Monitoring pollution could be outsourced … to pigeons!

PIGEONS could soon be used to help monitor pollution, scientists have revealed.

The birds usually stay within a few blocks in a city, making them ideal for measuring toxic chemicals in a particular area.

And their body tissue is surprisingly similar to that of humans, meaning tests on pigeons could also shine a light on the effect of pollutants on people. Rebecca Calisi Rodriguez, of the University of California in Davis, said plans are already under way. Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference in Austin, Texas, she explained: ‘Pigeons have existed for ages in close proximity to us, eating the same food, drinking and being exposed to the same water sources, soil, air, pollution.’ She said they could be more useful than machines as they process chemicals in their bodies, adding: ‘This offers up the opportunity to not only find toxin hotspots in our environment, but to understand how these toxins affect biology.’

So far, scientists have only tested pigeons for levels of lead in their blood, which was found to be similar to children in the same area. They now plan to expand tests to other toxins such as pesticides.