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USGS2013

Occurrence and mobility of mercury in groundwater: Chapter 5

1. Introduction 1.1. FORMS, TOXICITY, AND HEALTH EFFECTS Mercury (Hg) has long been identified as an element that is injurious, even lethal, to living organisms. Exposure to its inorganic form, mainly from elemental Hg (Hg(0)) vapor ( Fitzgerald & Lamborg, 2007 ) can cause damage to respiratory, neural, and renal systems ( Hutton, 1987 ; USEPA, 2012 ; WHO, 2012 ). The organic form, methylmercury (CH 3 Hg + ; MeHg), is substantially more toxic than the inorganic form ( Fitzgerald & Lamborg, 2007 ). Methylmercury attacks the nervous system and exposure can prove lethal, as demonstrated by well-known incidents such as those in 1956 in Minimata, Japan ( Harada, 1995 ), and 1971 in rural Iraq ( Bakir et al., 1973 ), where, in the former, industrial release of MeHg into coastal waters severely tainted the fish caught and eaten by the local population, and in the latter, grain seed treated with an organic mercurial fungicide was not planted, but eaten in bread instead. Resultant deaths are not known with certainty but have been estimated at about 100 and 500, respectively ( Hutton, 1987 ). Absent such lethal accidents, human exposure to MeHg comes mainly from ingestion of piscivorous fish in which MeHg has accumulated, with potential fetal damage ascribed to high fish diets during their mothers’ pregnancies ( USEPA, 2001 ). Lesser human exposure occurs through ingestion of drinking water (USEPA, 2001), where concentrations of total Hg (THg; inorganic plus organic forms) typically are in the low nanograms-per-liter range [1] - , particularly from many groundwater sources, and concentrations at the microgram-per-liter level are rare.

Book chapter↗

USGS2016

Evaluation of chemical control for nonnative crayfish at a warm-water fish production hatchery

Invasive crayfish are known to displace native crayfish species, alter aquatic habitat and community structure and function, and are serious pests for fish hatcheries. White River Crawfish (WRC; Procambarus acutus) were inadvertently introduced to a warm-water fish hatchery in Missouri, USA, possibly in an incoming fish shipment. We evaluated the use of chemical control for crayfish to ensure incoming and outgoing fish shipments from hatcheries do not contain live crayfish. We conducted acute (≤24 hr) static toxicity tests to determine potency, dose-response, and selectivity of pesticides to WRC, Virile Crayfish (VC; Orconectes virilis), and Fathead Minnow (FHM; Pimephales promelas). Testing identified a formulation of cypermethrin (Cynoff®) as the most potent of five pesticides evaluated for toxicity to crayfish. A 4-hr exposure to a cypermethrin concentration of 100 μg · L-1 was found to kill 100% of juvenile and adult WRC; however, adult VC were not consistently killed. Concentrations of cypermethrin ≤100 μg · L-1 did not cause significant (>10%) mortality in juvenile FHM. Additional testing is needed to examine selectivity between crayfish and hatchery fish species. Biosecurity protocols at hatcheries that use chemical control have the potential to reliably prevent inadvertent transfers of live crayfish in fish shipments.

Missouri↗

USGS2004

Zinc toxicosis in a free-flying trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator)

A trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) was observed near it mill pond in Picher, Oklahoma. USA. It became weakened and emaciated after about 1 mo, was captured with little resistance, and taken into captivity for medical care. Serum chemistry results were consistent with hepatic, renal, and muscular damage. Serum zinc concentration was elevated at 11.2 parts per million (ppm). The swan was treated for suspected heavy-metal poisoning, but died overnight. Gross postmortem findings were emaciation and pectoral muscle atrophy. Histopathologic lesions in the pancreas included mild diffuse disruption of acinar architecture, severe diffuse depletion or absence of zymogen granules, occasional apoptotic bodies ics in acinar epithelial cells, and mild interstitial and capsular fibrosis. Zinc concentration in pancreas was 3,200 ppm wet weight, and was similar to that reported in the pancreases of waterfowl known to be killed by zinc toxicity. Zinc concentrations in liver (154 ppm) and kidneys (145 ppm) also were elevated. Acute tubular necrosis of the collecting tubules of the kidneys was also possibly due to zinc toxicity. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first confirmed case of zinc poisoning in a trumpeter swan associated with mining wastes..

