Increasing mercury bioaccumulation and biomagnification rates of Nile perch (Lates niloticus L.) in Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria, Kenya

The Nile perch (Lates niloticus L.) commercial fishery for Lake Victoria in East Africa is an important source of revenue and employment. We focused on shifts in food web structure and total mercury (THg) bioaccumulation and biomagnification in Nile perch, and lower food web items collected from Winam Gulf (Kenya) sampled 24 years apart (1998 and 2022). Stable isotope carbon (δ13C) values were higher in all species from 2022 compared to 1998. Stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values in baseline organisms were lower in 2022 compared to 1998. In Nile perch, δ15N values were correlated with total length, but the δ15N-length regressions were steeper in 1998 compared to 2022 except for one large (158 cm) Nile perch from 1998 with an uncharacteristically low δ15N value. Total Hg concentrations were lower in lower trophic species from 2022 compared to 1998. However, the THg bioaccumulation rate (as a function of fish length) in Nile perch was greater in 2022 compared to 1998 resulting in 24.2 % to 42.4 % higher wet weight dorsal THg concentrations in 2022 Nile perch for market slot size (50 to 85 cm) fish. The contrasting observations of increased THg bioaccumulation with size in 2022 against decreases in the rate of trophic increase with size and lower THg concentrations of lower food web items imply reduced fish growth and potential bioenergetic stressors on Winam Gulf Nile perch. All samples except 1 large Nile perch (139 cm total length collected in 2022) had THg concentrations below the European Union trade limit (500 ng/g wet weight). However, for more vulnerable individuals (women, children and frequent fish eaters), we recommend a decrease in maximum monthly meal consumption for 55-75 cm Nile perch from 16 meals per month calculated for 1998 to a limit of 8 meals per month calculated for 2022.

Legacy contaminant trends in the Great Lakes uncovered by the wildlife environmental quality index

Since the 1970s, wildlife managers have prioritized the recovery of Great Lakes ecosystems from contamination by Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Monitoring and quantifying the region's recovery is challenged by the diversity of legacy contaminants in the environment and the lack of benchmarks for their potential biological effects. We address this gap by introducing the Wildlife Environmental Quality Index (WEQI) based on prior water and sediment quality indices. The tool summarizes, in a single score, the exposure of wildlife to harmful levels of multiple contaminants - with harmful levels set by published guidelines for protecting piscivorous wildlife from biological impacts. We applied the new index to a combined Canadian and American dataset of Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) egg data to elucidate trends in wildlife for eight legacy industrial pollutants and insecticides in the Great Lakes. Environmental quality of the Great Lakes region (as indexed by WEQI) improved by 18% between 2002 and 2017. Improvement came from reductions in both the scope of contamination (the number of guideline-exceeding contaminants) and its amplitude (the average size of guideline exceedances) at bird colonies. But recovery was unequal among lakes, with Lake Erie showing no improvement at one extreme. Weakly- or non-recovering lakes (Erie, Ontario, Huron) were marked by inconsistent improvement in scope and amplitude, likely due to ongoing loading, sediment resuspension and other stressors reported elsewhere. Fast-recovering lakes (Superior and Michigan), meanwhile, improved in both scope and amplitude. Contrasting trends and contaminant profiles (e.g., exceedances of PCBs versus DDTs) highlight the importance of lake-specific management for equalizing recoveries. Lower environmental quality at American than Canadian colonies, particularly in Lake Huron, further suggest uneven success in - and opportunities for - the binational management of wildlife exposure to legacy contaminants.

Biogeochemical Processes and Microbial Dynamics Governing Phosphorus Retention and Release in Sediments: A Case Study in Lower Great Lakes Headwaters

The ability of headwater bed and suspended sediments to mitigate non-point agricultural phosphorus (P) loads to the lower Great Lakes is recognized, but the specific biogeochemical processes promoting sediment P retention or internal P release remain poorly understood. To elucidate these mechanisms, three headwater segments located within priority watersheds of Southern Ontario, Canada, were sampled through the growing season of 2018-2020. The study employed equilibrium P assays along with novel assessments of legacy watershed nutrients, nitrogen (N) concentrations, sediment redox, and microbial community composition. 20-year data revealed elevated total P (TP) and total Nitrogen (TN) at an inorganic fertilizer and manure fertilizer-impacted site, respectively. Overall, sampled sites acted as P sinks; however, agricultural sediments exhibited significantly lower buffering capacity compared to a reference forested watershed. Collection of fine suspended sediment (<63 µm) through time-integrated sampling showed the suspended load at the inorganic-fertilized site was saturated with P, indicating a greater potential for P release into surface waters compared to bed sediments. Through vertical microsensor profiling and DNA sequencing of the sediment microbial community, site-specific factors associated with a distinct P-source event were identified. These included rapid depletion of dissolved oxygen (DO) across the sediment water interface (SWI), as well as the presence of nitrate-reducing bacterial and ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) genera. This research provides valuable insights into the dynamics of P in headwaters, shedding light on P retention and release. Understanding these processes is crucial for effective management strategies aimed at mitigating P pollution to the lower Great Lakes.

Fitted filtration efficiency and breathability of 2-ply cotton masks: Identification of cotton consumer categories acceptable for home-made cloth mask construction

The objective of this study was to characterize commercially-available cotton fabrics to determine their suitability as materials for construction of cloth masks for personal and public use to reduce infectious disease spread. The study focused on cottons because of their widespread availability, moderate performance and they are recommended for inclusion in home-made masks by international health authorities. Fifty-two cottons were analyzed by electron microscopy to determine fabric characteristics and fabric weights. Sixteen fabrics were selected to test for breathability and to construct 2-ply cotton masks of a standard design to use in quantitative fit testing on a human participant. Cotton mask fitted filtration efficiencies (FFEs) for 0.02-1 μm ambient and aerosolized sodium chloride particles ranged from 40 to 66% compared with the mean medical mask FFE of 55±2%. Pressure differentials across 2-ply materials ranged from 0.57 to > 12 mm H2O/cm2 on samples of equal surface area with 6 of 16 materials exceeding the recommended medical mask limit. Models were calibrated to predict 2-ply cotton mask FFEs and differential pressures for each fabric based on pore characteristics and fabric weight. Models indicated cotton fabrics from 6 of 9 consumer categories can produce cloth masks with adequate breathability and FFEs equivalent to a medical mask: T-shirt, fashion fabric, mass-market quilting cotton, home décor fabric, bed sheets and high-quality quilting cotton. Masks from one cloth mask and the medical mask were re-tested with a mask fitter to distinguish filtration from leakage. The fabric and medical masks had 3.7% and 41.8% leakage, respectively. These results indicate a well fitted 2-ply cotton mask with overhead ties can perform similarly to a disposable 3-ply medical mask on ear loops due primarily to the superior fit of the cloth mask which compensates for its lower material filtration efficiency.

Exposure to persistent organic pollutants is linked to over-wintering latitude in a Pacific seabird, the rhinoceros auklet, Cerorhinca monocerata

Seabirds are wide-ranging organisms often used to track marine pollution, yet the effect of migration on exposure over the annual cycle is often unclear. We used solar geolocation loggers and stable isotope analysis to study the effects of post breeding dispersal and diet on persistent organic pollutant (POP) and mercury (Hg) burdens in rhinoceros auklets, Cerorhinca monocerata, breeding on islands along the Pacific Coast of Canada. Hg and four classes of POPs were measured in auklet eggs: organochlorine insecticides (OCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and perfluoralkyl substances (PFASs). Stable isotope values of adult breast feathers grown during winter were used in conjunction with geolocation to elucidate adult wintering latitude. Wintering latitude was the most consistent and significant predictor of some POP and of Hg concentrations in eggs. The magnitude and pattern of exposure varied by contaminant, with ∑PCBs, ∑PBDEs and DDE decreasing with wintering latitude, and mirex, perfluoro-n-tridecanoic acid, and Hg increasing with latitude. We suggest that concentrations of these contaminants in rhinoceros auklet eggs are influenced by variation in uptake at adult wintering locations related to anthropogenic inputs and oceanic and atmospheric transport.

