Assessing the threat of contaminants of emerging concern to early marine survival of Chinook salmon
Presentation Abstract
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and a number of industrial compounds, such as alkylphenols, bisphenol A, phthalates, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), and current-use pesticides, are all contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic habitats, regionally and globally. CECs enter our rivers, estuaries, and marine habitats from various sources, including discharges from wastewater treatment plants, aquaculture operations, industrial outfalls and stormwater outfalls, as well as surface stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, landfills, agricultural lands, and lands where biosolids were applied. However, the environmental fate and toxicity of CECs to biota are not well understood. To provide an initial assessment of CECs in juvenile Chinook salmon in Puget Sound, we measured concentrations of CECs in 15 whole body samples of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) out-migrating through river, estuary, and nearshore marine habitats from five Puget Sound river systems in 2013. Collectively, 48 of 194 chemicals were detected, generally with more CECs detected in salmon that had migrated through urban than non-urban areas. Overall, antibiotics, alkylphenols, PFCs, and antidepressants were all frequently detected. Fifteen different antibiotics were detected; at least one antibiotic was detected in all samples, however the mean number of antibiotics detected at each river system ranged from two to five. Five different types of antidepressants were detected, however, they were not detected in salmon from all river systems. Based on predicted fish plasma concentrations of PPCPs, which were compared to effective pharmaceutical doses for human plasma, we concluded that several of the CECs detected in juvenile Chinook salmon were high enough to potentially impair health of salmon residing temporarily in estuarine and nearshore habitats of Puget Sound, possibly reducing their marine survival.
Session Title
Occurrence and impacts of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
SSE3: Fate, Transport, and Toxicity of Chemicals
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE3-569
Start Date
5-4-2018 3:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2018 3:45 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Chinook salmon--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Water quality--Measurement--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine pollution--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Water pollution--Toxicology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Assessing the threat of contaminants of emerging concern to early marine survival of Chinook salmon
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and a number of industrial compounds, such as alkylphenols, bisphenol A, phthalates, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), and current-use pesticides, are all contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic habitats, regionally and globally. CECs enter our rivers, estuaries, and marine habitats from various sources, including discharges from wastewater treatment plants, aquaculture operations, industrial outfalls and stormwater outfalls, as well as surface stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, landfills, agricultural lands, and lands where biosolids were applied. However, the environmental fate and toxicity of CECs to biota are not well understood. To provide an initial assessment of CECs in juvenile Chinook salmon in Puget Sound, we measured concentrations of CECs in 15 whole body samples of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) out-migrating through river, estuary, and nearshore marine habitats from five Puget Sound river systems in 2013. Collectively, 48 of 194 chemicals were detected, generally with more CECs detected in salmon that had migrated through urban than non-urban areas. Overall, antibiotics, alkylphenols, PFCs, and antidepressants were all frequently detected. Fifteen different antibiotics were detected; at least one antibiotic was detected in all samples, however the mean number of antibiotics detected at each river system ranged from two to five. Five different types of antidepressants were detected, however, they were not detected in salmon from all river systems. Based on predicted fish plasma concentrations of PPCPs, which were compared to effective pharmaceutical doses for human plasma, we concluded that several of the CECs detected in juvenile Chinook salmon were high enough to potentially impair health of salmon residing temporarily in estuarine and nearshore habitats of Puget Sound, possibly reducing their marine survival.