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗

USGS2010

Persistent organic pollutants in the blood of free-ranging sea otters (Enhydra lutris ssp.) in Alaska and California

As part of tagging and ecologic research efforts in 1997 and 1998, apparently healthy sea otters of four age-sex classes in six locations in Alaska and three in California were sampled for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other chemicals of ecologic or environmental concern (COECs). Published techniques for the detection of POPs (specifically Σpolychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], ΣDDTs, Σhexachlorocyclohexanes [HCHs], Σpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], Σchlordanes [CHLs], hexachlorobenzene [HCB], dieldrin, and mirex) in the tissue of dead otters were modified for use with serum from live sea otters. Toxic equivalencies (TEQs) were calculated for POPs with proven bioactivity. Strong location effects were seen for most POPs and COECs; sea otters in California generally showed higher mean concentrations than those in Alaska. Differences in contaminant concentrations were detected among age and sex classes, with high levels frequently observed in subadults. Very high levels of ΣDDT were detected in male sea otters in Elkhorn Slough, California, where strong freshwater outflow from agricultural areas occurs seasonally. All contaminants except mirex differed among Alaskan locations; only ΣDDT, HCB, and chlorpyrifos differed within California. High levels of ΣPCB (particularly larger, more persistent congeners) were detected at two locations in Alaska where associations between elevated PCBs and military activity have been established, while higher PCB levels were found at all three locations in California where no point source of PCBs has been identified. Although POP and COEC concentrations in blood may be less likely to reflect total body burden, concentrations in blood of healthy animals may be more biologically relevant and less influenced by state of nutrition or perimortem factors than other tissues routinely sampled.

Alaska, California↗

USGS2003

Effects of lampricide exposure on the survival, growth, and behavior of the unionid mussels Elliptio complanata and Pyganadon cataracta

The effects of a 12-h exposure to the lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and a combination of TFM and 1% niclosamide (active ingredient in Bayluscide 70% wettable powder) on the short and long-term (10 mo post exposure) survival and behavior of two unionid freshwater mussel species Elliptio complanata and Pyganadon cataracta were measured. Growth of juvenile E. complanata mussels 10 months after exposure was also compared. Toxicity was determined after 12 h exposures at maximum concentrations from 2- to 2.5- fold higher than the LC99 for sea lamprey larvae. A logistic model was used to estimate the probability of survival among treatments, trials, species, and sizes. Mortality was minimal in all test concentrations of TFM alone and the TFM/1% niclosamide combination. Estimated survival decreased 6% for each unit increase in the relative toxicity of TFM. Survival was greater for E. complanata than for P. cataracta, and for adults relative to juveniles. Lampricide treatment caused narcotization of both mussels (defined as having gaped shells and an extended foot) in concentrations greater than or equal to LC99 for sea lamprey larvae and narcotization ranged from 0-50% among treatments. Recovery from narcosis was apparent by 12 h post-exposure and complete by 36 h post-exposure. The rate of growth of E. complanata over the 10-month post-exposure period did not vary among treatments.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗

USGS1984

Lead poisoning of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis)

Two wild and two captive sandhill cranes ( Grus canadensis ) were diagnosed by National Wildlife Health Laboratory personnel as having died from lead toxicity. Ingestion of lead fishing weights by the wild cranes and of unspent .22 caliber shell cartridges by the captive cranes were responsible for these deaths. One crane force-fed lead pellets showed an increase of blood lead levels from 0.77 ppm to 23.8 ppm (wet weight) just before its death 15 days following exposure. Liver lead concentrations of sandhill cranes dying of causes other than lead toxicity are presented.