Evidence for Microbial Community Effect on Sediment Equilibrium Phosphorus Concentration (EPC0)

Batch equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC₀) methods were applied to determine phosphorus capacity of sediments from three agriculturally influenced tributaries in southern Ontario - Belle River, Big Creek, and Nissouri Creek. Aliquots of sediments were amended with soluble reactive phosphorus and incubated at four temperatures (5, 15, 25, and 35°C). Batches of sediments from each location and temperature were also subjected to a treatment; gamma (γ)-irradiated at 28 kGy over 24-h (sterilized) and compared to non-sterilized biotic samples. Treatment showed a significant effect on EPC₀ in Belle River and Nissouri Creek but non-significant effect in Big Creek. Temperature showed a significant effect in Belle River, Nissouri Creek, and the biotic subset of Big Creek. While direction of shift was not consistent in all cases, the biotic subsets of all three locations showed a significant effect of temperature.

Long-range transport of legacy organic pollutants affects alpine fish eaten by ospreys in western Canada

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) contaminate pristine, alpine environments through long-range transport in the atmosphere and glacier trapping. To study variation in POPs levels in western Canada, we measured levels in the prey (fish) of osprey (Pandion haliaetus) during 1999-2004, and compared those to levels in eggs and chicks. Values in fish muscle (representing human consumption) correlated with whole carcasses (wildlife consumption) for all POPs, except toxaphene, allowing us to pool data. Biomagnification factors for osprey eggs were much higher than published values from Oregon, reflecting differences in local diet. We factored baseline-corrected food chain variation by using amino acid-specific analysis of osprey eggs, illustrating how top predators (ospreys) can indicate both ecosystem-wide baselines and contamination. Given that our biomagnification factors were so different from those for the same species from a nearby site, we argue that trophic magnification factors derived from baseline-corrected δ¹⁵N are likely a more accurate method for estimating contamination. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ΣDDT) concentrations were greatest in rainbow trout from a small lake at 1800 m, and those levels exceeded wildlife and human health guidelines. Indeed, once sites with known agricultural inputs were eliminated, elevation, percent lipids and baseline-corrected δ¹⁵N (from amino acid specific isotope values) best predicted ΣDDT. Baseline-corrected, but not bulk, δ¹⁵N was the main predictor of polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCB). Total toxaphene was consistently the major contaminant after ΣPCB and ΣDDT in osprey eggs, and was present in many fish samples. We concluded that toxaphene arrived from long range deposition due to high proportions of Parlar 40-50 congeners. The only exception was Paul Lake, where toxaphene was used as a piscicide, with a high concentrations of the Hex-Sed and Hep-Sed congeners at that site. We conclude that long-range transport and trophic position, not melting glaciers, were important determinants of some legacy POPs in fish and wildlife in alpine Canada.

Influence of overwinter distribution on exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in seabirds, ancient murrelets (Synthliboramphus antiquus), breeding on the Pacific coast of Canada

Assessing the fate of both legacy and newer persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is an ongoing challenge. Top predators, including seabirds, are effective monitors of POPs because they forage over a range of marine habitats, integrating signals over space and time. However, migration patterns can make unravelling contaminant sources, and potentially assessments of the effectiveness of regulations, challenging if chemicals are acquired at distant sites. In 2014, we fitted geolocators on ancient murrelets (Synthliboramphus antiqueus) at four colonies on the Pacific Coast of Canada to obtain movement data throughout an annual cycle. All birds underwent a post-breeding moult in the Bering Sea. Around one-third then returned to overwinter on the British Columbia (BC) coast while the rest migrated to overwinter in waters along the north Asian coast. Such a stark difference in migration destination provided an opportunity to examine the influence of wintering location on contaminant signals. In summer 2015, we collected blood samples from returned geo-tagged birds and analyzed them for a suite of contaminants, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), non-PBDE halogenated flame retardants, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), organochlorines, and mercury. Feathers were also collected and analyzed for stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, and δ³⁴S). We found no significant differences in blood concentrations of any contaminant between murrelets from the two different overwinter areas, a result that indicates relatively rapid clearance of POPs accumulated during winter. Spatial variation in diet (i.e., δ¹³C) was associated with both BDE-47 and -99 concentrations. However, individual variation in trophic level had little influence on concentrations of any other examined contaminants. Thus, blood from these murrelets is a good indicator of recent, local contaminants, as most signals appear independent of overwintering location.

Norfloxacin pollution alters species composition and stability of plankton communities

Despite recent advances in assessing lethal effects of antibiotics on freshwater organisms, little is known about their potential consequences on community composition and function, which are essential for assessing the ecological risk of these pollutants. Here, we investigated the impact of norfloxacin (NOR) on the short-term (≤ 6 days) dynamics of co-cultured Scenedesmusquadricauda-Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmusobliquus-C. vulgaris, and the long-term (≤ 70 days) dynamics of co-cultured S.obliquus-C. vulgaris in experiments with or without grazer Daphnia magna at sublethal antibiotic concentrations (0, 0.5, 2 and 8 mg L^-1). NOR increased the relative abundance of Scenedesmus species in the absence of grazers but exerted opposite effects when Daphnia was present in both short- and long-term experiments due to reduced colony size. Meanwhile, increasing NOR concentrations led to quickly increased total algal density in the initial stage, followed by a sharp decline in the long-term experiment in the absence of grazers; when Daphnia was present, population fluctuations were even larger for both prey and predator species (e.g., grazer extinction at the highest concentration). Thus, NOR affected the outcome of species interactions and decreased temporal stability of plankton ecosystems, suggesting that antibiotics have more extensive impacts than presently recognized.

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of PBDEs in a terrestrial food chain at an urban landfill

Biota samples from the Vancouver municipal landfill located in Delta, BC, Canada, have some of the highest polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) levels reported from North America. We followed a population of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) breeding in a remediated area in the landfill to identify exposure routes and bioaccumulation of PBDEs in a simple terrestrial food chain. This population was compared to a reference farm site located 40 km east in Glen Valley. We analyzed samples of European starling eggs and nestling livers as well as invertebrate prey species consumed by starlings for PBDE concentrations. We also collected soil samples from starling foraging areas. All samples from the Delta landfill had higher PBDE congener concentrations compared to the Glen Valley reference site and were dominated by BDE-99 and BDE-47. Stable nitrogen (δ N¹⁵) and carbon (δ C¹³) isotope analysis of starling blood samples and provisioned invertebrates revealed that stable δ_C¹³ signatures differed between the sites indicating that the diet of starlings in the Delta landfill included a component of human refuse. Biota-soil accumulation factors (BSAFs) > 1 demonstrated that PBDEs were bioaccumulating in soil invertebrates, particularly earthworms, which were readily accessible to foraging starlings in the landfill. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) calculated from foraged food items and starling egg and liver samples were >1, indicating that a diet of soil invertebrates and refuse contributed substantially to the PBDE exposure of local starlings.

Prediction of Mercury Elimination Rate Coefficients of Fish is Improved by Incorporating Fish Temperature Classification into Models

This study evaluated the dependence of mercury (Hg) elimination by fish on species specific fish metabolic rate in order to generate improved algorithms of Hg elimination rate coefficients. Mercury elimination rate coefficient observations were collected by literature review and fish routine metabolic rate (RMR) estimates calculated using the Wisconsin Fish Bioenergetics Model. Three models were compared that considered body weight, temperature, thermal category, Hg depuration period and RMR as predictors of Hg elimination. The best performing model incorporated body size, temperature and fish thermal category, explaining 79% of the variation of the calibration data and between 20% and 69% of the variation of validation data sets. The results support the conclusion that species-specific differences in metabolic rate influence mercury elimination by fish but also highlight major data gaps in the mercury toxicokinetic literature necessary to develop robust models Hg elimination by fish.

