Concentrations of Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Selenium, and Zinc in Fish from the Mississippi River Basin, 1995

Abstract

Abstract. Fish were collected in late 1995 from 34 National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (NCBP) stations and 12 National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) stations in the Mississippi River basin (MRB), and in late 1996 from a reference site in West Virginia. The NCBP sites represented key points (dams, tributaries, etc.) in the largest rivers of the MRB. The NAWQA sites were typically on smaller rivers and were selected to represent dominant land uses in their watersheds. The West Virginia site, which is in an Eastern U.S. watershed adjacent to the MRB, was selected to document elemental concentrations in fish used for other aspects of a larger study and to provide additional contemporaneous data on background elemental concentrations. At each site four samples, each comprising (nominally) 10 adult common carp (Cyprinus carpio, 'carp') or black bass (Micropterus spp., 'bass') of the same sex, were collected. The whole fish were composited by station, species, and gender for analysis of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and selenium (Se) by atomic absorption spectroscopy and for cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) by inductively-coupled plasma emission spectroscopy. Concentrations of most of the elements examined were lower in both carp and bass from the reference site, a small impoundment located in a rural area, than from the NCBP and NAWQA sites on rivers and larger impoundments. In contrast, there were few overall differences between NCBP sites NAWQA sites. The 1995 results generally confirmed the continued weathering and re-distribution of these elemental contaminants in the MRB; concentrations declined or were unchanged from 1984-1986 to 1995 at most NCBP sites, thus continuing two-decade trends. Exceptions were Se at Station 77 (Arkansas R. at John Martin Reservoir, CO), where concentrations have been elevated historically and increased slightly (to 3.8-4.7 µg g −1 in bass and carp); and Pb, Cd, and Zn at Station 67 (Allegheny R. at Natrona, PA), where levels of these metals were high in the past and increased from 1986 to 1995.

A Screening-Level Assessment of Lead, Cadmium, and Zinc in Fish and Crayfish from Northeastern Oklahoma, USA

“…2), which is consistent with previous studies (e.g. Schmitt et al, 1993;Schmitt, 2004). Nevertheless, and as is also true for humans, dietary Zn may be toxic to wildlife at concentrations < 2-fold greater than those required for optimal growth; according to Eisler (1993), Zn Environ Geochem Health (2006 concentrations in the diets of young chickens and ducks should be 25-38 mg kg -1 (lg g -1 , dw) to prevent Zn deficiency, 93-120 mg kg -1 for adequate to optimal growth, < 178 mg kg -1 to prevent marginal sublethal effects, and < 2000 mg kg -1 to prevent death.…”

“…Concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Zn in carp, bass, crappie, and catfish carcasses from our Oklahoma sites were within the ranges reported for whole fish of the same species from the large rivers in the Central U.S. sampled in 1995 by Schmitt (2004). However, Zn concentration in whole carp obtained from impoundments in Oklahoma in 1995 by Schmitt (2004) were as great as 150 lg g -1 (ww), which exceeded even the maximum previously reported concentration in whole carp from the TSMD (Table 6).…”

Concentrations of Cadmium, Lead, and Zinc in Fish from Mining-Influenced Waters of Northeastern Oklahoma: Sampling of Blood, Carcass, and Liver for Aquatic Biomonitoring

“…Harrison and Klaverkamp (1990) reported similarly small differences for Zn concentrations in either the liver or muscle tissue of suckers and no differences among northern pike (Esox lucius) from Canadian lakes with sediment Zn concentrations that differed by nearly 100-fold. Carcass Pb concentrations of our OK carp (0.23-5.46 lg/g dw) were greater than whole carp concentrations from most Mississippi River Basin sites sampled by Schmitt (2004), but lower than corresponding concentrations in carp collected from either the BR (6-20 lg/g dw) or the Mississippi River downstream of a smelter complex at Herculaneum, MO (about 16 lg/g; Schmitt et al 2002). We were unable to obtain catfish from the BR for comparison, but whole channel catfish from near Herculaneum (Schmitt et al 2002) contained only slightly greater concentrations of Pb (5 lg/g dw) than the maximum concentrations in our OK channel catfish carcasses (4.3 lg/g).…”

“…However, the digestive tract was removed from our samples, and in carp the foregut tissue has been noted to be particularly high in Zn (Sun and Jueng 1998). Considering that Schmitt (2004) reported Zn concentrations in whole carp from many central U.S. river sites not associated with mining to be as great as 400 lg/g dw, those from the TSMD do not appear to be greatly elevated in Zn. However, because Zn is regulated by most aquatic organisms and generally does not bioaccumulate (Giesy and Wiener 1977), concentrations in fish may not necessarily reflect environ- …”

“…Fish and mussels or other bivalves are among the most commonly sampled aquatic organisms of largescale metal contaminant monitoring programs (Schmitt andBrumbaugh 1990, Crawford andLuoma 1993). Bivalves are useful for biomonitoring because they are sessile and are generally superior accumulators of many waterborne metals.…”