California, Indiana, Nebraska, Texas↗

USGS2006

Comparison of trace element concentrations in livers of diseased, emaciated and non-diseased southern sea otters from the California coast

Infectious diseases have been implicated as a cause of high rates of adult mortality in southern sea otters. Exposure to environmental contaminants can compromise the immuno-competence of animals, predisposing them to infectious diseases. In addition to organic pollutants, certain trace elements can modulate the immune system in marine mammals. Nevertheless, reports of occurrence of trace elements, including toxic heavy metals, in sea otters are not available. In this study, concentrations of 20 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi) were measured in livers of southern sea otters found dead along the central California coast (n = 80) from 1992 to 2002. Hepatic concentrations of trace elements were compared among sea otters that died from infectious diseases (n = 27), those that died from non-infectious causes (n = 26), and otters that died in emaciated condition with no evidence of another cause of death (n = 27). Concentrations of essential elements in sea otters varied within an order of magnitude, whereas concentrations of non-essential elements varied by two to five orders of magnitude. Hepatic concentrations of Cu and Cd were 10- to 100-fold higher in the sea otters in this study than concentrations reported for any other marine mammal species. Concentrations of Mn, Co, Zn, and Cd were elevated in the diseased and emaciated sea otters relative to the non-diseased sea otters. Elevated concentrations of essential elements such as Mn, Zn, and Co in the diseased/emaciated sea otters suggest that induction of synthesis of metallothionein and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme is occurring in these animals, as a means of protecting the cells from oxidative stress-related injuries. Trace element profiles in diseased and emaciated sea otters suggest that oxidative stress mediates the perturbation of essential-element concentrations. Elevated concentrations of toxic metals such as Cd, in addition to several other organic pollutants, may contribute to oxidative stress-meditated effects in sea otters.

California↗

USGS1961

Use of 3-trifluormethyl-4-nitrophenol as a selective sea lamprey larvicide

The recent discovery of a group of chemical compounds that are significantly more toxic to sea lampreys than to other aquatic organisms offers promise of an early and effective control of this pest. The sea lamprey has all but destroyed the lake trout populations of Lakes Huron and Michigan. In Lake Superior, production of the lake trout fishery has declined to record low levels. Only a rapid and drastic reduction in sea lamprey predation can save the lake trout population there. Other species of food and game fishes have suffered severe decreases from persistent attack by the lamprey. The sea lamprey spends only a small portion of its life as a parasite in the Great Lakes. The fully grown and sexually mature adults migrate into streams to spawn and thereafter die. The eggs hatch in a week to 10 days and the larvae remain in the stream bottom for 5 years or longer before metamorphosis into the adult form. Following this transformation the young lampreys migrate downstream to the lakes to begin their parasitic existence. The life cycle of the sea lamprey has been described in detail elsewhere (Applegate 1950; Applegate and Moffett 1955). Control of the adult lampreys distributed throughout a body of open water as large as one of the Great Lakes, by known and available techniques, is not feasible. Fortunately, this pest can be attacked effectively at those stages in its life cycle when it is concentrated in restricted areas. Various devices have been developed which prevent spawning by blocking the streams below the spawning grounds. Electrical weirs, that repel or destroy the lampreys, have been used (Applegate, Smith, and Nielsen 1952; Erkkila, Smith, and McLain 1956). A serious shortcoming of this control method is the time required to achieve the desired effect. Even though the adults have been destroyed before spawning, 5 or more generations of larval lampreys are already in the stream-enough to provide an annual supply of parasitic adults for an equal period of time. Almost all the larvae of the sea lamprey live in the spawning streams. Treatment of these streams with selectively toxic chemicals that kill the larvae provides immediate reduction of all generations in the population before they become parasites. Control of the species can thus be achieved without a delay of several years.

