Document oJ3JLo9MyzkXd9Nb7ye2dyXX

STATEMENT OP DR* PRANK G. WILKES CHIEF, PROCESSES AMO EFFECTS BRANCH ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY GULF BREEZE, FLORIDA BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT NARINE ANO FISHERIES HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES MAY 21, 1980 PANEL II Mr* Chairman, and Members of tha Committee, I am Prank G* Milkas, Chief of tha Procaasas and Effacta Branch at tha Environmental Protaction Agency (BPA) Environmantal Raaaarch Laboratory, Gulf Braasa, Florida* I hava managad raaaarch at this Laboratory ainca 1975 following flva yaara aa a Branch Chlaf in tha Offlca of Raaaarch and Development Headquarters in Naahington, D.C. My aducational background la aa follova: I racalvad a B.A. dagraa in Biology from tha University of Louisville la 1962; a Master of Science dagraa in Public Health from tha University of North Carolina in 1964; and a Ph.D. dagraa in Environmental Chemistry and Biology from tha University of North Carolina in 1968. I aa pleased to be hare today to discuss tha Environmental Protection Agency's research and understanding of tha blomagniflcation in marina food chains of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). HONS 014227 -2 The mission of the Environmental Research Laboratory, Gulf ia to dattraint tha fata and affacts of toxic aubatancas in tha aatuarlna anvlronaant. Bacauaa our investigations in thia important raaaarch araa involve tha impact of dredged material on tha aatuarlna environment, I have acted aa IPA Co-Chairman of tha Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Army Corpa of Engineers Technical Comaittaa on Criteria for Dredged and Fill Material aince lta Inception in October 1975* In September 1979 tha Gulf Braasa Laboratory received a letter from Mi. Barbara Metzger, Director, Surveillance and Analyaia Diviaion, KPA Region ZZ aaking for comments on tha deolsion of Region ZZ to grant ocean dumping permits to two applicants for disposal of dredged material containing, among other constituents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)* Thia decision by the Region was baaed on "the relatively low levels of bioaccumulation shown and the fact that tha bioaccumulation observed occurred primarily in the polychaete worm/ which la of minor significance to the human food web*" We were asked for "our written views and comments concerning the tentative determination to concur with the Mew York District that the test data described herein satisfies the Ocean Dumping Criteria*" MOhS 014228 -3Xn our rtipoBMi dated 5 September 1979, we statad that raaaarch bain? conducted at tha Environmental Raaaarch laboratory. Gulf traasa, Indicated that PCB'a are readily bloaccumulated by aquatic organisms. Ha further atatad that polychaatea play a significant rola In marina and aatuarlna food webs and tharafora are potential contrlbutora to a potantlal huaan health hazard. Wa docuaantad our coaaenta by attaching a Hat of eight refarancea which show that polychaatea are. Indeed, a algnificant food aourca of numerous bottom feeding flshaa of commercial Importance. Baaed on thia information, wa atatad in our lattar that *wa faal that the potantlal exists for uptake and blomagnificatlon of VCB's found in tha tast animals.* Tha concerns which wa statad In September are tha same concerns that wa presently havei if a large-scale ocean dumping of coatamlnatad dredged material occurs, thora exiata tha possibility of transport of thasa materials up tha food chain to humans. Central to thasa technical issues ara tha processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. However, tha exact mechanism of uptake and concentration ara lass important than tha fact that such potantlal has bean repeatedly daaonatratad in tha permit testa performed on this material. HONS 014229 -4Let me not* at this point that/ in discussing our response presenting our viava on tha issue of blomagnlfication and bioaccumulation to Region II, w* recognise that permit daclaiona ara in tha hand of tha Ragion and thay may have available data on othar aapacta of tha diapoaal opantion which ara not taken into consideration in our evaluation of tha laboratory bioassay data* I would like now to turn to a discussion of what wa aean by "bioaccuBulation" and "bioaagnification." Bioeccumulatlon refers to tha uptake of chemicals by tha organisms directly from water, sediment, and/or food* Biomagnification refers to tha increase in toxicant concentration which occurs in successively higher trophic level organisms in an ecosystem* Biomagnification of PCB's in marine food chains has been reported in the literature* Munson (1972), for example, reported on the movement of PCB's in a food chain in a California estuary* The lowest PCB levels were in the abalone, a strict herbivore; tha second lowest levels were in the red sea urchin, a herbivore-scavenger; and the highest levels were in the whelk and the spiny lobster, both scavengers* Munson states that these data "support the idea that higher body burdens are accumulated by organisms at higher trophic levels*" Nisbet and Saroflm (1972) state that aquatic Invertebrates and fish can accumulate PCB's to levels between 3 x 103 and 7 x 10* times higher than those in HONS 01*230 - 3tha ambient water. They also atata that PCS lavala r