Download or read book Influences on Mercury Bioaccumulation Factors for the Savannah River written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mercury TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads) are a regulatory instrument designed to reduce the amount of mercury entering a water body and ultimately to control the bioaccumulation of mercury in fish. TMDLs are based on a BAF (bioaccumulation factor), which is the ratio of methyl mercury in fish to dissolved methyl mercury in water. Analysis of fish tissue and aqueous methyl mercury samples collected at a number of locations and over several seasons in a 118 km reach of the Savannah River demonstrated that species specific BAFs varied by factors of three to eight. Factors contributing to BAF variability were location, habitat and season related differences in fish muscle tissue mercury levels and seasonal differences in dissolved methyl mercury levels. Overall (all locations, habitats, and seasons) average BAFs were 3.7 x 106 for largemouth bass, 1.4 x 106 for sunfishes, and 2.5 x 106 for white catfish. Inaccurate and imprecise BAFs can result in unnecessary economic impact or insufficient protection of human health. Determination of representative and precise BAFs for mercury in fish from large rivers necessitates collecting large and approximately equal numbers of fish and aqueous methyl mercury samples over a seasonal cycle from the entire area and all habitats to be represented by the TMDL.

Download or read book FINAL REPORT ON THE AQUATIC MERCURY ASSESSMENT STUDY written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In February 2000, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 issued a proposed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for total mercury in the middle and lower Savannah River. The initial TMDL, which would have imposed a 1 ng/l mercury limit for discharges to the middle/lower Savannah River, was revised to 2.8 ng/l in the final TMDL released in February 2001. The TMDL was intended to protect people from the consumption of contaminated fish, which is the major route of mercury exposure to humans. The most bioaccumulative form of mercury is methylmercury, which is produced in aquatic environments by the action of microorganisms on inorganic mercury. Because of the environmental and economic significance of the mercury discharge limits that would have been imposed by the TMDL, the Savannah River Site (SRS) initiated several studies concerning: (1) mercury in SRS discharges, SRS streams and the Savannah River, (2) mercury bioaccumulation factors for Savannah River fish, (3) the use of clams to monitor the influence of mercury from tributary streams on biota in the Savannah River, and (4) mercury in rainwater falling on the SRS. The results of these studies are presented in detail in this report. The first study documented the occurrence, distribution and variation of total and methylmercury at SRS industrial outfalls, principal SRS streams and the Savannah River where it forms the border with the SRS. All of the analyses were performed using the EPA Method 1630/31 ultra low-level and contaminant-free techniques for measuring total and methylmercury. Total mercury at National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) outfalls ranged from 0.31-604 ng/l with a mean of 8.71 ng/l. Mercury-contaminated groundwater was the source for outfalls with significantly elevated mercury concentrations. Total mercury in SRS streams ranged from 0.95-15.7 ng/l. Mean total mercury levels in the streams varied from 2.39 ng/l in Pen Branch to 5.26 ng/l in Tims Branch. Methylmercury ranged from 0.002 ng/l in Upper Three Runs to 2.60 ng/l in Tims Branch. Total mercury in the Savannah River ranged from 0.62 ng/l to 43.9 ng/l, and methylmercury ranged from 0.036 ng/l to 7.54 ng/l. Both total and methylmercury concentrations were consistently high in the river near the mouth of Steel Creek. Total mercury was positively correlated with methylmercury (r = 0.88). Total mercury bound to particulates ranged from 41% to 57% in the river and from 28% to 90% in the streams. Particulate methylmercury varied from 9% to 37% in the river and from 6% to 79% in the streams. Small temporary pools in the Savannah River swamp area near and around Fourmile Branch had the highest concentrations observed in the Savannah River watershed, reaching 1,890 ng/l for total mercury and 34.0 ng/l for methylmercury. The second study developed a mercury bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for the Savannah River near SRS. A BAF is the ratio of the concentration of mercury in fish flesh to the concentration of mercury in the water. BAFs are important in the TMDL process because target concentrations for mercury in water are computed from BAFs. Mercury BAFs are known to differ substantially among fish species, water bodies, and possibly seasons. Knowledge of such variation is needed to determine a BAF that accurately represents average and extreme conditions in the water body under study. Analysis of fish tissue and aqueous methylmercury samples collected at a number of locations and over several seasons in a 110 km (68 mile) reach of the Savannah River demonstrated that BAFs for each species under study varied by factors of three to eight. Influences on BAF variability were location, habitat and season-related differences in fish mercury levels and seasonal differences in methylmercury levels in the water. Overall (all locations, habitats, and seasons) average BAFs were 3.7 x 106 for largemouth bass, 1.4 x 106 for sunfishes, and 2.5 x 106 for white catfish. This study showed that determination of representative BAFs for large rivers requires the collection of large numbers of fish and aqueous methylmercury samples over at least one complete seasonal cycle from the entire area and all habitats to be represented by the TMDL. The third study concerned the use of clams as an indicator of the influence of SRS discharges on mercury levels in Savannah River biota. Mercury levels were compared in Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) collected from the discharge plumes and just upstream of the mouths of SRS creeks and two creeks located downstream from the SRS. Asiatic clams were selected for study because their relatively sedentary behavior made them a better indicator of local mercury exposure than mobile organisms.

