Contaminants in Unionid Mussels from the Confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers

Unionid mussels were collected from three mussel beds near the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in 2003 to evaluate concentrations of selected elements and organic compounds in three abundant species and to preliminarily investigate the relative contribution of these waterways to observed contaminant burdens. Copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were higher and lead (Pb) concentrations were lower in Amblema plicata collected downstream of the confluence than in those collected upstream. Mean concentrations of nickel (Ni), total mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), Pb, and Zn varied by species. Concentrations of cadmium (Cd) decreased with age in A. plicata from two of three sites. Tissue concentrations of some elements, e.g., arsenic (As), Cd, Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn, were similar to or higher than those previously reported for unionid mussels from areas of contaminated sediment. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in A. plicata were comparable to those collected from the Mississippi River approximately 450 and 900 km upstream from our study sites (Naimo et al. 1992). Although total Hg concentrations we observed were an order of magnitude lower than in that study, MeHg concentrations were above those associated with reductions in soft tissue mass in a study of Elliptio complanata (Salazar et al. 1995). A number of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected in A. plicata tissues, with 85% of detections occurring in mussels from downstream of the confluence. Concentrations of individual PCB congeners were ???33 ng/g ww and the maximum summed PCB congener concentration was 100.2 ng/g ww. Although few persistent pesticides were detected, -hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was detected in each of the species collected from below the confluence of the two rivers, and in A. plicata collected above it on both the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, at a maximum concentration of 103.5 ng/g ww. Aldrin, ??-HCH and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were detected in few of the specimens collected. The findings of this preliminary investigation suggest that unionid mussels from near the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers may be at risk of negative health effects of elevated exposure to certain environmental contaminants. Studies examining the health and productivity of unionid mussels from this area appear warranted.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Assessment of Risk to Mink Exposed to PCBs in the Lower Illinois River Watershed

Staff of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory recently used environmental contaminant concentrations in mink (Mustela vison) to monitor environmental health using Illinois watersheds as a geographical framework. Our results indicated elevated PCBs in mink collected from 6 watersheds with concentrations in those collected from the 'Lower Illinois River Watershed being the greatest (mean= 3.14 mg/kg, range non-detect - 12.30 mg/kg). Although we have no data to indicate that the mink from this watershed are adversely affected by PCBs, the concentrations measured in their tissues indicate potential environmental concentrations of concern and warrants additional study. The goal of the current study was to better define the sources and distribution of PCBs and to evaluate the potential for adverse effects in biota living in streams in the Lower Illinois River Watershed, with the emphasis being risk to mink reproduction. Sediment, crayfish (Cambarus sp.), and fish were collected from Hill, Palmer, Carr, and Fountain creeks where mink with elevated liver PCB concentrations have previously been collected. PCBs were quantified in only 2 of 3 red shiner fish composite samples (57 and 66 ppb) collected at the confluence of Hill and Palmer Creeks. concentrations in all other samples (sediment, crayfish, and fish) were below our analytical detect limits (50 ppb). The current study did not provide information to indicate that PCBs in sediment or major aquatic food items are possible sources for PCB accumulation in mink collected from the Lower Illinois River Watershed. Quite the contrary, our results indicate that the creeks in our study do not appear to be a significant source of PCBs for mink. Because mink have a fairly large home range ( 1 - 5 km of stream length, EPA 1993) and their diet consist of terrestrial as well as aquatic food items, it would be necessary to evaluate habitats in other locations in order to determine the source of PCBs in the mink previously collected from the Lower Illinois River Watershed.Ope

Can starling eggs be useful as a biomonitoring tool to study organohalogenated contaminants on a worldwide scale

Large-scale international monitoring studies are important to assess emission patterns and environmental distributions of organohalogenated contaminants (OHCs) on a worldwide scale. In this study, the presence of OHCs was investigated on three continents (Europe, North America and Australasia), using eggs of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris and Sturnus unicolor) to assess their suitability for large-scale monitoring studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using bird eggs of the same species as a biomonitor for OHCs on an intercontinental scale. We found significant differences in OHC concentrations of the eggs among sampling locations, except for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). Mean concentrations of sum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in eggs ranged from 78 ± 26 ng/g lipid weight (lw) in Australia to 2900 ± 1300 ng/g lw in the United States. The PCB profile was dominated by CB 153 and CB 138 in all locations, except for New Zealand, where the contribution of CB 95, CB 101 and CB 149 was also high. The highest mean sum polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations were found in Canada (4400 ± 830 ng/g lw), while the lowest mean PBDE concentrations were measured in Spain (3.7 ± 0.1 ng/g lw). The PBDE profile in starling eggs was dominated by BDE 47 and BDE 99 in all countries, but in Belgium, the higher brominated PBDEs had a higher contribution compared to other countries. For the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) ranged from 110 ± 16 ng/g lw in France to 17,000 ± 3400 ng/g lw in New Zealand, while HCHs and hexachlorobenzene were generally in low concentrations in all sampling locations. Chlordanes were remarkably high in eggs from the United States (2500 ± 1300 ng/g lw). The OCP profile in all countries was largely dominated by p,p′-DDE. In general, the worldwide trends we observed in starling eggs were in accordance with the literature on human and environmental OHC data, which suggests that there is potential for using starling eggs as a biomonitoring tool on a large geographical scale. This article is available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license and permits non-commercial use of the work as published, without adaptation or alteration provided the work is fully attributed

