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Pathway-based monitoring of biological effects at Great Lakes sites
Citation:
Garcia-Reyero, N., D. Villeneuve, L. Escalon, T. Habib, G. Ankley, E. Durhan, M. Kahl, K. Jensen, J. Cavallin, AND E. Perkins. Pathway-based monitoring of biological effects at Great Lakes sites. Presented at Society for environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, November 11 - 15, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
not applicable
Description:
The Great Lakes region suffers from degradation of water and environmental quality due to release of chemicals of emerging concern (CEC) that may threaten near shore health. Critical issues remain in delisting AOC including determining sources of chemicals causing fish health impacts (sediment, sewage overflow, effluent discharges, or tributary waters), relating health impacts to chemical exposure or specific source points, and identifying causes of adverse health effects such as tumors and reproductive effects. Causal information would enable decision makers to identify more appropriate remedial actions thereby facilitating delisting of AOC. Fish placed in floating cages at different locations within AOC can be used to rapidly monitor the impacts of chemicals on fish health by monitoring chemicals in water, fish, and resulting impacts to fish health in terms of reproductive, physiological and genetic measures. Specific changes found in fish organs such as gonads and liver can be associated with specific effects. For example impacts on egg protein and hormone production related genes are associated with classes of chemicals causing reproductive impacts. Similarly changes in specific genes can be associated with exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons and other chemicals. We are using molecular changes in liver and gonad tissues to identify the health impacts, if any, caused by several high-priority AOC. We will also use gene changes in liver and gonads to identify possible chemicals of concern based on gene changes associated with specific chemical exposures in the laboratory. We expect that this work will identify any potential health effects in fish leading to more accurate assessment of contaminant effects on near shore health. We also expect that this would provide more accurate monitoring of effects during restoration and other efforts in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program.