Technical Report↗

USGS1974

Control of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Lake Superior, 1953-70

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) gained entrance into Lake Superior in the early 1940's, and began making drastic inroads on the fish stocks by the early 1950's. Serious efforts to control the parasite began in 1953 with the installation of electrical barriers in streams to block spawning runs. Control measures became much more effective after 1958, when a selective toxicant, the lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), was used to destroy larval lampreys in streams. A unique methodology was developed for stream treatments which included surveys to find sea lamprey larvae, bioassays to determine effective lampricide concentrations, analytical techniques to monitor concentrations of lampricide throughout the treatment, and feeder systems to apply the toxicant in controlled amounts. Evidence of successful control was indicated first by reduced sea lamprey spawning runs, as measured by the numbers of adults taken at electrical barriers. The runs declined in 1962 by about 86%; periodic re-treatments of lamprey-infested streams held the population at a low level in 1963-70. Other indicators of success were decreases in the incidence of sea lamprey wounds on lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), in the numbers of sea lamprey larvae in streams, and in the number of streams regularly used by sea lampreys for spawning. Although sea lamprey control and heavy plantings of hatchery-reared stock had restored lake trout abundance to prelamprey levels in many areas by 1970, the trout had not yet become self-sustaining. Additional effort will be required to further reduce the effects of lamprey predation.

Technical Report↗

USGS1959

The reclamation of Indian and Abrams creeks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A complete program of stream reclamation was developed and applied on Indian and Abrams creeks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A salt-resistivity technique was used to estimate the dilution and velocity of a toxicant in running water. Streamside toxicity trials on resident fishes established minimal, effective concentrations of the rotenone material. The successful removals of undesirable fish were followed by restocking with selected strains of eastern brook trout and rainbow trout. Post-reclamation observations demonstrated enhanced survival, growth, reproduction, and catch of trout. Factors which might limit the effectiveness of stream reclamation programs ar e discussed.

North Carolina, Tennessee↗

USGS1990

Resistance to 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) in sea lamprey

The lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) has been used in the United States and Canada for more than 30 years to control populations of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Great Lakes. There is concern that sea lamprey might become resistant to TFM. Lampricide toxicity tests have been conducted at the Hammond Bay Biological Station, Millersburg, Michigan, since the 1950s and examination of TFM toxicity data for larval lamprey from 1963 to 1987 indicated that sea lamprey have not developed increased resistance to TFM. Maintenance of current control practices are unlikely to cause the development of TFM-resistant sea lamprey strains in the foreseeable future.

Technical Report↗

USGS1996

Planar PCB Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, and Invertebrates: A Synoptic Review

Ecological and toxicological aspects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the environment are reviewed with emphasis on biologically active congeners and fish and wildlife. Subtopics include sources and uses, chemical and biochemical properties, concentrations in field collections, lethal and sublethal effects, and recommendations for the protection of sensitive resources. All production of PCBs in the United States ceased in 1977. Of the 1.2 million tons of PCBs manufactured to date, about 65% are still in use in electrical equipment and 31% in various environmental compartments, and 4% were degraded or incinerated. The 209 PCB congeners and their metabolites show wide differences in biological effects. A significant part of the toxicity associated with commercial PCB mixtures is related to the presence of about 20 planar congeners, i.e., congeners without chlorine substitution in the ortho position. Toxic planar congeners, like other PCB congeners, have been detected in virtually all analyzed samples, regardless of collection locale. Planar PCB concentrations were usually highest in samples from near urban areas and in fat and liver tissues, filter-feeding bivalve mollusks, fish-eating birds, and carnivorous marine mammals. Adverse effects of planar PCBs on growth, survival, and reproduction are highly variable because of numerous biotic and abiotic modifiers, including interaction with other chemicals. In general, embryos and juveniles were the most sensitive stages tested to planar PCBs, and the chinook salmon, domestic chicken, mink, rhesus macaque, and laboratory white rat were among the most sensitive species. for protection of natural resources, most authorities now recommend (1) analyzation of environmental samples for planar and other potentially hazardous congeners; (2) exposure studies with representative species and specific congeners, alone and in combination with other environmental contaminants; (3) clarification of existing structure-induction-metabolism relations; and (4) more research on physiological and biochemical indicators of PCB-stress.