Dioxins in Great Lakes fish: Past, present and implications for future monitoring

Dioxins/furans are considered among the most toxic anthropogenic chemicals, and are ubiquitous in the environment including in the North American Great Lakes, which contain one fifth of the world's surface freshwater. Our exposure to dioxins/furans is mainly through contaminated diet. Elevated levels of dioxins/furans in Great Lakes fish have resulted in issuance of fish consumption advisories. Here we examine spatial/temporal trends of dioxins/furans in the edible portion (fillet) of fish from the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes using the data collected by the Province of Ontario, Canada. Our analyses show that the Toxic Equivalent (TEQ) dioxin/furan concentrations declined between 1989 and 2013 in Lake Trout from Lakes Ontario, Huron and Superior by 91%, 78% and 73%, respectively, but increased in Lake Whitefish from Lake Erie by 138%. An expanded dataset created by combining our data with historical Lake Ontario Lake Trout measurements from the literature showed a greater decline of >96% (from 64 to 2.3 pg/g) between 1977 and 2013. Measurements collected for 30 types of fish show overall low levels but local/regional concerns at some locations in Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario. Dioxins/furans are globally present in foodstuff and "zero concentration" target is considered impractical. Based on the observations for the Great Lakes in the context of risk to human health from eating fish, it is concluded that comprehensive monitoring of dioxins/furans can be replaced with targeted locations and/or indicator species, and the saved resources can be more efficiently utilized for monitoring of other priority or emerging contaminants.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Sediments of the Huron-Erie Corridor

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in 182 sediments from the Huron-Erie Corridor, North America. The median (5-95 percentile) Corridor ∑PBDE concentration was 1.03 ng/g dry wt (0.25-13.48 ng/g dry wt). Dry weight ∑PBDEs were elevated in U.S. waters of the Detroit River (US DR) and lowest in Canadian waters of Lake St. Clair (CA LSC). Sediment total organic carbon (TOC) explained some of the variation in ∑PBDEs, particularly in upstream waterbodies except for the Detroit River where local sources were apparent in the US DR and TOC-dilution occurred in CA DR. Canadian Federal Sediment Quality guidelines were exceeded at 19 stations, 14 occurring in the US DR. ∑Hazard Quotients (∑HQ) had a median (5-95 percentile) Corridor value of 0.46 (ND to 2.27). By strata, 43.2% of US DR stations had ∑HQ's greater than 1 while 21.3% of US SCR stations exceeded a value of 1.

Water and sediment as sources of phosphate in aquatic ecosystems: The Detroit River and its role in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems and harmful algal blooms (HABs) are an ongoing concern affecting water quality in the Great Lakes watershed of North America. Despite binational management efforts, Lake Erie has been at the center of dissolved reactive phosphate driven eutrophication research due to its repeated cycles of algae blooms. We investigated the Detroit River, the largest source of water entering Lake Erie, with the objectives to (1) characterize Detroit River phosphate levels within water and sediment, and (2) use multiple chemical and isotopic tracers to identify nutrient sources in the Detroit River. Riverine water and sediment samples were collected at 23 locations across 8 transects of the Detroit River. The bulk δ¹⁵N values from sediments were enriched compared the δ¹⁵N values of nitrate from water samples, consistent with biogeochemical cycling in the sediment. Principle component analysis of multiple chemical tracers from water samples found spatial variation consistent with multiple sources including synthetic and manure-derived fertilizers and wastewater effluent. The concentrations of phosphate dissolved in water were within regulatory guidelines; however, sediments had elevated concentrations of both water- and acid-extractable phosphate. Sediment-sequestered legacy phosphorus historically deposited in the Detroit River may be transported into Lake Erie and, if mobilized into the water column, be an unrecognized internal-load that contributes to algal bloom events. Globally, freshwater ecosystems are impacted by numerous non-point source phosphorus inputs contributing to eutrophication and the use of multiple tracer approaches will increase our ability to effectively manage aquatic ecosystems.

Effect of Microplastic Amendment to Food on Diet Assimilation Efficiencies of PCBs by Fish

Diet assimilation efficiencies (AEs) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) absorbed to microplastics and food were determined in goldfish ( Carassius auratus). Microplastics were spiked with 14 environmentally rare PCBs and incorporated into fish pellets previously spiked with a technical PCB mixture (Aroclor 1254). Five diet treatments were created having microplastic contents of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% and fed to fish within 24 h of the diet creation. Fish from each treatment were fed a microplastic amended food pellet and PCB AEs were determined by mass balance. Microplastic-associated PCBs had lower AEs (geomean 13.36%) compared to food matrix-associated PCBs (geomean 51.64%). There were interactions between PCB AEs and the microplastic content of the diet. PCBs affiliated with microplastics became more bioavailable with increasing microplastic content of food while food matrix-associated PCB bioavailability declined when microplastic contents exceeded 5%. Despite controlling for microplastic-food contact time, there was some evidence for redistribution of lower K_OW food matrix-associated PCBs onto microplastics causing a decrease in their AE relative to nonplastic and low plastic containing diets. The low bioavailability of microplastic-associated PCBs observed in the present study provides further support to indicate that microplastics are unlikely to increase POPs bioaccumulation by fish in aquatic systems.

Importance of growth rate on mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl bioaccumulation in fish

To evaluate the effect of fish growth on mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) bioaccumulation, a non-steady-state toxicokinetic model, combined with a Wisconsin bioenergetics model, was developed to simulate Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). The model was validated by comparing observed with predicted Hg and PCB 180 concentrations across 5 age classes from 5 different waterbodies across North America. The non-steady-state model generated accurate predictions for Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in 3 of 5 waterbodies: Apsey Lake (ON, Canada), Sharbot Lake (ON, Canada), and Stonelick Lake (OH, USA). The poor performance of the model for the Detroit River (MI, USA/ON, Canada) and Lake Hartwell (GA/SC, USA), which are 2 well-known contaminated sites with possibly high heterogeneity in spatial contamination, was attributed to changes in feeding behavior and/or prey contamination. Model simulations indicate that growth dilution is a major component of contaminant bioaccumulation patterns in fish, especially during early life stages, and was predicted to be more important for hydrophobic PCBs than for Hg. Simulations that considered tissue-specific growth provided some improvement in model performance particularly for PCBs in fish populations that exhibited changes in their whole-body lipid content with age. Higher variation in lipid growth compared with that of lean dry protein was also observed between different bluegill populations, which partially explains the greater variation in PCB bioaccumulation slopes compared with Hg across sampling sites. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1655-1667. © 2018 SETAC.

Levels, patterns, trends and significance of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in Great Lakes fish

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) were introduced to market about a century ago and their production is thought to have ceased by the early 1980s. However, relatively limited knowledge exists on their abundance in the edible portion of a variety of Great Lakes fish to aid in understanding their potential risk to human consumers. We studied levels, patterns, trends and significance of PCNs in a total 470 fillet samples of 18 fish species collected from the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes between 2006 and 2013. A limited comparison of fillet and wholebody concentrations in Carp and Bullhead was also conducted. The ∑PCN ranged from 0.006-6.7ng/g wet weight (ww) and 0.15-190ng/g lipid weight (lw) with the dominant congeners being PCN-52/60 (34%), -42 (21%) and -66/67 (15%). The concentrations spatially varied in the order of the Detroit River>Lakes Erie>Ontario>Huron>Superior. PCN-66/67 was the dominating congener contributing on average 76-80% of toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ_PCN). Contribution of TEQ_PCN to TEQ_Total (TEQ_{Dioxins+Furans+dioxin-likePCBs+PCNs}) was mostly <15%, especially at higher TEQ_Total, and PCB-126 remains the major congener contributing to TEQ_Total. The congener pattern suggests that impurities in PCB formulations and thereby historical PCB contamination, instead of unintentional releases from industrial thermal processes, could be an important source of PCNs in Great Lakes fish. A limited temporal change analysis indicated declines in the levels of PCN-66/67 between 2006 and 2012, complemented by previously reported decrease in PCNs in Lake Ontario Lake Trout between 1979 and 2004. The whole body concentrations were 1.4-3.2 fold higher than the corresponding fillets of Carp and Bullhead. Overall, the study results suggest that only targeted monitoring of PCNs in Great Lakes fish, especially at the Detroit River, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, is necessary to assess continued future improvements of this group of contaminants of concern.

