An analysis in support of sediment quality thresholds for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to protect estuarine fish

Abstract

Under the US Endangered Species Act and the Essential FishHabitat provisions of the Sustainable Fisheries Act, it is the responsibility of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to safeguard the health of fish in estuarine and coastal waters.2. This includes assessment of the impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals on fish and their critical habitat.3. This analysis was conducted to assist NMFS resource managers in determining when fish are exposed to potentially harmful concentrations of one of the most common environmental contaminants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).4. Effects thresholds were estimated primarily through segmented regression of site-specific sediment PAH concentrations and associated disease prevalences in a resident fish species, English sole, Pleuronectes vetulus.5. The analyses and supporting data encompass several endpoints, including DNA damage, liver lesions, and impacts on growth and reproduction.6. In general, liver lesion prevalences, DNA adduct levels, and impacts on growth and reproduction were minimal at sediment PAH concentrations at or below 1000 ppb. Above 1000 ppb, there appears to be a substantial increase in the risk of contaminant-related injury to English sole.

Tracking Fish Movements and Survival on the Northeast Pacific Shelf

“…The study of English sole was particularly interesting because it showed that sole, which are used as indicators of sediment contamination, spend less time at contaminated sites than had been presumed. This suggests that contaminated sediments may have larger impacts on fi sh health than has been previously calculated (Johnson et al 2002 ;Moser et al 2010 ).…”

A Model Approach for Estimating Colony Size, Trends, and Habitat Associations of Burrow-Nesting Seabirds

“…Contaminant states can be measured in biota as exposure, or concentration of contaminant residues in tissues, presence of contaminant metabolites or toxicopathic disease. Contamination of sediments and water are also often measured as a proxy for biota-exposure, based on known or surmised bioconcentration or bioaccumulation factors (e.g., see Johnson et al 2002).…”

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from sediments using sodium persulfate activated by temperature and nanoscale zero-valent iron

“…More target PAHs were completely or nearly completely degraded (>90%). The concentration of PAHs in treated sediment was lower than 1000 ng/g, a sediment quality guideline suggested to protect fish against several important health effects (Johnson et al, 2006). Besides, the control experiment of PAHs without persulfate at elevated temperature showed insignificant PAH degradation, as PAHs were extremely stable to chemical and thermal stress.…”