You are here:
HISTORICAL MONITORING OF BIOMARKERS OF PAH EXPOSURE OF BROWN BULLHEAD IN THE REMEDIATED BLACK RIVER AND THE CUYAHOGA RIVER, OHIO
Citation:
Lin, E.L C., T W. Neiheisel, J E. Flotemersch, B Subramanian, D. E. Williams, M. R. Millward, AND S M. Cormier. HISTORICAL MONITORING OF BIOMARKERS OF PAH EXPOSURE OF BROWN BULLHEAD IN THE REMEDIATED BLACK RIVER AND THE CUYAHOGA RIVER, OHIO. JOURNAL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH 27(2):191-198, (2001).
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
Biomarkers of exposure to chemical contamination were measured in brown bullhead from a heavily PAH contaminated section of the Black River, Ohio, during and immediately after remedial sediment dredging in 1990-1991, and in follow-up visits in 1993 and 1998. Biomarker levels of bullhead from the historically polluted Cuyahoga River and the protected Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Sanctuary were also measured over the same periods. PAH bile metabolite concentrations of bullheads from the Black River were still elevated in the year following dredging, but were significantly lower in the later resampling years. Metabolite concentrations of Cuyahoga River bullhead decreased significantly between 1991 and 1993, possibly in response to the shutdown of coking operations on the river. Fish from the Old Woman Creek site showed some viaration in metabolie levels among periods, but were consistently lower than the other two rivers at each time. Measurement of bile metabolites proved an effective tool for estimating changes in exposure over time and among sampling sites. Trends in biomarkers indicated lowered exposures in the Black River, probably as a result of remediation, and in the Cuyahoga, probably as a result of source reduction and incidental sediment displacement.