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HiiiiHin Influences — Our Living Res(nirces 



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Coastal sites 



Contaminants in Surface Sediments, 

 Bivalves, and Fish 



Recent national and regional trends for cer- 

 tain contaminants have been identified in data 

 from tlsh livers (McCain et al. 1992), surface 

 sediments (O'Connor 1990: Wade et al. 1992), 

 and molluscan tissues (O'Connor 1992). A sta- 

 tistical test (Spearman rank-correlation) was 

 used to detect trends in annual mean concentra- 

 tions of 14 chemicals at 141 sites with 4 or 5 

 years of molluscan monitoring data (O'Connor 

 1992). Among 1.974 chemical-site combina- 

 tions, there were 239 occunences ( 152 decreas- 

 ing and 87 increasing) with strong correlations 

 between those concentrations and time. The 

 hypothesis was offered that similar trends 

 among sites in an area corroborate that the trend 

 is real and areawide. For example, at nine Long 

 Island Sound (New York) sites, decreases 

 occun'ed in copper at six sites, cadmium at five, 

 silver at four, and zinc at three. An apparent 20- 

 year decreasing trend in annual concentration of 

 total PCB in mussels has been recorded at Palos 

 Verdes, California. 



Contaminants Determined from Dated 

 Sediment Cores 



Trends in contamination can also be detect- 

 ed from contaminant profiles in dated estuarine 

 and coastal sediment cores. Since 1989 the 

 NS&T Program has sponsored projects that use 

 sediment cores to reconstruct the history of con- 

 tamination in U.S. coastal waters (Hudson- 

 Raritan Estuary. Long Island Sound, Chesa- 

 peake Bay, Savannah River, southern California 

 Basin. San Francisco Bay, and Puget Sound). In 

 1994 sediment cores were analyzed for sites in 

 the Mississippi River Delta and Galveston Bay. 

 Generally, results show a slow increase in con- 

 tamination in the late 1800's. followed by an 



acceleration of pollution in the mid-1900's. 

 Maximum contamination was reached around 

 the mid-1970"s, and in most areas a decrease 

 has been observed for anthropogenic contami- 

 nants (e.g.. antimony, lead. DDT. and PCBs; 

 Valette-Silver and O'Connor 1989; Valette- 

 Silveretal. 1994). 



Selected Studies in Highly Contaminated 

 Coastal Areas 



Liver neoplasms (cancerous tumors) were 

 found in 10 fish species collected from 1984 to 

 1988 from sites near urban centers along the 

 west and northeast coasts (Turgeon et al. 1992). 

 Scientists concluded that the contaminants most 

 likely to be factors in the development of these 

 tumors were the PAHs. PCBs, and DDTs 

 (Myers etal. 1993). 



Although incidences of cancerous tumors 

 are generally low in fish from U.S. coastal 

 waters, other liver disease conditions, some of 

 which may progress to neoplasms, occur more 

 frequently in areas where contaminants are 

 high. Neoplasms and pre-neoplasms (pre-can- 

 cerous tumors) were found in up to 15% of the 

 winter flounder from sites in Boston Harbor 

 (Murchelano and Wolke 1991 ). Along the west 

 coast, neoplasm incidences are well below 10% 

 in most fish species (Myers et al. 1993). 

 Relatively high incidences of nontumorous dis- 

 ease conditions occur in fish from contaminated 

 sites. For example, in English sole (Parophrys 

 vetuhts) from Elliott Bay. Washington, inci- 

 dences of 42% for specific degeneration and 

 necrosis (SON) of liver cells and 13% prolifer- 

 ative disorders (cells duplicating out of control) 

 have been recorded; and in white croaker from 

 San Pedro Outer Harbor. California, 22% SDN 

 and 7% for proliferative disorders have been 

 found (Varanasi et al. 1989; Myers et al. 1993). 

 At Morris Cove, a highly contaminated site in 

 New Haven, Connecticut, up to 90% of the cells 

 in winter flounder livers have been found to be 

 vacuolated cells (large areas of apparently 

 empty, nonfuncfioning cells; Gronlund et al. 

 1991). 



Although fin erosion (fish with reduced fins 

 or in extreme stages of disease with no fins) has 

 been found in all species at all sites, this condi- 

 tion is still unusual, except in a few highly con- 

 taminated areas. Eroded fins occurred in 27% of 

 the black croaker iCheilotrema satunmm) and 

 22% of barred sand bass (Pandabrax nebiiUfer) 

 from the West Harbor site in San Diego Bay, 

 California (McCain et al. 1989). Up to 90% of 

 Atlantic croaker, 100%f of sand seatrout 

 (Cynoscion arenariiis). and 17% of spot sam- 

 pled from the Houston Ship Channel at Green 

 Bayou, Texas, experienced fin loss due to dis- 

 ease (P. Hanson, National Marine Fisheries 

 Service, personal communication). 



