title: Statistical Survey of Persistent Organic Pollutants: Risk Estimations to Humans and Wildlife through Consumption of Fish from U.S. Rivers.
abstract: U.S. EPA conducted a national statistical survey of fish tissue contamination at 540 river sites (representing 82 954 river km) in 2008-2009, and analyzed samples for 50 persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including 21 PCB congeners, 8 PBDE congeners, and 21 organochlorine pesticides. The survey results were used to provide national estimates of contamination for these POPs. PCBs were the most abundant, being measured in 93.5% of samples. Summed concentrations of the 21 PCB congeners had a national weighted mean of 32.7 μg/kg and a maximum concentration of 857 μg/kg, and exceeded the human health cancer screening value of 12 μg/kg in 48% of the national sampled population of river km, and in 70% of the urban sampled population. PBDEs (92.0%), chlordane (88.5%) and DDT (98.7%) were also detected frequently, although at lower concentrations. Results were examined by subpopulations of rivers, including urban or nonurban and three defined ecoregions. PCBs, PBDEs, and DDT occur at significantly higher concentrations in fish from urban rivers versus nonurban; however, the distribution varied more among the ecoregions. Wildlife screening values previously published for bird and mammalian species were converted from whole fish to fillet screening values, and used to estimate risk for wildlife through fish consumption.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, United States.
authors.forename: Angela L
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7008-249X
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Batt
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water Office of Science and Technology, Washington, D.C. 20460, United States.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wathen
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, United States.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lazorchak
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, United States.
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Kincaid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D045483:Rivers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls