Understanding the Ecological Consequences of Ubiquitous Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Laurentian Great Lakes W
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) represent a plethora of chemicals only recently recognized as potentially causing harm at environmental concentrations to organisms through diverse modes of action. Studies have confirmed CECs are pervasive in water
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Contents 1 Introduction 2 CECs in the Great Lakes Watershed 3 Resident Fish Studies 4 Caged Fish Studies 5 On-Site Laboratory Studies 6 Controlled Laboratory Studies 7 Strategies to Link CECs to Observed Biological Effects 8 Obstacles to Resource Management Solutions 9 Conclusions References
Abstract Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) represent a plethora of chemicals only recently recognized as potentially causing harm at environmental concentrations to organisms through diverse modes of action. Studies have confirmed CECs are pervasive in water, sediment, and fish tissues collected from the Great Lakes watershed, corroborating studies from ecosystems worldwide. In some tributaries, CECs exceed water-quality benchmarks or screening values expected to cause adverse effects in fish based on data from single-compound exposures. However, a scarcity of data precludes predictions about the adverse
H. L. Schoenfuss (*), L. C. Wang, V. R. Korn, C. K. King, and S. Kohno Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, St. Cloud State University, St Cloud, MN, USA e-mail: [email protected] S. L. Hummel US Fish & Wildlife Service, Bloomington, MN, USA Jill Crossman and Chris Weisener (eds.), Contaminants of the Great Lakes, Hdb Env Chem, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_491, © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
H. L. Schoenfuss et al.
effects of long-term exposures of resident fish to complex mixture of CECs. We combine a literature review with recent case studies to explore evidence for the effects of CECs gathered across the continuum from field studies to controlled laboratory investigations. This information is used to identify obstacles to the development of natural resource management practices. Ranking prominent among these obstacles are the dearth of analytical capabilities, paucity of mixture studies, and complexity of integrating CEC effects with additional stressors. Despite these knowledge gaps, using existing water-quality benchmarks and developing screening values from the literature can provide limited directions in identifying CEC sources in need of mitigation. Natural resource managers are encouraged to review data on CEC presence and sources when assessing conservation efforts in Great Lakes tributaries. Keywords Aquatic toxicology, Endocrine disruptor, Fish, Weight of evidence
1 Introduction The Laurentian Great Lakes have been at the nexus of economic development, industrialization, and environmental science for over a century. Containing one fifth of the world’s surface freshwater, this aquatic ecosystem serves many important ecosystem functions [1]. Multiple areas of the Great Lakes have been designated as US National Wildlife Refuges or US National Estuarine Research Reserves, highlighting the value natural resources contain within its waters. While sustaining human populations, these natural resources have also been under threat by human development and pollution [2]. More recently, potentially detrimental stressors to the ecosystem health of the Great Lakes have been identified as “contaminants of emerging concern
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