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Behind the scene with the fathead team: Part I. Caged fish for assessment of chemicals in the environment
Citation:
Cavallin, J., K. Stevens, M. Severson, J. Berninger, E. Durhan, E. Eid, K. Jensen, M. Kahl, C. LaLone, L. Makynen, Dan Villeneuve, AND G. Ankley. Behind the scene with the fathead team: Part I. Caged fish for assessment of chemicals in the environment. Presented at Midwest SETAC, March 19 - 21, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
As part of a research team focused on aquatic toxicity testing using fathead minnows as a model species, this presentation is the first of a three-part series, giving an overview of the types of field and laboratory studies as well as sample processing our team conducts at the U.S. EPA, Mid-Continent Ecology Divison. “Part I: Caged fish for assessment of chemicals in the environment” describes the field exposures performed by this group. Within the Great Lakes there is an increased focus on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and the potential adverse effects these contaminants have on aquatic organisms. The use of effects-based monitoring serves as a useful complement to analytical chemistry for monitoring CECs in complex environmental samples relative to endocrine adverse outcome pathways. In order to further characterize the effectiveness of effects-based monitoring in the field, an integrated approach, including in situ caged fish exposures, in vitro bioassays, and analytical chemical quantification, was utilized at multiple Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs), at both local and remote locations. Adult fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to point sources of contamination such as industrial and wastewater treatment plant discharges. These in situ studies encompassed both temporal and spatial exposure gradients. Additionally, simultaneous in vivo flow-through exposures to dilutions of treated effluent were conducted for select local studies. Concurrent with the in situ exposures, surface water grab and composite samples were collected for chemical analyte quantification as well as in vitro bioassays to characterize the contaminants at each of the selected sites within the AOCs. On-going research includes processing samples for transcriptomic analyses, gonadal ex vivo sex steroid analysis, and in vitro cell assay analyses as described in Parts II and III.