Natural Resource Injury to Intermittent Streams Impacted by Oil and/or Brine Spills

A sediment quality triad consisting of (1) quantification of sediment polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), and chloride concentrations; (2) a sediment bioassay using the amphipod Hyalella azteca; and (3) an in situ study of macroinvertebrate community structure were used to assess impacts of oil and/or brine spills on intermittent streams in southern Illinois. Thirty intermittent streams and three reference streams were selected for study based on oil and/or brine spill history since 1991. Sampling sites within study streams included one location above and three locations below the reported spill site. The sum of PAH concentrations exceeded the lower sediment quality guidelines (SQG) value for total PAHs (1.61 μg/g) in four of 130 sediment samples. All four samples exceeding the total PAH SQG were collected from locations within 40 m of where the spill entered the stream. However, there was no significant differences (p = 0.13) in mean sum of PAH concentrations among study and reference streams, and the reported volume of oil spilled into streams was not correlated with the sum of PAH concentrations measured in stream sediments. There was, however, a general trend toward greater PAH concentrations in sediment collected from streams where spills had occurred during the three years prior to sample collection ( × = 1.01 μg/g) compared to concentrations measured in sediment collected from streams where spills had occurred during nine to twelve years prior to sample collection ( × = 0.71 μg/g). No TPH concentrations were greater than the Canadian Ministry of Environment soil clean up standard of 1000 μg/g, and TPH concentrations were not significantly different between study and reference streams. Chloride concentrations in sediment from study streams were significantly greater than concentrations in sediment from reference streams (p < 0.028); however, chloride concentrations only exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) recommended water quality criterion for chloride (230 mg/L) in two streams. Chloride concentrations in sediment were not significantly correlated with the reported volume of brine spilled into streams. The standardized sediment toxicity test component of the triad did suggest that sediment from several streams associated with oil and/or brine spills had adverse effects on H. azteca. However, there was no consistent indication of a corresponding association between the observed 3 effects and the contaminant concentrations measured in the sediment. Therefore, it was not possible to link the toxicity observed in H. azteca with the oil and/or brine spill. There were no measured differences in macroinvertebrate communities among sampling locations during the in situ macroinvertebrate community structure component of the sediment quality triad. There were no significant correlations between contaminant concentrations, water chemistry, or physical characteristics of the sediment and either taxa richness; Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) richness; or family-level biotic index (FBI) scores. Habitat scores, biotic indexes, and water quality evaluations of studied intermittent streams suggest a degraded environment, and the correlation between habitat scores and invertebrate FBI suggested that habitat quality was the primary factor influencing invertebrate communities. Degraded habitat quality may in part be due to agricultural activities, the nature of intermittent streams, and/or the impacts of the oil industry. In the current study, it was not possible to separate the influences of oil and/or brine from other influences. Evaluations of some of the individual study streams did provide an indication that these streams had been exposed to oil and/or brine. However, there was little evidence to link oil and/or brine spills to effects observed in the streams studied.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Horning pigeons as a biomonitor for atmospheric PAHs and PCBs in Guangzhou, a megacity in South China

The occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in urban atmosphere in Guangzhou, China were assessed using homing pigeons as a biomonitor. Contaminant concentrations in lung were significantly higher than those in liver and fat, indicating chemical uptake was mainly through respiratory route. Tricyclic PAHs and low chlorinated PCBs dominated composition of PAHs and PCBs in homing pigeons, similar as their composition in local atmosphere. Different age-dependent bioaccumulation patterns were noted for PAHs and PCBs. For 1-year old homing pigeons, higher levels of PAHs and PCBs in lung and liver tissues were probably ascribed to more intense flying than 5-and 10-year groups. Fat concentrations of PCBs were greater in aged pigeons than 1-year old pigeons, but PAH concentrations in fat slightly decreased in aged pigeons because of relatively fast biotransformation. Overall, homing pigeons could serve as a suitable biomonitor for urban atmospheric contaminants in coastal cities. Capsule: Homing pigeons could serve as a good biomonitor for PAHs and PCBs in urban atmosphere, yet different biotransformation potential of the chemicals caused different bioaccumulation patterns in pigeon fat. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved