RESUMEN
We collected 849 fish of 16 species from New York portions of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the intervening Niagara River and its tributary Cayuga Creek, and analyzed fillets from individual fish for total mercury. Concentrations ranged from 0.029 to 1.090 ppm wet weight, with 92% below the EPA tissue residue criterion of 0.3 ppm, and thus not posing an undue risk from human consumption. We compared these 2010-2017 results to historical data spanning 40 years to assess temporal changes. The temporal pattern was generally consistent among water bodies and species: Mercury concentrations differed little between the most recent collections and fish taken from 1999-2008 and 1988-1996, while concentrations in all three of these periods were generally lower than in 1970. Smallmouth Bass from Lake Ontario were an exception with a continued decline, likely due to diet change following the introduction of exotic prey. Overall, though, fish tissue mercury concentrations from these large water bodies, which integrate regional influences, appear to have changed little in the last quarter century. We also report a consistent spatial pattern for multiple species having lower mercury concentrations in Lake Erie than in Lake Ontario over the period of record.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente , Peces/metabolismo , Mercurio/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , Animales , Cadena Alimentaria , Great Lakes Region , Lagos/química , Mercurio/análisis , New YorkRESUMEN
The Hudson River, NY, USA is contaminated for over 300 km with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) released from two General Electric (GE) capacitor plants. We collected adult and juvenile mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from four different areas of the river; an area upstream of the GE plants (n = 38), two areas directly downstream of the GE plants (n = 41, n = 38), and an area more than 100 km downstream in the freshwater tidal river (n = 20). Collections occurred during July and August (2008) when ducks were flightless to ensure ducks were "resident" and exposures were local. Fat and muscle tissue were analyzed for PCBs. PCBs were detected in all samples, and mallards below the GE plant sites on the Hudson River had orders of magnitude higher concentrations of PCBs than those above the plants. Juvenile mallards from areas directly downstream of the GE plant sites tended to have higher PCB concentrations in fat than adults. The patterns of PCB congeners and homolog groups varied across the study areas, with areas directly downstream of the GE plants dominated by tetra-chloro biphenyls whereas samples from upstream and the freshwater tidal river tended towards higher chlorinated congeners. Congener patterns between male and female and juvenile and adult mallards were generally similar within study areas, with the exception of one area downstream of the GE plants where adult birds exhibited different patterns than juveniles. Evidence of PCBs from the GE plant sites was detected in the tidal Hudson River, more than 100 km downstream of the plant sites. More than 90% of the ducks collected in areas downstream of the GE plants but above the tidally influenced river exceed the USFDA tolerance level for PCBs in poultry, which should be a concern for consumers of waterfowl taken in proximity to the upper Hudson River.
Asunto(s)
Patos , Bifenilos Policlorados/química , Ríos/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/farmacocinética , Animales , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Femenino , Masculino , New York , Bifenilos Policlorados/farmacocinética , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/químicaRESUMEN
The invasive, omnivorous rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus is abundant in the upper Niagara River, a Great Lakes Area of Concern. Invasive species can alter trophic and contaminant pathways, but complex ontogenetic and seasonal diet shifts by rudds make it difficult to predict their chemical burdens relative to other fishes. We quantified concentrations of chemical residues in rudds and compared them to six fish species from various trophic levels. Rudds contained low concentrations of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (mean = 0.02 µg/g), Hg (mean = 0.03 µg/g), and polychlorinated biphenyls (mean = 0.06 µg/g); these concentrations were among the lowest for all species examined. Concentrations of aldrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, total hexachlorocyclohexanes, mirex, and total chlordanes were less than the method detection limit for all rudds examined. If reducing rudd biomass is determined to be beneficial, resource managers could consider targeted harvest, given the low concentrations of contaminant in rudds and their susceptibility to capture.
Asunto(s)
Cyprinidae/metabolismo , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Especies Introducidas , Compuestos Orgánicos/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , Animales , Cadena Alimentaria , Great Lakes Region , RíosRESUMEN
PCBs (as Aroclor concentrations) have been extensively examined in fish along the Hudson River, but other xenobiotic chemicals in fish have had limited assessment. This study determined concentrations and congener distributions of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs and PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in smallmouth bass and striped bass taken from a 385 km reach of the Hudson River. Concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs in smallmouth bass, and PCBs in striped bass, were positively related to human uses of the compounds in the basin. Generally low levels of PCDD/Fs were found. One striped bass, however, contained elevated 2,3,7,8-TCDD, indicating exposure to a known source in the adjacent Newark Bay-Passaic River basin. PBDDs were generally below detection. PBDFs were present in four of 18 smallmouth bass, but were not detected in striped bass. Dioxin-like PCBs contribute most to 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalents in 29 of 30 samples.
Asunto(s)
Peces/metabolismo , Hidrocarburos Halogenados/metabolismo , Ríos/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , Animales , Lubina/metabolismo , Benzofuranos/análisis , Benzofuranos/metabolismo , Dibenzofuranos Policlorados , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/análisis , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/estadística & datos numéricos , Éteres Difenilos Halogenados/análisis , Éteres Difenilos Halogenados/metabolismo , Humanos , Hidrocarburos Halogenados/análisis , New York , Bifenilos Policlorados/análisis , Bifenilos Policlorados/metabolismo , Dibenzodioxinas Policloradas/análogos & derivados , Dibenzodioxinas Policloradas/análisis , Dibenzodioxinas Policloradas/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisisRESUMEN
Atmospheric emissions of mercury in the US are being reduced, but worldwide mercury emissions remain high. Mercury is also being removed from many consumer items. Changes over time in mercury concentrations in fish remain important to resource managers and the general public. There is hope that mercury concentrations in fish will decline, and the number of fish consumption advisories due to mercury will decrease. We compared mercury concentrations in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from a group of Adirondack lakes with data collected 12-17 years earlier and found variable responses among lakes. We observed an average decline of 14% in yellow perch mercury concentrations over the past 15 years.
Asunto(s)
Mercurio/metabolismo , Percas/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , Animales , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Agua Dulce/química , New York , Factores de Tiempo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisisRESUMEN
A 4year study surveyed 131 lakes across New York State beginning in 2003 to improve our understanding of mercury and gather information from previously untested waters. Our study focused on largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch, common piscivorous fish shown to accumulate high mercury concentrations and species important to local fisheries. Fish from Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve lakes generally had higher mercury concentrations than those from lakes in other areas of the state. Variability between nearby individual lakes was observed, and could be due to differences in water chemistry, lake productivity or the abundance of wetlands in the watershed. We found the following factors impact mercury bioaccumulation: fish length, lake pH, specific conductivity, chlorophyll a, mercury concentration in the water, presence of an outlet dam and amount of contiguous wetlands.