Chemical pollutants in sediments and diseases of bottom-dwelling fish in Puget Sound, Washington

Quantitative Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals in Fish Roasted with Firewood, Waste Tyres and Polyethylene Materials

“…The high amount of PAHs in fish roasted with firewood and waste tyre materials is attributable to the tyre's hydrocarbon content and the quality of smoke generated during combustion. However, the negligible total PAHs in fresh fish samples indicates very low accumulation from river sources and its sediments [15]. This supports the assertion that roasting with these waste materials can generate and transfer toxicants on surfaces of food [8,19].…”

“…Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls are industrial contaminants [13,14] that accumulate in large quantities in river sediments [15], and through the food chain some are ingested by aquatic organisms. PAHs are important class of persistent organic pollutant produced mainly during incomplete combustion of coal, gasoline, diesel fuels, polyethylene, tyres as well as in smoked and grilled foods [16].…”

Revision of sediment quality triad indicators in Puget Sound (Washington, USA): I. a Sediment Chemistry Index and targets for mixtures of toxicants

“…Initial surveys of sediment quality in Puget Sound demonstrated that sediments and demersal fishes in the industrialized harbors and maritime waterways were contaminated with mixtures of potentially toxic metals and organic compounds (Chapman et al 1982;Malins et al 1984). Laboratory tests carried out with invertebrates and fish cell lines established that exposure to contaminated sediments resulted in toxicity with multiple endpoints ranging from mortality to anomalies in mitosis, reduced metabolic rates, and reduced reproductive success (Chapman et al 1982;Swartz et al 1982).…”

“…Laboratory tests carried out with invertebrates and fish cell lines established that exposure to contaminated sediments resulted in toxicity with multiple endpoints ranging from mortality to anomalies in mitosis, reduced metabolic rates, and reduced reproductive success (Chapman et al 1982;Swartz et al 1982). The incidence of histopathological disorders, including liver neoplasms, was highest in demersal fish collected in the urban bays and harbors (Malins et al 1984).…”

Chronic Toxicity of Environmental Contaminants: Sentinels and Biomarkers

“…The Puget Sound, Washington, has supported heavy manufacturing industries, chemical plants, wood product plants, and a large shipping industry (12). Studies of English sole (Paropyrys vetulus) in the Duwamish River unveiled a tumor incidence that appeared to correlate with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels (13,14 A study of tumor incidence among fish in the Black River in Ohio, which empties into Lake Erie, showed that in 1980, 1.2% of the 2-year-old and 33% of the 3-yearold brown bullheads collected from the river had liver tumors compared to a 0% incidence among fish in Buckeye Lake, the control site (20) Baumann (26) showed that the highest prevalence of liver tumors in brown bullheads from Lake Erie was in 4-to 5-year-old fish, but that 6-to 7-year-old fish were completely absent from the lake and their age group represented 18% of the total catch from uncontaminated sites.…”