Contaminant Hazard Reviews↗

USGS1987

The use of kestrels in toxicology

Various species of kestrels have become important bioindicators of environmental quality and test species for comparative toxicology in captivity. At least 7 species of kestrels have been used to document the presence of environmental contamination primarily organochlorines and metals, in at least 15 countries. Captive kestrels have been used in studies involving a wide variety of environmental contaminants and toxicants examining: bioaccumulation; lethal toxicity using acute, chronic, and secondary exposures; effects on reproduction, eggshell thickness, and related enzyme systems; and effects on a wide variety of physiological and biochemical parameters. Field studies have examined the response of kestrels to exposure to insecticides. Kestrels should continue to play a vital role as a bioindicator and raptorial 'white mouse', especially because of their relationship to other falconiformes, several of which have been shown to be extremely sensitive to environmental changes.

Book chapter↗

USGS1982

Modern pesticides and bobwhite populations

Bobwhite ( Colinus virginianus ) are frequently used as test animals for wildlife tests of pesticides. The organophosphate and carbamate pesticides that have replaced the organochlorines have many desirable properties, but they span a wide range of acute toxicities and some of them affe,ct survival, reproduction, food consumption, behavior, and nervous system enzymes in laboratory tests. Applying these laboratory findings to the field requires assumptions about the severity of exposure in the field. Direct field measurements show that birds may be exposed to significant amounts of these pesticides or even more toxic degradation products under some conditions. Adverse population effects may also result from depression of insect populations during the seasons when bobwhites rely on insects for food.

Book chapter↗

USGS1998

Contaminant effects on Great Lakes' fish-eating birds: a population perspective

Preventing environmental contaminants from reducing wildlife populations is the greatest concern in wildlife toxicology. In the Great Lakes, environmental contaminants have a history of reducing populations of many species of fish-eating birds. Endocrine effects may have contributed to declines in fish-eating bird populations, but the overriding harm was caused by DDE-induced eggshell thinning. Toxic effects may still be occurring today, but apparently they are not of a sufficient magnitude to depress populations of most fish-eating birds. Once DDE levels in the Great Lakes declined, eggshells of birds began to get thicker and reproductive success improved. Populations of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) have increased dramatically since the bans on DDT and other organochlorine pesticides. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are still not reproducing at a normal rate along the shores of the Great Lakes, but success is much improved compared to earlier records when eggshell thinning was worse. Other species, such as herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), seem to be having improved reproductive success, but data on Great Lakes'-wide population changes are incomplete. Reproductive success of common terns (Sterna hirundo), Caspian terns (Sterna caspia), and Forster's terns (Sterna forsteri) seems to have improved in recent years, but, again, data on population changes are not very complete, and these birds face many habitat related problems as well as contaminant problems. Although contaminants are still producing toxic effects, and these effects may include endocrine disfunction, fish-eating birds in the Great Lakes seem to be largely weathering these effects, at least as far as populations are concerned. A lack of obvious contaminant effects on populations of fish-eating birds in the Great Lakes, however, should not be equated with a lack of any harm to these birds or with a conclusion that certain contaminants do not need additional control.

