Assessment of priority pollutant concentrations in the United States using storet database

Abstract

The examination of the 80,000,000 STORET data points for priority pollutant concentrations yielded principles for system usage to determine the individual occurrence of these pollutants in U.S. waterways. A case study on a representative priority pollutant (butyl benzyl phthalate) is presented in detail to highlight the characteristics of the database. The use of data from the 1980s only is recommended, based on the number of data points and the likelihood that better quality assurance practices were employed. Mean values should not be used because aberrant values dominate the additive mean and can exceed statistical probability (p << 0.01). Since geometric mean calculations are not readily available within the system, the use of median values based on ambient or effluent sampling points and excluding landfill sampling sites is recommended. Careful documentation of nondetectable values is also necessary to reduce errors associated with statistical analysis. Eighty‐six of the 110 (78%) organic priority pollutants are not detectable in U.S. waterways. Of the 24 chemicals detected, only 5 exceed an ambient median water concentration of 0.3 μg/L. Ninety‐five of the 110 (86%) are not detectable in industrial effluents; the maximum median value of 10 μg/L was reported for four organic priority pollutants. Seventy‐nine percent of the organic priority pollutants are not detected in sediments; all but seven medians are less than 15 μ/kg. Eighty‐seven percent are not detected in biota; all but three medians are less than 0.25 mg/kg.

The Gulf Oil Spill

“…In an assessment of STORET data covering the period , Staples et al (1985 reported median concentrations in sediment of ≤500 µg/kg dry weight for 15 PAHs (acenaphthene, have been reported to range from approximately 100 to 11,000 µg/kg dry wt, and 800 to 23,000 µg/kg dry wt, respectively (Demuth et al 1993).…”

“…In an assessment of STORET data covering the period , Staples et al (1985 reported median concentrations in biota of In summary of data on tissue contamination in mussels and oysters from the first 3 years (1986)(1987)(1988) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mussel Watch Project, which involved the analysis of samples from 177 coastal and estuarine U.S. sites, overall mean concentrations of low molecular weight PAHs ranged from not detected (detection limits 3.3-67 ng/g dry weight) to 4,200 ng/g dry weight (NOAA 1989). Mean concentrations of low molecular weight PAHs for individual years 1986, 1987, and 1988 ranged up to 9,600, 3,200, and 4,300 ng/g dry weight,…”

Toxicological Profile for Ethylbenzene

“…The median ethylbenzene concentration in ambient surface waters in the United States in 1980-1982 was <5.0 μg/L (ppb) according to EPA's STORET water quality database (Staples et al 1985). The chemical was detected in 10% of the 1,101 samples collected during that period.…”

“…The median ethylbenzene concentration (dry weight) detected in sediment in the United States in 1980-1982 was 5 μg/kg (ppb) according to EPA's STORET water quality database (Staples et al 1985). The Ethylbenzene concentrations were analyzed in contaminated soil samples obtained from the site of a former crude oil and natural gas production facility near Los Angeles, California.…”

“…Ethylbenzene has also been detected in surface water and groundwater (Barker 1987;Borden and Yanoschak 1990;Chen and Zoltek 1995;Cole et al 1984;Cotruvo 1985;Gschwend et al 1982;Krill and Sonzongni 1986;Quigley and Corsi 1995;Staples et al 1985;Stubin et al 1996;Stuermer et al 1982;Tester and Harker 1981), sediment (Staples et al 1985), a limited number of foodstuffs (Ferrario et al 1985;Górna-Binkul et al 1996;Kinlin et al 1972;Lovegren et al 1979;Nicola et al 1987), and in cigarette smoke (Hodgson et al 1996;Martin et al 1997;Wallace 1986;Wallace et al 1987c). Continued monitoring data at or around hazardous waste sites are needed in order to assess human exposure for populations residing in these areas.…”