Abstract |
Synoptic surveys of surface-water quality across the United States have detected a large group of organic chemicals associated with agricultural, household, and industrial waste. These chemicals are referred to collectively as chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) and include, for example, prescription drugs and antibiotics, over-the-counter medications, reproductive hormones, personal-care products, detergent metabolites, and flame retardants. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a study to identify the occurrence of CECs in water and bottom-sediment samples collected during 201011 at sites in seven areas of concern (AOCs) throughout the Great Lakes. This report documents the collection methods, analyses methods, quality-assurance data and analyses, and provides the data for this study. |