Bioaccumulation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Atlantic Sea Bream (Archosargus rhomboidalis) from Kingston Harbour, Jamaica

Multiple sizes of Sea bream were collected from Kingston Harbour, Jamaica, to assess steady state bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a tropical fish. Sea beam fork lengths ranged from 7.3 to 21.5 cm (n = 36 fish) and tissue lipids decreased with body length. Larger fish had lower δ¹³C isotopes compared to smaller fish, suggesting a change in diet. Linear regressions showed no differences in lipid equivalent sum PCB concentrations with size. However, differences in individual congener bioaccumulation trajectories occurred. Less hydrophobic PCBs decreased with increasing body length, intermediate PCBs showed no trend, whereas highly hydrophobic (above log K_OW of 6.5) PCBs increased. The different congener patterns were interpreted to be a result of decreases in overall diet PCB concentrations with increased fish length coupled with differences in PCB toxicokinetics as a function of hydrophobicity yielding dilution, pseudo-steady state and non-steady state bioaccumulation patterns.

Are Fish Consumption Advisories for the Great Lakes Adequately Protective against Chemical Mixtures?

BACKGROUND

The North American Great Lakes are home to > 140 types of fish and are famous for recreational and commercial fishing. However, the presence of toxic substances has resulted in the issuance of fish consumption advisories that are typically based on the most restrictive contaminant.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated whether these advisories, which typically neglect the existence of a mixture of chemicals and their possible additive adverse effects, are adequately protective of the health of humans consuming fish from the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes.

METHODS

Using recent fish contaminant monitoring data collected by the government of Ontario, Canada, we simulated advisories using most-restrictive-contaminant (one-chem) and multi-contaminant additive effect (multi-chem) approaches. The advisories from the two simulations were compared to determine if there is any deficiency in the currently issued advisories.

RESULTS

Approximately half of the advisories currently issued are potentially not adequately protective. Of the four Great Lakes studied, the highest percentage of advisories affected are in Lake Ontario if an additive effect is considered. Many fish that are popular for consumption, such as walleye, salmon, bass and trout, would have noticeably more stringent advisories.

CONCLUSIONS

Improvements in the advisories may be needed to ensure that the health of humans consuming fish from the Great Lakes is protected. In this region, total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury are the major contaminants causing restrictions on consuming fish, whereas dioxins/furans, toxaphene, and mirex/photomirex are of minor concern. Regular monitoring of most organochlorine pesticides and metals in fish can be discontinued.

Assessment of hazard metrics for predicting field benthic invertebrate toxicity in the Detroit River, Ontario, Canada

Numerical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) are frequently used to interpret site-specific sediment chemistry and predict potential toxicity to benthic communities. These SQGs are useful for a screening line of evidence (LOE) that can be combined with other LOEs in a full weight of evidence (WOE) assessment of impacted sites. Three common multichemical hazard quotient methods (probable effect concentration [PEC]-Q_avg , PEC-Q_met , and PEC-Q_sum ) and a novel (hazard score [HZD]) approach were used in conjunction with a consensus-based set of SQGs to evaluate the ability of different scoring metrics to predict the biological effects of sediment contamination under field conditions. Multivariate analyses were first used to categorize river sediments into distinct habitats based on a set of physicochemical parameters to include gravel, low and high flow sand, and silt. For high flow sand and gravel, no significant dose-response relationships between numerically dominant species and various toxicity metric scores were observed. Significant dose-response relationships were observed for chironomid abundances and toxicity scores in low flow sand and silt habitats. For silt habitats, the HZD scoring metric provided the best predictor of chironomid abundances compared to various PEC-Q methods according to goodness-of-fit tests. For low flow sand habitats, PEC-Q_sum followed by HZD, provided the best predictors of chironomid abundance. Differences in apparent chironomid toxicity between the 2 habitats suggest habitat-specific differences in chemical bioavailability and indicator taxa sensitivity. Using an IBI method, the HZD, PEC-Q_avg , and PEC-Q_met approaches provided reasonable correlations with calculated IBI values in both silt and low flow sand habitats but not for gravel or high flow sands. Computation differences between the various multi-chemical toxicity scoring metrics and how this contributes to bias in different estimates of chemical mixture toxicity scores are discussed and compared. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:410-422. © 2016 SETAC.

Determination of the gut retention of plastic microbeads and microfibers in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Microplastics are ubiquitous pollutants in aquatic habitats and commonly found in the gut contents of fish yet relatively little is known about the retention of these particles by fish. In this study, goldfish were fed a commercial fish food pellet amended with 50 particles of one of two microplastics types, microbeads and microfibers. Microbeads were obtained from a commercial facial cleanser while microfibers were obtained from washed synthetic textile. Following consumption of the amended pellet, fish were allowed to feed to satiation on non-amended food followed by fasting for periods ranging from 1.5 h to 6 days. Fish sacrificed at different time points were dissected to remove gut contents and the digesta contents retention and microplastic retention was determined. Although a small number of microplastic particles were retained in fish GI-tracts after 6 days (0-3 particles/50), the retention of microplastics was generally similar to the retention of bulk digesta contents. According to a breakpoint regression model fitted to digesta contents and microplastic particles, the 50% and 90% evacuation times were 10 h and 33.4 h, respectively. The results of this study indicate that neither microbeads nor microfibers are likely to accumulate within the gut contents of fish over successive meals.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Great Lakes fish: Levels, patterns, trends and implications for human exposure

Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in edible portions of Great Lakes fish, with the goal of examining patterns/trends and evaluating implications for human exposure. A total of 470 fillets of 18 fish species collected from various parts of the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes between 2006 and 2013 were analyzed for 17 (expanded to 33 in 2009) PBDEs. For a limited number of species, fillet to whole body and fillet to eggs PBDEs were compared to examine pattern and concentration among tissue types. Levels and patterns of PBDEs varied dramatically within and among the 18 fish species. Bottom dwelling Common Carp (and White Sucker) exhibited the highest ∑PBDE levels (27-71ng/g). Lake Trout and Lake Whitefish from Lake Superior had higher levels than those from the other Great Lakes; otherwise the spatial trend was Lake Ontario≫Erie~Huron~Superior. The measured levels would result in restriction on consumption of only Common Carp from the Toronto waterfront area, which is in proximity to the most urbanised region on the Canadian side of the basin. Deca-BDE was the major congener in panfish, while BDE-47 was the major congener in top predators and its contribution to ∑PBDE increased with the contamination. Although ∑PBDE was related to fish length and lipid content when all measurements were pooled, the relationships were variable for individual sampling events (species/location/year). Whole body ∑PBDE for bottom dweller Brown Bullhead and Common Carp were 2.6-4.9 times greater and egg ∑PBDE for four fatty Salmon/Trout species were same to 6.5 times greater than the corresponding fillet concentrations. Levels of major lower brominated PBDEs appear to have declined in fish fillets by 46-74% between 2006/07 and 2012. Although PBDE in existing consumer items will remain in-use for a while, it will likely not result in appreciable accumulation of PBDEs in fish. Based on an overall assessment, regular monitoring of PBDEs in Great Lake fish can be replaced with targeted surveillance and focus can be shifted to other in-use flame retardants.

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Bioaccumulation Patterns Among Lake Erie Lower Trophic Level Consumers Reflect Species Ecologies

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were quantified in lower trophic level consumers of the Lake Erie western basin food web to assess the capacity of PCBs to discriminate among trophically similar species inhabiting different compartments of the same ecosystem. Zooplankton were characterized by higher proportions of less chlorinated and hydrophobic homologs relative to zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), mayfly (Hexagenia limbata) and emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides) samples. PCB biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAF) differed significantly among species with zebra mussels and emerald shiners having the highest BSAFs. Principal components analysis of sample PCB profiles reflected the contrasting pelagic and benthic habitats occupied by filter-feeding zooplankton and zebra mussel samples. Benthic mayfly PCB profiles were characterized by increasingly hydrophobic (logK _OW ≥ 6.9) congeners with more variable emerald shiner profiles reflecting the greater mobility and extent of spatial habitat integration achieved by this secondary consumer. These results contribute to growing evidence for the use of PCBs as ecological tracers in aquatic ecosystems.