Book chapter↗

USGS2001

Environmental contaminants

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the ecotoxicology of major classes of environmental contaminants, with respect to sources, environmental chemistry, most likely routes of exposure, potential bioaccumulation and biomagification, mechanisms of toxicity, and effects on potentially vulnerable species of mammalian wildlife. Major contaminants reviewed were selected on the basis of their use patterns, availability and potential toxicity to wild mammals. These included pesticides used in agroecosystems (organochlorines, organophosphorus and carbamate compounds, anticoagulants, herbicides and fungicides), various organic pollutants (chlorobenzenes, chlorophenols, polychlorinated biphenyls, dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), heavy metals (lead, mercury, and cadmium), agricultural drainwater mixtures, leachates and radionuclides. Many of the above aspects of ecotoxicology and contaminants will be expanded upon in subsequent chapters of this book as they relate to distinct mammalian species and potential risk.

Book chapter↗

USGS2001

Rodentia and lagomorpha

This comprehensive review examines the extensive literature on wild rodents and lagomorphs as biomonitors of environmental contamination. This chapter covers studies dealing with exposure and effects of environmental contaminants on rodent and lagomorph species, including pesticides (organochlorines, organophosphorus and carbamate compounds, herbicides, plant growth regulators, fungicides, and rodenticides), other organic chemicals, metals, radionuclides, and other miscellaneous contaminants. Many research needs become evident when reviewing ecotoxicological data for rodents and lagomorphs, the most striking being the paucity of information on rodent families other than Muridae (mice and rats). While our ability to qualitatively extrapolate effects observed in laboratory studies to field situations is good for a variety of contaminants, quantitative predictions of dose-response relationships are poor because inter-specific variation and differences in exposure patterns between laboratory and wild species to toxicants are for the most part unknown. More sophisticated comparative toxicity studies need to be undertaken that build on previous work in order to develop a database of information, to account for and model differences in exposure pathways, to document interactions among multiple stressors, to generate data establishing thresholds, critical concentrations, and diagnostic guidelines, and even to develop physiologically-based toxicokinetic models. Such efforts may enhance our ability to predict effects on wild populations, including threatened and endangered species.

Book chapter↗

USGS2002

Toxicological assessment of aquatic ecosystems: application to watercraft contaminants in shallow water environments

Recreational boating and personal watercraft use have the potential to adversely impact shallow water systems through contaminant release and physical disturbance of bottom sediments. These nearshore areas are often already degraded by surface runoff, municipal and industrial effluents, and other anthropogenic activities. For proper management, information is needed on the level of contamination and environmental quality of these systems. A number of field and laboratory procedures can be used to provide this much needed information. Contaminants, such as metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, entering aquatic environments generally attach to particulate matter that eventually settles and becomes incorporated into the bottom sediments. Because bottom sediments serve as a sink and as a source for contaminants, environmental assessments generally focus on this matrix. While contaminant residues in sediments and sediment pore waters can reflect environmental quality, characteristics of sediment (redox potential, sediment/pore-water chemistry, acid volatile sulfides, percent organic matter, and sediment particle size) influence their bioavailability and make interpretation of environmental significance difficult. Comparisons of contaminant concentrations in pore water (interstitial water) and sediment with water quality criteria and sediment quality guidelines, respectively, can provide insight into potential biological effects. Laboratory bioaccumulation studies and residue concentrations in resident or caged biota also yield information on potential biological impacts. The usefulness of these measurements may increase as data are developed relating in-situ concentrations, tissue residue levels, and biological responses. Exposure of test organisms in situ or to field-collected sediment and pore water are additional procedures that can be used to assess the biological effects of contaminants. A battery of tests using multi-species and/or various life stages with different sensitivities to contaminants may offer a more conservative assessment of toxicity than single species testing. Using a ?weight of evidence? approach, the Sediment Quality Trial produces a robust evaluation of habitat quality and includes a measure of contaminant concentrations in the sediment, an assessment of sediment/pore-water toxicity to laboratory animals, and an evaluation of in situ biological assemblages. Field and laboratory procedures are available that can be used to ascertain habitat quality, identify contaminants causing environmental degradation and delineate aquatic systems requiring mitigation of protective efforts. These studies provide the scientific data that are integral to developing an environmental risk assessment of contaminants from watercraft use in shallow water systems.

Book chapter↗