Download or read book Index Medicus written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 2160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.

Download or read book Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals written by Chris M. Wood and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals synthesizes the explosion of new information on the molecular, cellular, and organismal handling of metals in fish in the past 15 years. These elements are no longer viewed by fish physiologists as "heavy metals" that kill fish by suffocation, but rather as interesting moieties that enter and leave fish by specific pathways, which are subject to physiological regulation. The metals featured in this volume are those about which there has been most public and scientific concern, and therefore are those most widely studied by fish researchers. Metals such as Cu, Zn, Fe, Ni, Co, Se, Mo and Cr are either proven to be or are strongly suspected to be essential in trace amounts, yet are toxic in higher doses.

Download or read book Influence of Methylmercury from Tributary Streams on Mercury Levels in Savannah River Asiatic Clams written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Average methylmercury levels in five Savannah River tributary streams sampled 11 times over two years were nearly twice as high as in the Savannah River. Total mercury levels in the tributaries did not differ significantly from the river. All of the tributaries drained extensive wetlands that would be expected to support comparatively high rates of methylation. Mercury concentrations in Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) collected from the discharge plumes of Savannah River tributaries were significantly higher than in Asiatic clams collected from the Savannah River upstream from the tributary mouths . These results indicate that streams draining wetlands into coastal plain rivers can create localized areas of elevated methylmercury with resulting increases in the mercury levels of river biota.

Download or read book Assessment of Mercury in the Savannah River Site Environment written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mercury has been valued by humans for several millennia. Its principal ore, cinnabar, was mined for its distinctive reddish-gold color and high density. Mercury and its salts were used as medicines and aphrodisiacs. At SRS, mercury originated from one of the following: as a processing aid in aluminum dissolution and chloride precipitation; as part of the tritium facilities' gas handling system; from experimental, laboratory, or process support facilities; and as a waste from site operations. Mercury is also found in Par Pond and some SRS streams as the result of discharges from a mercury-cell-type chlor-alkali plant near the city of Augusta, GA. Reactor cooling water, drawn from the Savannah River, transported mercury onto the SRS. Approximately 80,000 kg of mercury is contained in the high level waste tanks and 10,000 kg is located in the SWDF. Additional quantities are located in the various seepage basins. In 1992, 617 wells were monitored for mercury contamination, with 47 indicating contamination in excess of the 0.002-ppm EPA Primary Drinking Water Standard. More than 20 Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) reports and publications pertinent to mercury (Hg) have been generated during the last two decades. They are divided into three groupings: SRS-specific studies, basic studies of bioaccumulation, and basic studies of effect. Many studies have taken place at Par Pond and Upper Three Runs Creek. Mercury has been detected in wells monitoring the groundwater beneath SRS, but not in water supply wells in excess of the Primary Drinking Water Limit of 0.002 ppm. There has been no significant release of mercury from SRS to the Savannah River. While releases to air are likely, based on process knowledge, modeling of the releases indicates concentrations that are well below the SCDHEC ambient standard.

Download or read book The Department of Energy s Support for the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory SREL written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology (2007). Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Fishes of the Middle Savannah River Basin written by Barton C. Marcy and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book also discusses the Savannah River, tributary streams, reservoirs, and ponds from the 1950s to the present detailing ecological changes, habitats, and associated fish assemblages."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Energy Research Abstracts written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 782 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Development of a Total Maximum Daily Load for Mercury in the Savannah River Basin written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lawsuit was brought against Region IV of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-IV) by the Sierra Club and others when EPA-IV and the State of Georgia failed to write Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Georgia in a timely manner. The lawsuit resulted in a consent decree that required EPA-IV to write TMDLs for Georgia on a specific timeline. One of the TMDLs EPA-IV developed was for mercury in the Savannah River Basin (SRB). The SRB runs southeast to the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by both Georgia and South Carolina. Although SRB waters do not exceed aquatic life water quality criteria for mercury, existing fish advisories for mercury were considered by EPA-IV to be a violation of Georgia's ''fishable'' narrative standard, thus requiring inclusion of the SRB in Georgia's 303(d) list of impaired waters under the Clean Water Act. EPA-IV issued a proposed target concentration for mercury in the SRB of 1 part per trillion (ppt, also designated as nanograms per liter, or ng/l) in February 2000. A lengthy period of discussion with stakeholders resulted in site-specific research by EPA and a more palatable final TMDL. The final TMDL gives affected dischargers the option of meeting end-of-pipe limits for mercury of 2.8 ppt or implementing a mercury minimization plan.

