Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: Biological Effects–Based Tools for Monitoring Impacted Surface Waters in the Great Lakes: A Multiagency Program in Support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Abstract

There is increasing demand for the implementation of effectsbased monitoring and surveillance (EBMS) approaches in the Great Lakes Basin to complement traditional chemical monitoring. Herein, we describe an ongoing multiagency effort to develop and implement EBMS tools, particularly with regard to monitoring potentially toxic chemicals and assessing Areas of Concern (AOCs), as envisioned by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Our strategy includes use of both targeted and open-ended/discovery techniques, as appropriate to the amount of information available, to guide a priori end point and/or assay selection. Specifically, a combination of in vivo and in vitro tools is employed by using both wild and caged fish (in vivo), and a variety of receptor-and cell-based assays (in vitro). We employ a work flow that progressively emphasizes in vitro tools for long-term or high-intensity monitoring because of their greater practicality (e.g., lower cost, labor) and relying on in vivo assays for initial surveillance and verification. Our strategy takes advantage of the strengths of a diversity of tools, balancing the depth, breadth, and specificity of information they provide against their costs, transferability, and practicality. Finally, a series of illustrative scenarios is examined that align EBMS options with management goals to illustrate the adaptability and scaling of EBMS approaches and how they can be used in management decisions. Environmental Practice 15:409-426 (2013)

Integrated assessment of runoff from livestock farming operations: Analytical chemistry, in vitro bioassays, and in vivo fish exposures

“…When assessing the potential risks associated with exposure to endocrine-active chemical mixtures in the environment (e.g., livestock waste runoff), combinations of analytical chemistry techniques, in vitro bioassays, and in vivo assays might be more useful for predicting responses than a single approach [8,9]. For example, specific chemicals can be quantified in environmental water samples using analytical chemistry techniques.…”

“…While these techniques may prove useful in partially defining the composition of a chemical mixture, they can be limited by factors such as inadequate detection limits and the ability to detect only those chemicals for which methods and standards are available. As a consequence, strategic deployment of integrated approaches that combine the complementary strengths of analytical chemistry, in vitro bioassays, and in vivo exposure testing has been advocated for environmental assessment [9,11,12]. For example, the estrogen-responsive T47D-KBluc in vitro cell assay has proven to be a useful tool for characterizing the estrogenicity of complex environmental samples as well as predicting molecular responses in fish [10].…”

Using Transcriptomic Tools to Evaluate Biological Effects Across Effluent Gradients at a Diverse Set of Study Sites in Minnesota, USA

“…21 This supervised approach provides a means to more directly address possible impacts of effluent on biological processes associated with reproductive/HPG-axis and associated AOPs (e.g., see Ekman et al 1 ). From the larger conceptual model, a group of 19 gene sets, targeted primarily at gonad− specific functions, were evaluated in all three sites using GSEA 2.0 software (www.broad.mit.edu/gsea) following published procedures.…”

“…29 Through the focused lens of an AOP, transcription effects can be connected to population level through increasing levels of biological complexity and ultimately to population level. 1,2 In this study, the unsupervised pathway analysis and the supervised gene set analysis identified responses that have been previously linked to reproductive AOPs as a result of exposure to effluent at all three study sites. The supervised approach, enriched gene set analysis, was consistent with responses found as a result of endocrine-active chemical exposures in the laboratory.…”

Linking mechanistic toxicology to population models in forecasting recovery from chemical stress: A case study from Jackfish Bay, Ontario, Canada

“…In conjunction with the OECD effort, an open-access AOP Wiki recently was made available for development and archiving of a variety of AOPs for both mammalian and non-mammalian species [16]. Although emphasis on the AOP concept has focused on prospective assessment scenarios, the framework also has significant potential utility in the context of retrospective or diagnostic ecological risk assessments [17]. For example, through the depiction and causal association of events across biological levels of organization, it is possible to link mechanistic (e.g., biomarker) data to apical responses that can be directly incorporated within the computational structure of a population model to examine population status and thus potential ecological risk [13,18].…”