Quantitative Biomonitoring in the Detroit River Using Elliptio complanata: Verification of Steady State Correction Factors and Temporal Trends of PCBs in Water Between 1998 and 2015

Quantitative biomonitoring methods were applied to determine PCB concentrations in water from the Detroit River over a 17 year period. During 2014, mussels were deployed for and extended duration (21-364 days) and time dependent PCB concentrations were fit to a bioaccumulation model to estimate elimination coefficients (k_tot) and provide site specific calibration of mussel toxicokinetics. The site specific calibration and different k_tot versus K_OW relationships from the literature were used to correct for steady state. ∑PCB concentrations in water were not significantly dependent on the k_tot values used indicating that individual variation exceeds error contributed by steady state correction factors. The model was then applied to estimate ∑PCB concentrations in water using the long term (1998-2015) data. ∑PCBs concentrations in water exhibited a significant decreasing trend with a half life of 9.12 years resulting in a drop in yearly geometric mean residues from 198.1 to 43.6 pg/L.

Ecological Implications of Steady State and Nonsteady State Bioaccumulation Models

Accurate predictions on the bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are critical for hazard and ecosystem health assessments. Aquatic systems are influenced by multiple stressors including climate change and species invasions and it is important to be able to predict variability in POP concentrations in changing environments. Current steady state bioaccumulation models simplify POP bioaccumulation dynamics, assuming that pollutant uptake and elimination processes become balanced over an organism's lifespan. These models do not consider the complexity of dynamic variables such as temperature and growth rates which are known to have the potential to regulate bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms. We contrast a steady state (SS) bioaccumulation model with a dynamic nonsteady state (NSS) model and a no elimination (NE) model. We demonstrate that both the NSS and the NE models are superior at predicting both average concentrations as well as variation in POPs among individuals. This comparison demonstrates that temporal drivers, such as environmental fluctuations in temperature, growth dynamics, and modified food-web structure strongly determine contaminant concentrations and variability in a changing environment. These results support the recommendation of the future development of more dynamic, nonsteady state bioaccumulation models to predict hazard and risk assessments in the Anthropocene.

Determination of PCB Elimination Coefficients in Round Goby and Tubenose Goby

Whole-body elimination coefficients of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in two Great Lakes invasive fish species, round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and tubenose goby (Proterorhinus semilunaris). Elimination rates were determined for a set of model PCB congeners (n = 12 congeners) dosed to fish by intraperitoneal injection and allowed to depurate at a temperature of 21.4°C for 90 days. Eight PCBs (PCB 6, 21, 57, 62, 68, 89, 112 and 125) exhibited significant elimination by round goby and had corresponding half lives ranging from 13 to 39.8 days. For tubenose goby, four congeners (PCBs 21, 57, 62 and 68) exhibited significant elimination with half lives in the range from 18.8 to 48.8 days. Whole-body elimination rate coefficients were significantly higher for round gobies compared to tubenose goby. In both cases, PCB elimination rate coefficients were negatively related to chemical log KOW.

High levels, partitioning and fish consumption based water guidelines of perfluoroalkyl acids downstream of a former firefighting training facility in Canada

High levels of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), especially perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), have been observed at locations in/around/downstream of the sites where PFOS-based firefighting foam was used repeatedly for a prolonged period. In this study, we conducted a detailed investigation of PFAA contamination in the Lake Niapenco area in Ontario, Canada, where among the highest ever reported levels of PFOS were recently measured in amphipods, fish and snapping turtle plasma. Levels and distribution of PFAAs in water, sediment and fish samples collected from the area varied widely. An upstream pond beside a former firefighting training area (FFTA) was confirmed as the source of PFAAs even 20years after the last use of the foam at the FFTA. Recent PFOS concentration in water (~60ng/L) at Lake Niapenco, about 14km downstream of the pond, was still 3-7× higher than the background levels. For PFOS, Log KD ranged 1.3-2.5 (mean±SE: 1.7±0.1), Log BAFs ranged 2.4-4.7 (3.4±0.05), and Log BSAFs ranged 0.7-2.9 (1.7±0.05). Some fish species-specific differences in BAF and BSAF were observed. At Log BAF of 4.7, fish PFOS levels at Lake Niapenco could reach 15,000ng/g, 100× greater than a "do not eat" advisory benchmark, without exceeding the current drinking water guideline of 300ng/L. A fish consumption based water guideline was estimated at 1-15ng/L, which is likely applicable worldwide given that the Log BAFs observed in this study were comparable to those previously reported in the literature. It appears that PFAA in the downstream waters increased between 2011 and 2015; however, further monitoring is required to confirm this trend.

Short-term fasts increase levels of halogenated flame retardants in tissues of a wild incubating bird

Many species are adapted for fasting during parts of their life cycle. For species undergoing extreme fasts, lipid stores are mobilized and accumulated contaminants can be released to exert toxicological effects. However, it is unknown if short-term fasting events may have a similar effect. The objective of this study was to determine if short successive fasts are related to contaminant levels in liver and plasma of birds. In ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis), both members of the pair alternate between incubating the nest for several hours (during which they fast) and foraging, making them a useful model for examining this question. Birds were equipped with miniature data loggers recording time and GPS position for two days to determine the proportion and duration of time birds spent in these two activities. Liver and plasma samples were collected, and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) (PBDEs and dechlorane plus) and organochlorines (OCs) (PCBs, DDTs, and chlordane-related compounds) were determined. Most birds (79%) exhibited plasma lipid content below 1%, indicating a likely fasted state, and plasma lipid percent declined with the number of hours spent at the nest site. The more time birds spent at their nest site, the higher were their plasma and liver concentrations of HFRs. However, body condition indices were unrelated to either the amount of time birds fasted at the nest site or contaminant levels, suggesting that lipid mobilization might not have been severe enough to affect overall body condition of birds and to explain the relationship between fasting and HFR concentrations. A similar relationship between fasting and OC levels was not observed, suggesting that different factors are affecting short-term temporal variations in concentrations of these two classes of contaminants. This study demonstrates that short fasts can be related to increased internal contaminant exposure in birds and that this may be a confounding factor in research and monitoring involving tissue concentrations of HFRs in wild birds.

Is it appropriate to composite fish samples for mercury trend monitoring and consumption advisories?

Monitoring mercury levels in fish can be costly because variation by space, time, and fish type/size needs to be captured. Here, we explored if compositing fish samples to decrease analytical costs would reduce the effectiveness of the monitoring objectives. Six compositing methods were evaluated by applying them to an existing extensive dataset, and examining their performance in reproducing the fish consumption advisories and temporal trends. The methods resulted in varying amount (average 34-72%) of reductions in samples, but all (except one) reproduced advisories very well (96-97% of the advisories did not change or were one category more restrictive compared to analysis of individual samples). Similarly, the methods performed reasonably well in recreating temporal trends, especially when longer-term and frequent measurements were considered. The results indicate that compositing samples within 5cm fish size bins or retaining the largest/smallest individuals and compositing in-between samples in batches of 5 with decreasing fish size would be the best approaches. Based on the literature, the findings from this study are applicable to fillet, muscle plug and whole fish mercury monitoring studies. The compositing methods may also be suitable for monitoring Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in fish. Overall, compositing fish samples for mercury monitoring could result in a substantial savings (approximately 60% of the analytical cost) and should be considered in fish mercury monitoring, especially in long-term programs or when study cost is a concern.

PCB Food Web Dynamics Quantify Nutrient and Energy Flow in Aquatic Ecosystems

Measuring in situ nutrient and energy flows in spatially and temporally complex aquatic ecosystems represents a major ecological challenge. Food web structure, energy and nutrient budgets are difficult to measure, and it is becoming more important to quantify both energy and nutrient flow to determine how food web processes and structure are being modified by multiple stressors. We propose that polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners represent an ideal tracer to quantify in situ energy and nutrient flow between trophic levels. Here, we demonstrate how an understanding of PCB congener bioaccumulation dynamics provides multiple direct measurements of energy and nutrient flow in aquatic food webs. To demonstrate this novel approach, we quantified nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and caloric turnover rates for Lake Huron lake trout, and reveal how these processes are regulated by both growth rate and fish life history. Although minimal nutrient recycling was observed in young growing fish, slow growing, older lake trout (>5 yr) recycled an average of 482 Tonnes·yr(-1) of N, 45 Tonnes·yr(-1) of P and assimilated 22 TJ yr(-1) of energy. Compared to total P loading rates of 590 Tonnes·yr(-1), the recycling of primarily bioavailable nutrients by fish plays an important role regulating the nutrient states of oligotrophic lakes.

