title: A national statistical survey assessment of mercury concentrations in fillets of fish collected in the U.S. EPA national rivers and streams assessment of the continental USA.
abstract: The U.S. EPA conducted a national statistical survey of fish fillet tissue with a sample size of 541 sites on boatable rivers =>5th order in 2008-2009. This is the first such study of mercury (Hg) in fish tissue from river sites focused on potential impacts to human health from fish consumption to also address wildlife impacts. Sample sites were identified as being urban or non-urban. All sample mercury concentrations were above the 3.33ugkg(-1) (ppb) quantitation limit, and an estimated 25.4% (±4.4%) of the 51663 river miles assessed exceeded the U.S. EPA 300ugkg(-1) fish-tissue based water quality criterion for mercury, representing 13144±181.8 river miles. Estimates of river miles exceeding comparable aquatic life thresholds (translated from fillet concentrations to whole fish equivalents) in avian species were similar to the number of river miles exceeding the human health threshold, whereas some mammalian species were more at risk than human from lower mercury concentrations. A comparison of means from the non-urban and urban data and among three ecoregions did not indicate a statistically significant difference in fish tissue Hg concentrations at p<0.05.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OW/Office of Science and Technology, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (MC4305T), Washington, DC 20460, United States. Electronic address: wathen.john@epa.gov.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wathen
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lazorchak
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD Western Ecology Division, 200 S.W. 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333-4902, United States.
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005399:Fishes; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Human fish consumption; Mercury (Hg); National rivers; Wildlife fish consumption