the hen to the egg. Egg-laying hens (Gallus domesticus) were gavaged with a single dose of 1, 3, or 5 mg P-4/kg body weight or dosed with 1 mg P-4/kg body weight for 5 consecutive d. Eggs of dosed hens were collected daily. White phosphorus was extracted from the yolk and the white, individually, with isooctane and analyzed by gas chromatography. White phosphorus had no significant effect on chicken weight, egg weight, or shell thickness. However, laying frequency was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in chickens receiving 1 mg P-4/kg body weight for 5 d. For all treatments, P-4 was detected in the yolk and not in the white. It was first detected in the yolk approx. 1 to 2 d after P-4 exposure and became nondetectable 6 to 10 d after P-4 exposure. The total P-4 recovered from eggs of chickens treated with P-4 was less than 0.01% of the administered dose.