Comparison of the Toxicokinetics and Bioaccumulation Potential of Mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Both mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) demonstrate food web biomagnification in aquatic ecosystems, yet their toxicokinetics have not been simultaneously contrasted within a common fish species. This study quantifies uptake and elimination rates of Hg and PCBs in goldfish. Fish were exposed to contaminated food containing PCBs and Hg to determine dietary chemical assimilation efficiencies (AEs) and elimination coefficients (ktot). To test first-order kinetics, three exposure regimes were established by varying the proportion of contaminated fish incorporated into the food. Dietary AEs were 98 ± 10, 75 ± 12, and 40 ± 9% for MeHg, THg, and PCBs, respectively. The ktot values were 0.010 ± 0.003 and 0.010 ± 0.002 day(-1) for THg and MeHg, respectively. No significant differences were found in ktot among the dosing levels for either THg or MeHg, confirming that Hg elimination is a first-order process. For PCB, ktot ranged from 0.007 to 0.022 day(-1) and decreased with an increase in hydrophobicity. This study revealed that Hg had an AE higher than that of PCBs, while the ktot of Hg was similar to those measured for the most hydrophobic PCBs. We conclude that Hg has a bioaccumulation potential in goldfish 118% higher than the highest PCB BMF observed for congeners with a log KOW of >7.

PBDEs and other POPs in urban birds of prey partly explained by trophic level and carbon source

As urban sprawl and agricultural intensification continue to invade prime wildlife habitat, some animals, even apex predators, are managing to adapt to this new environment. Chemical pollution is one of many stressors that wildlife encounter in urban environments. Predators are particularly sensitive to persistent chemical pollutants because they feed at a high trophic level where such pollution is biomagnified. To examine levels of pollution in urban birds of prey in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, we analyzed persistent organic contaminants in adult birds found dead of trauma injury. The hepatic geometric mean concentration of sum polybrominated diphenyl ethers (∑PBDEs) in 13 Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii) from Greater Vancouver was 1873 ng/g (lipid weight) with one bird reaching 197,000n g/g lipid weight, the highest exposure reported to date for a wild bird. Concentrations of ∑PBDEs, ∑PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and, surprisingly, cyclodiene insecticides were greatest in the urban environment while those of DDE (1,1-dichloroethylene bis[p-chlorophenyl) were highest in a region of intensive agriculture. The level of most chlorinated and brominated contaminants increased with trophic level (δ(15)N). The concentrations of some contaminants, PBDEs in particular, in these birds of prey may have some toxicological consequences. Apex predators in urban environments continue to be exposed to elevated concentrations of legacy pollutants as well as more recent brominated pollutants.

Quantifying uncertainty in the trophic magnification factor related to spatial movements of organisms in a food web

Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) provide a method of assessing chemical biomagnification in food webs and are increasingly being used by policy makers to screen emerging chemicals. Recent reviews have encouraged the use of bioaccumulation models as screening tools for assessing TMFs for emerging chemicals of concern. The present study used a food web bioaccumulation model to estimate TMFs for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a riverine system. The uncertainty associated with model predicted TMFs was evaluated against realistic ranges for model inputs (water and sediment PCB contamination) and variation in environmental, physiological, and ecological parameters included within the model. Finally, the model was used to explore interactions between spatial heterogeneity in water and sediment contaminant concentrations and theoretical movement profiles of different fish species included in the model. The model predictions of magnitude of TMFs conformed to empirical studies. There were differences in the relationship between the TMF and the octanol-water partitioning coefficient (KOW ) depending on the modeling approach used; a parabolic relationship was predicted under deterministic scenarios, whereas a linear TMF-KOW relationship was predicted when the model was run stochastically. Incorporating spatial movements by fish had a major influence on the magnitude and variation of TMFs. Under conditions where organisms are collected exclusively from clean locations in highly heterogeneous systems, the results showed bias toward higher TMF estimates, for example the TMF for PCB 153 increased from 2.7 to 5.6 when fish movement was included. Small underestimations of TMFs were found where organisms were exclusively sampled in contaminated regions, although the model was found to be more robust to this sampling condition than the former for this system.

Evaluation and interconversion of various indicator PCB schemes for ∑PCB and dioxin-like PCB toxic equivalent levels in fish

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain chemicals of concern more than three decades after the ban on their production. Technical mixture-based total PCB measurements are unreliable due to weathering and degradation, while detailed full congener specific measurements can be time-consuming and costly for large studies. Measurements using a subset of indicator PCBs (iPCBs) have been considered appropriate; however, inclusion of different PCB congeners in various iPCB schemes makes it challenging to readily compare data. Here, using an extensive data set, we examine the performance of existing iPCB3 (PCB 138, 153, and 180), iPCB6 (iPCB3 plus 28, 52, and 101) and iPCB7 (iPCB6 plus 118) schemes, and new iPCB schemes in estimating total of PCB congeners (∑PCB) and dioxin-like PCB toxic equivalent (dlPCB-TEQ) concentrations in sport fish fillets and the whole body of juvenile fish. The coefficients of determination (R(2)) for regressions conducted using logarithmically transformed data suggest that inclusion of an increased number of PCBs in an iPCB improves relationship with ∑PCB but not dlPCB-TEQs. Overall, novel iPCB3 (PCB 95, 118, and 153), iPCB4 (iPCB3 plus 138) and iPCB5 (iPCB4 plus 110) presented in this study and existing iPCB6 and iPCB7 are the most optimal indicators, while the current iPCB3 should be avoided. Measurement of ∑PCB based on a more detailed analysis (50+ congeners) is also overall a good approach for assessing PCB contamination and to track PCB origin in fish. Relationships among the existing and new iPCB schemes have been presented to facilitate their interconversion. The iPCB6 equiv levels for the 6.5 and 10 pg/g benchmarks of dlPCB-TEQ05 are about 50 and 120 ng/g ww, respectively, which are lower than the corresponding iPCB6 limits of 125 and 300 ng/g ww set by the European Union.

The changing face of BECT: a citation analysis covering 1966-2009

A citation analysis was completed on articles published in Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology over the period of 1966-2009. Articles were grouped into 5 year intervals and the top 50 most-cited papers in each year interval were categorized according to research theme. Over the journal's history, articles in the toxicity research theme dominated top-cited articles published by the journal followed by articles in the environmental concentration theme and the mechanistic theme. The geographic area of submission of top-cited articles has shown large changes with time, initially being dominated by papers from North American and now dominated by papers from Asia. An examination of the citation history for the highest cited paper in each year interval indicated that the average time to achieve 90 % of total citations is 25 years.

Amino acid sequence of the AhR1 ligand-binding domain predicts avian sensitivity to dioxin like compounds: in vivo verification in European starlings

Research has demonstrated that the sensitivity of avian species to the embyrotoxic effects of dioxin-like compounds can be predicted by the amino acid identities at two key sites within the ligand-binding domain of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor 1 (AhR1). The domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) has been established as a highly sensitive species to the toxic effects of dioxin-like compounds. Results from genotyping and in vitro assays predict that the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is also highly sensitive to dioxin-like compound toxicity. The objective of the present study was to test that prediction in vivo. To do this, we used egg injections in field nesting starlings with 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126), a dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl. Eggs were dosed with either the vehicle control or 1 of 5 doses (1.4, 7.1, 15.9, 32.1, and 52.9 ng PCB-126/g egg). A dose-dependent increase in embryo mortality occurred, and the median lethal dose (LD50; 95% confidence interval [CI]) was 5.61 (2.33-9.08) ng/g. Hepatic CYP1A4/5 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in hatchlings also increased in a dose-dependent manner, with CYP1A4 being more induced than CYP1A5. No effect of dose on morphological measures was seen, and we did not observe any overt malformations. These results indicate that, other than the chicken, the European starling is the most sensitive species to the effects of PCB-126 on avian embryo mortality reported to date, which supports the prediction of relative sensitivity to dioxin-like compounds based on amino acid sequence of the AhR1.

