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Persistent organic pollutants in fish tissue in the mid-continental great rivers of the United States
Citation:
BLOCKSOM, K. A., DAVID M. WALTERS, T. M. JICHA, J. M. LAZORCHAK, T. R. ANGRADI, AND D. W. BOLGRIEN. Persistent organic pollutants in fish tissue in the mid-continental great rivers of the United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 408(5):1180-1189, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this research project is to provide methods, tools and guidance to Regions, States and Tribes to support the TMDL program. This research will investigate new measurement methods and models to link stressors to biological responses and will use existing data and knowledge to develop strategies to determine the causes of biological impairment in rivers and streams. Research will be performed across multiple spatial scales, site, subwatershed, watershed, basin, ecoregion and regional/state.
Description:
The great rivers of the central United States (Upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio rivers) are significant economic and cultural resources, but their ecological condition is not well quantified. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program for Great River Ecosystems (EMAP-GRE) was designed to provide a broad-scale assessment of each river. Fish tissue contaminants were measured to estimate human and wildlife exposure risks to persistent organic pollutants through fish consumption. The emerging contaminants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured as a baseline for future studies. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), PBDEs, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were detected in most fish tissue samples. Dieldrin and PCBs at tissue concentrations above human screening values (SVs) for cancer risk occurred in 27-54% and 16-98% of the great rivers (by length). Chlordane exceeded wildlife risk values for kingfishers in 11-96% of river km, to the greatest extent in the Ohio River. PBDE concentrations were highest in large fish in the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, averaging >1000 ng g-1 lipid, with congener 47 most prevalent. The extent of these persistent compounds in the three great rivers indicates widespread contamination of fish, although exposure risks appear to be more localized and limited in scope.