Toxic chemicals in sediments and biota from a creosote-polluted harbor: relationships with hepatic neoplasms and other hepatic lesions in English sole (Parophrys vetulus)

Abstract

High prevalences of idiopathic hepatic lesions, including neoplasms (e.g., hepatocellular carcinomas, cholangiocellular carcinomas) (27%, 20 of 75 fish) and foci of cellular alteration (putative 'preneoplastic' lesions) (44%, 33 of 75 fish), were found in English sole (Parophrys vetulus) exposed to creosote-contaminated sediments in Eagle Harbor, Puget Sound, WA. Sediments from the contaminated region of the harbor contained particularly high concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene), and a variety of nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds (e.g., carbazole and acridine). The composition of the aromatic compounds was characteristic of creosote. Dramatically lower concentrations of aromatic compounds were found in sediments from a reference site in which the bottom-dwelling fish examined were free of detectable neoplastic or 'preneoplastic' hepatic lesions. Food organisms in the stomachs of the English sole from Eagle Harbor contained substantially higher concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons than comparable organisms from the reference site. The concentrations of individual aromatic hydrocarbons in muscle and liver from the Eagle Harbor fish were low; however, high concentrations of metabolites of aromatic compounds were present in the bile. The findings strongly suggest an association between exposure to creosote and the prevalence of hepatic lesions, including neoplasms, in the bottom-dwelling fish, and furthermore support the putative role of aromatic hydrocarbons in liver carcinogenesis in fish.

Liver histopathology in Baltic flounder (Platichthys flesus) as indicator of biological effects of contaminants

“…The majority of studies on liver histopathology in flatfish species in relation to contaminants has been carried out in coastal waters of the USA (e.g., Malins et al, 1985aMalins et al, ,b, 1988Myers et al, 1991Myers et al, , 1992Myers et al, , 1994Myers et al, , 1998aStein et al, 1992;Moore et al, 1997;Stehr et al, 1998) and in the North Sea (e.g., Kranz and Dethlefsen, 1990;Bucke and Feist, 1993;Kö hler, 1990;Kö hler et al, 1992;Lang, 2002b;Stentiford et al, 2003). For the Baltic Sea, there is only limited information available, largely resulting from data generated within the 1994 ICES/BMB Workshop on Fish Diseases and Parasites in the Baltic Sea Bogovski et al, 1999) and some national studies (Bogovski, 1994;Lang and Dethlefsen, 1994;Wiklund and Bylund, 1994).…”

Initiation, Promotion, and Inhibition of Carcinogenesis in Rainbow Trout

“…Aquatic pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrogen heterocycles have been associated with elevated incidences of neoplasia in feral fish populations (1)(2)(3). However, direct demonstration of causal relationships remain to be established.…”

Epidemiologic Approaches to Assessing Human Cancer Risk from Consuming Aquatic Food Resources from Chemically Contaminated Water

“…Some substances that cause tumors in fish or shellfish may notbe passed up the food chain to human populations because dty are completely metabolized or sequestered at lower trophic levels. For example, it is likely that most polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) do not find their way to humans via this route (56). On the other hand, poorly degraded and metabolized substances such as PCBs or heavy metals will do so.…”