Use of a vial equilibration technique to measure the change in fugacity capacity of avian food and feces samples for 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene

A vial equilibration technique was used to estimate the fugacity capacities of food and feces samples for 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (TCB). The method was calibrated using different volumes of n-octanol and by comparing the measured and predicted fugacity capacity (Zoct) of n-octanol for TCB. The vial equilibration technique showed linearity with increasing amounts of n-octanol added to the vial. However, the measured Zoct was on average 8.5 times lower than the literature estimate and interpreted to be influenced by co-solvent effects. The ratio of fugacity capacities of food/feces was 2.9 and was consistent with the ratio estimated using Zt calculation methods (4.3) which considers partitioning capacity of both lipids and non-lipid organic matter. These results provide experimental support to the use of lipid equivalent approaches as opposed to lipid normalization when estimating the partition capacity of biological samples containing low lipid contents.

Ecological factors contributing to variability of persistent organic pollutant bioaccumulation within forage fish communities of the Detroit River, Ontario, Canada

Understanding variability of contaminant bioaccumulation within and among fish populations is critical for distinguishing between the chemical and biological mechanisms that contribute to food web biomagnification and quantifying contaminant exposure risks in aquatic ecosystems. The present study examined the relative contributions of chemical hydrophobicity (octanol-water partition coefficient [KOW ]) and habitat use as factors regulating variability in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener bioaccumulation in 3 lower trophic level cyprinid species across spatial and temporal scales. Bluntnose minnows (Pimephales notatus), spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius), and emerald shiners (Notropis atherinoides) were sampled at 3 locations in the Detroit River, Ontario, Canada. Variability in PCB concentration was evaluated with respect to several factors, including chemical hydrophobicity, site, season, species, and weight using sum of squares and Levene's test of homogeneity of variance. Individual variability in bioaccumulated congener-specific residues depended on chemical hydrophobicity with mid- and high-range KOW congeners (log KOW  >6.0), demonstrating the highest amount of variance compared with low KOW congeners. Different feeding strategies also contributed to the variance observed for mid-range KOW congeners among species. In the present study, benthic feeding specialists exhibited lower variance in PCB concentrations compared with the 2 generalist species. The results indicate that chemical hydrophobicity and feeding ecology not only contribute to differences in the biomagnification potentials of fish, but also regulate between-individual variation in PCB concentrations both across and within fish species.

Effect of season and habitat on PCB bioaccumulation by caged bluegill sunfish deployed in a Great Lakes area of concern

Bluegill sunfish were caged in the Detroit River, Ontario, Canada, for 64 days to determine bioaccumulation rates of PCBs. Deployments involved placing fish in cages suspended in the water (suspended cages) compared to cages partially buried in sediments. Deployments were performed in the summer and winter months. During summer, fish exhibited significant increases in body weight and lipid content (sediment associated cages only), whereas in winter, body weights did not change. Lipid normalized PCB concentrations and PCB mass in fish increased significantly with time in summer deployments, but not in winter. Fish continued to accumulate PCBs over the 64 days caging duration except for PCBs 33, 49, and 52 in sediment associated cages. There were no significant differences in the bioaccumulation of PCBs between cage types. This study confirms that biomonitoring studies using caged fish should ensure chemical toxicokinetics are consistent when comparing bioaccumulation results among sites and/or time points.

Concentrations and trophic magnification of cyclic siloxanes in aquatic biota from the Western Basin of Lake Erie, Canada

We examine the concentrations and food web biomagnification of three cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) using aquatic biota collected from Lake Erie. Concentrations of cVMS in biota were within the range reported for other studies of cVMS in aquatic biota. Trophic magnification factors (TMF) were assessed in various food web configurations to investigate the effects of food web structure. TMF estimates were highly dependent on the inclusion/exclusion of the organisms occupying the highest and lowest trophic levels and were >1 for D4 and D5, indicating biomagnification, in only 1 of the 5 food web configurations investigated and were <1 in the remaining 4 food web configurations. TMF estimates for PCB180 were also dependant on food web configuration, but did not correspond with those obtained for cVMS materials. These differences may be attributed to environmental exposure and/or lipid partitioning differences between PCB180 and cVMS.

Bioamplification as a bioaccumulation mechanism for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in wildlife

Persistent organic pollutant bioaccumulation models have generally been formulated to predict bioconcentration and biomagnification. A third bioaccumulation process that can mediate chemical fugacity in an organism is bioamplification.Bioamplification occurs when an organism loses body weight and the chemical partitioning capacity occurs at a rate that is faster than the chemical can be eliminated.Although bioamplification has not been widely recognized as a bioaccumulation process, the potential consequences of this process are significant. Bioamplification causes an increase in chemical fugacity in the animal's tissues and results in there distribution of contaminants from inert storage sites to more toxicologically sensitive tissues. By reviewing laboratory and field studies, we have shown in this paper that bioamplification occurs across taxonomic groups that include, invertebrates,amphibians, fishes, birds, and mammals. Two case studies are presented, and constitute multi-life stage non-steady state bioaccumulation models calibrated for yellow perch and herring gulls. These case studies were used to demonstrate that bioamplification is predicted to occur under realistic scenarios of animal growth and seasonal weight loss. Bioamplification greatly enhances POP concentrations and chemical fugacities during critical physiological and behavioral events in an animal's life history, e.g., embryo development, juvenile stages, metamorphosis, reproduction, migration, overwintering, hibernation, and disease. Consequently,understanding the dynamics of bioamplification, and how different life history scenario scan alter tissue residues, may be helpful and important in assessing wildlife hazards and risks.

Associations between female reproductive traits and polychlorinated biphenyl sediment concentrations in wild populations of brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)

Aquatic contaminants, specifically polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of persistent organic contaminants, have been associated with sublethal effects on reproduction in fishes. Female brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) were used to assess variation in reproductive traits across eight populations differing in sediment sum PCB concentrations in the Lower Great Lakes region. Differences in maternal carotenoid allocation patterns among these populations were also examined. No significant associations were found between sediment sum PCB concentrations corrected for organic content (OC) and reproductive traits. However, egg diameter was negatively correlated with sediment PCB concentrations not corrected for OC, suggesting that observed relationships between sediment sum PCB concentrations and reproductive traits are driven by classes of environmental contaminants whose bioavailability are not predicted by OC, such as metals. An unexpected positive relationship was also found between egg carotenoid concentrations and sediment PCB concentrations. This positive relationship was explained by the maternal allocation of carotenoids based on a negative correlation between female muscle and egg carotenoid concentrations, where females from less contaminated locations had lower egg and greater muscle carotenoid concentrations than those from more contaminated locations. The results of this study identify sublethal effects of environmental contaminants on reproductive life-history traits in female brown bullhead, and investigations of adaptive mechanisms underlying this variation are warranted.

Assessment of decadal changes in sediment contamination in a large connecting channel (Detroit River, North America)

Concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) and organic contaminants (PCBs, PAHs) were investigated in samples from the Detroit River (Great Lakes, North America) in 1999 and 2008/09 collected using a stratified random sampling design. Getis-Ord geospatial analysis was used to further establish locations of areas demonstrating significantly high and low contaminant concentrations in the river. Based on the stratified random sampling design, a majority of the examined metals and organic contaminants demonstrated little or no trends with respect to regional sediment concentrations and river-wide mass balances over the investigated time interval. The Getis-Ord analysis revealed local scales of contaminated and clean areas which did not conform to the original strata used in the geostatistical sampling design. It is suggested that geospatial analyses such as Getis-Ord be used in the design of future sediment quality surveys to refine locations of strata that can simultaneously address sediment recovery over system-wide, regional and local spatial scales.