Download or read book Ecosystem Responses to Mercury Contamination written by Reed Harris and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-03-05 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As rising levels of mercury in the environment pose an increasing threat of toxicity to humans and wildlife, several laws already call for industries to reduce mercury emissions at the source. Ecosystem Responses to Mercury Contamination: Indicators of Change outlines the infrastructure and methods needed to measure, monitor, and regulate the conce

Download or read book Fish Physiology Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2011-06-28 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals synthesizes the explosion of new information on the molecular, cellular, and organismal handling of metals in fish in the past 15 years. These elements are no longer viewed by fish physiologists as "heavy metals" that kill fish by suffocation, but rather as interesting moieties that enter and leave fish by specific pathways, which are subject to physiological regulation. The metals featured in this volume are those about which there has been most public and scientific concern, and therefore are those most widely studied by fish researchers. Metals such as Cu, Zn, Fe, Ni, Co, Se, Mo and Cr are either proven to be or are strongly suspected to be essential in trace amounts, yet are toxic in higher doses. The companion volume, Homeostasis and Toxicology of Non-Essential Metals, Volume 31B, covers metals that have no known nutritive function in fish at present, but which are toxic at fairly low levels, such as Ag, Al, Cd, Pb, Hg, As, Sr, and U. In addition, three chapters in Volumes 31A and 31B on Basic Principles (Chapter 1, 31A), Field Studies and Ecological Integration (Chapter 9, 31A) and Modeling the Physiology and Toxicology of Metals (Chapter 9, 31B) act as integrative summaries and make these two volumes a vital set for readers. All major essential metals of interest are covered in metal-specific chapters Each metal-specific chapter is written by fish physiologists/toxicologists who are recognized authorities for that metal A common format is featured throughout this two volume edition

Download or read book Mercury in Fish Bed Sediment and Water from Streams Across the United States 1998 2005 written by Barbara C. Scudder and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-08 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Report on how mercury (Hg) was examined in top-predator fish, bed sediment, and water from streams that spanned regional and national gradients of Hg source strength and other factors thought to influence methylmercury bioaccum. Sampled settings include stream basins that were agr¿l, urbanized, undeveloped, and mined. Predator fish were targeted for collection, and composited samples of fish were analyzed for total Hg (THg), as most of the Hg found in fish tissue is MeHg. Samples of bed sediment and stream water were analyzed for THg, MeHg, and characteristics thought to affect Hg methylation, such as loss-on-ignition and acid-volatile sulfide in bed sediment, and pH, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved sulfate in water. Illus.

Download or read book Sampling Plan for FY2001 Aquatic Mercury Assessment at the Savannah River Site written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The State of Georgia has declared that seven segments of the Savannah River, including the reach adjacent to the Savannah River Site, are impaired for fish consumption due to high levels of mercury (U.S. EPA 2000). The Clean Water Act requires states to determine a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for pollutants that are responsible for impairment. The TMDL is the total amount of pollutant that can be assimilated by the receiving water body while achieving the water quality target that is protective of fish consumption. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Region 4 issued a proposed TMDL for mercury in the Savannah River on February 8, 2000. The TMDL process establishes the allowable loading of pollutants for a water body, based on the relationship between pollution sources and in-stream water quality conditions, so that states can establish water-quality based controls to reduce pollution and restore and maintain the quality of their water resources (U.S. EPA 2000). The first phase of the proposed TMDL specifies a target mercury concentration of 1 ng/L for the Savannah River and point source discharges. The rationale for this target concentration is to protect human health from mercury toxicity caused by the consumption of contaminated fish. Due to the complexity of mercury cycling, inadequate data and difficulty in quantifying nonpoint source loads of mercury, nonpoint source loads are not considered in this first phase of the TMDL.

Download or read book Mercury in Fish Bed Sediment and Water from Streams Across the United States 1998 2005 written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Proceedings of the 2001 Georgia Water Resources Conference written by Kathryn J. Hatcher and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 826 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Homeostasis and Toxicology of Non essential Metals written by Chris M. Wood and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 531 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homeostasis and Toxicology of Non-Essential Metals synthesizes the explosion of new information on the molecular, cellular, and organismal handling of metals in fish in the past 15 years. These elements are no longer viewed by fish physiologists as "heavy metals" that kill fish by suffocation, but rather as interesting moieties that enter and leave fish by specific pathways, which are subject to physiological regulation. The metals featured in this volume are those about which there has been most public and scientific concern, and therefore are those most widely studied by fish researchers. Metals such as Ag, Al, Cd, Pb, Hg, As, Sr, and U have no known nutritive function in fish at present, but are toxic at fairly low levels.