| Abstract |
Data on concentrations of polychlorinated dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated furans (PCDF) in fish from the Great Lakes and midwest were compiled. While differences in study design precluded rigorus analysis several observation were possible. Most samples have been analyzed for only 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD). Those samples which were analyzed for other congeners indicate that penta and hexachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins are more common than 2,3,7,8-TCDD. PCDD may be ubiquitous in fish from the Great Lakes and midwest, occurring above detection limits in over 80 percent of the samples analyzed. Areas of Concern (due to 2,3,7,8-TCDD concentrations) include the entire Lake Ontario Basin, Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron) and the Saginaw River System, Grand River (Lake Michigan), Niagara River (Lake Ontario), Lake Erie (at Woodtick, Michigan), Huron River, Michigan (Lake Erie), Port Clinton, Michigan (Lake Erie), Wisconsin River (at Pentenwell Flowage), and the Mississippi River (St. Louis, MO). |