Tissue distribution kinetics of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl in ringdoves after oral dosing

Ring doves were provided contaminated food spiked with [(13)C]-2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153) over a period of 63 days. Animals were sacrificed after 0.33, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 18, 36 and 63 days following access to contaminated food. At each time point, chemical concentrations in blood, liver, brain, gonad, adipose and remaining whole carcass was determined. Whole body concentrations of PCB 153 increased linearly with time over the experiment indicating that the birds did not reach steady state with their food after 63 days. Tissue/plasma concentration ratios were plotted as a function of time to determine time to inter-tissue steady state for fast and slowly perfused tissues. Liver, brain and gonad achieved steady state concentrations with plasma in less than 3 days, whereas fat and carcass tissues required 9.7 and 11.5 days, respectively. The results indicate that inter-tissue distribution kinetics for PCBs in birds is relatively rapid and completed within a little over a week following exposure to a contaminated diet.

Validation of rapid assimilation of PCBs following IP dosing in the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)

The assimilation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) after intraperitoneal (IP) injection was compared to PCBs bioaccumulated by the same fish through natural exposure ("native" PCBs). Lipid equivalent corrected dorsal muscle: whole body concentration ratios for native PCB 153 averaged 1.16 ± 0.77 and ranged from 1.19 to 1.24 for three IP dosed non-native PCBs within 6 h after dosing. Variation in tissue distribution of IP-dosed congeners was reduced after benchmarking to PCB 153, reinforcing that assimilation of the IP dose occurred into muscle rapidly after injection. Despite the use of small oil volumes during injection (<10 μL per fish), coefficients of variation of IP-dosed PCBs were equivalent to those observed for native PCBs. The results suggest that IP dosing provides a precise method to achieve target concentrations of hydrophobic chemicals in small fish and does not require several days to achieve assimilation into highly perfused tissues.

The effect of food provisioning on persistent organic pollutant bioamplification in Chinook salmon larvae

Fall spawning pacific salmon provision large amounts of yolk to their eggs to allow survival of larvae during under the ice winter conditions. This yolk provisioning leads to maternal offloading of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to eggs and larvae. Previous research has shown that Chinook salmon larvae exhibit limited capacity to eliminate POPs during the cold water period resulting in bioamplification of POP residues. This study compared POPs bioamplification in Chinook salmon larvae under a high food provisioning treatment and a non-fed treatment to test whether or not food availability attenuates POPs bioamplification via growth dilution. Results demonstrate that larvae in the food provisioning treatment did not gain weight until after day 129. Between hatching and day 129, fed and non-fed treatments exhibited similar decreases in whole body lipid content, negligible POPs elimination and POPs bioamplification factors approaching 1.6. By day 184 of the study, POPs bioamplification factors in the non-fed treatment were as high as 5.3 across chemicals but ranged from non-detectable to approaching 1 in the fed group. This study demonstrates that POPs bioamplification occurs in Chinook salmon larvae even under ideal rearing conditions but peaks after day 129, following which growth dilution can attenuate bioamplification relative to starved individuals.

Evaluation of the gas stripping technique for calculation of Henry's law constants using the initial slope method for 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, and hexachlorobenzene

Henry's law constant (HLC) is an important factor used in environmental risk assessment and fate and transport models to describe mass transfer of chemical between water and air. HLCs and structure-property relationships were assessed for 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (TeCB), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). HLCs were determined using the volatilization rate (kv) of sparged chemical at 25 °C. Despite the assumption that kv should be constant throughout the stripping duration, results indicated that kv decreased over time according to three separate slope regions. Results of ANCOVA indicate that kv is statistically different in the third slope region, which leads to the conclusion that use of the entire stripping data set would lead to biased HLCs. This decrease in kv may be attributed to desorption from sparger surfaces, which has not been considered widely in the literature. Statistical analysis was possible because of the robustness of the current experimental procedure which included numerous replications (15 total spargers) and extensive data points available to discern key slope changes. HLCs determined using the gas stripping technique were 57, 33, and 30 Pa m(3) mol(-1) for 1,2,4,5-TeCB, PeCB, and HCB, respectively. In comparison to literature values, current TeCB and HCB HLCs were within wide reference ranges spanning approximately an order of magnitude for each chemical. PeCB HLC of the current study was two times lower than the lowest reference data.

Hydrophobic organic compound (HOC) partitioning behaviour to municipal wastewater colloidal organic carbon

The sorption behaviour of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) 1,2,4,5-tetrachlor-obenzene (TeCB), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) to Aldrich humic acid (AHA) and municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) influent colloidal organic carbon (COC) was investigated using the gas-stripping technique. Gas stripping assumptions of gas/water equilibrium and a constant volatilization rate were validated prior to calculation of partitioning parameters. The logKCOC coefficients determined for MWTP influent COC were 3.86, 3.89 and 3.19 for TeCB, PeCB and HCB, respectively. Due to the presence of COC, the mass transfer of TeCB, PeCB and HCB with the primary effluent to the secondary biological stage was predicted to increase 8.7%, 9.6% and 1.2%, respectively, based on the measured COC concentration and logKCOC values. The calculated increases in apparent solubility for TeCB, PeCB and HCB in the primary effluent were 14.4%, 22.0% and 6.5%, respectively. This partitioning did not follow the expected trend (TeCB < PeCB < HCB) based on hydrophobicity predicted by octanol/water partitioning. The trend observed differed from the current AHA standard and correlation-based trends derived from natural COCs. More experiments with other HOCs are needed to better understand and predict the magnitude and significance of MWTP influent COCs on the fate and transport of HOCs during the MWTP process.

Investigation of hydrophobic organic carbon (HOC) partitioning to 1 kDa fractionated municipal wastewater colloids

Natural organic matter from the aquatic environment passing a 1 kDa filter has been hypothesized to not contribute appreciably to hydrophobic organic compound (HOC) partitioning; however, to our knowledge this limit has not been verified experimentally for any sorbate/sorbent system. Presently, colloidal organic carbon (COC) < 1 kDa approached 70% of the total COC (<1.5 μm) mass in primary effluent (PE) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Partitioning of HOCs 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, and hexachlorobenzene to COC for both 1.5 μm and 1 kDa filtrates of PE was investigated using the gas-stripping technique. Contrary to the hypothesis, significant HOC-COC partitioning to the 1 kDa filtrate was observed with organic carbon-normalized partitioning coefficients (logKCOC) of 4.30, 4.36, and 3.74 for 1,2,4,5-TeCB, PeCB, and HCB, respectively. Further, partitioning to COC < 1 kDa dominated the overall partitioning of the three chlorobenzenes in the 1.5 μm filtrate, and the partitioning behavior did not follow the trend based on hydrophobicity (KOW). The results show that significant partitioning of HOC may occur to OC < 1 kDa and highlights the need for further experiments with other HOCs and COC characterization to better understand and explain the observed partitioning.

Spatial and temporal variability of PCBs in Detroit River water assessed using a long term biomonitoring program

An assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water of the Detroit River, North America, was performed using mussel biomonitoring data generated between 1996 and 2010. The study included a temporal monitoring program at six locations and an enhanced spatial survey performed during 2002. Mussels were transplanted at biomonitoring stations and collected after 21-226 d. A toxicokinetic model was used to perform steady state and control corrections followed by an equilibrium partitioning model to estimate bioavailable water concentrations of PCBs. Bioavailable water concentrations of PCBs were similar in magnitude and trends to dissolved water concentrations reported in previous studies using direct sampling approaches. PCB concentrations exhibited complex temporal patterns at the six biomonitoring stations with multi-year declines in PCB trajectories between 1996 and 2002 and less consistent trends occurring across stations in later years. Spatial patterns of PCBs during 2002 revealed significantly higher water contamination on the US side of the river (seasonal average mean ± standard error (SE) sum PCB concentration of 0.63 ± 0.11 ng L(-1)) compared to the Canadian side (mean ± SE sum PCB concentration of 0.09 ± 0.01 ng L(-1)). Spatial/temporal variability of bioavailable PCB concentrations was greatest between countries, followed by moderate variation across years and by river reach (upstream, midstream and downstream sections within a country) and lowest when comparing intra-seasonal variation.