clearly magnified within food chaina involving birda and mammals by a factor on tha ordar of 10 to 100 at aach step. finally, tha National Academy of Sciancea, National Aaaaarch Council Raport on PCB'a (1978) atatad that "Bacauaa PCB concantrationa ara magnified aa tha compound novaa through food chaina* tha moat pronouncad toxic affacta ara notad in tha uppar trophic lavala*" Thus* alnca polychaata worma ara known to bioaccumulata PCB'a* and polychaata worma ara known to ba a primary food eource of bottom feeding fish and* alnca biomagnification in aquatic food chaina has bman raportad* wa faal that tha potantial for biomagnificatlon of PCB'a from polychaatas to highar trophic lavala exists. Thara hava baan other atudiaa* howavar* in which biomagnification of PCB'a waa not ao evident. Bryan (1979)* for axampla* atataa that "avldanca from analyaaa of polychlorinatad blphanyls haa auggaatad that thara may ba no bioamplification from phytoplankton through food chain to fish." Scura and Thailackar (1977) atudiad tha klnatlca of Aroclor 1254 in a food chain conalatlng of an alga* a rotlfar and a fish larvae. Their data auggaatad that PCB accumulation ia not a food chain phanomana but rathar tha raault of diract partitioning of tha compounds between HONS 01*231 -6ths water and th tt organism. Mack (>979) atudlad eh* relative laportaac* at dietary and aqueoua exposure of bluegill eunfleh to several organic compounds (not PCB) and concluded that 'bioaagnlfleatlon* of chealcal residua* In aquatic food chains is not e significant phenomenon in natural eyeteas. finally, Nlsbet and Sarafla (1972), while stating that food chain bioaagnlfleatlon of PCB'a can ba lapllclt In food chains leading to birds and aaaaals, also conclude that "It Is not yat clear whether concentrations of PCB's are consistently increased as they pass up food chains froa Invertebrate* to fish and froa fish to fish.* Conflicting data also exist on ths relative significance of PCB uptake froa food and froa water. While Macek (1979) concluded that dietary uptake was significantly less than that froa aqueous exposure, Bryan (1979) stated that 'certainly In fish and crustaceans all the evidence points to food as baing the aain source or organochlorlns residues such as DDT and PCB's.* Also Thoaann (unpublished manuscript), who developed a steady stats modal on ths fats of chealcals in diverse aquatic food chains, stated that 'this aodel indicates that for PCB, ths observed concentration in the top predator fish is almost entirely dus to food chain transfer and not uptake directly froa the water.* HONS 014232 -7- Thus# it appears that bioaagniflcation can occur in iom food chains and any not occur in others and that many factors influsnca our psrcsption of this fact* In organisms like birds and mammals# for example, which rtcslrs littls exposure from water, diet aust play an important rols in PCI uptake* In organisms where uptake froa water aay be aost significant# bioaccuaulation rathar than bioaagnifica- tion is the primary souree of the tissue burden* The lipid eontent of the organisa aay be a factor also# as PCB's are partitioned froa water to the organism's lipid pool* Thus# an organism's sise# age# food habits# lipid content# distribution patterns relative to PCB sources# and exposure variations in time and space# all aay affect its propensity for bioaagnification* We aay not know enough about the New York Bight area to know or predict the concentration that will be attained by a specific species at a specific trophic level given the considerations cited above* What we do know# however# is that organisms will bioaccuaulate PCB's froa water and food* I have presented two tables which coapare the bloconcentration of PCB's by aquatic organisms with the bloconcentration of other compounds* Table I coapares the toxicity and bloconeentra* tion factors (concentatlon in tissue/concentration in water) HONS 014233 -8of PCB'a and othar organic chaaicala for tha ahaapahaad ainnow, an aatuarina fiah. Thia tabla ahowa that, generally apeaklng, tha acuta toxicity of PCB'a to the ahaapahaad ainnow la lowar than aany of tha other compounda Hated in tha table, particularly tha chlorinated hydrocarbon peeticldee. However, tha chronic toxicity of PCB'a, particularly 1254, appaara to ba greater than for aoat of the coapounda liatad in Table I, The Bioconcantratlon Factor (BCF) for PCB'a ia vary auch higher in tha ahaapahaad ainnow than for any othar coapound liatad. Tabla II coaparea tha BCF valuaa for PCB'a and othar chaaicala for a nuabar of aatuarlna organiaaa. It can be aaan that tha BCF valuaa for PCB'a ara higher in avery organiaa for alaoat all coapounda, Thua, wa know that by whatever aachaniaa PCB'a gat to tha higher trophic laval organiaaa, i.a., froa water or aedlaant or food, high concentratlona of PCB'a can ba expected to ba found in the tiaaua of fiah of coaaarclal value. Whether thaae tiaaua lavala raault froa bioaecunulation or bioaagnification la not tha aignifiaant point; they ara nonathalaaa praaant and could praaant a potential health haxard to aan. To underline thia concern, wa need only point to the FDA propoaal to reduce tha action HONS 014234 -9Xaval for PCB'a in fish fro* 5 ppa to 2 ppa Wa aaauaa that thaaa vaXuaa wara darivad baaad on * knowXa dga of huaan health affacta of PCB'a* Mr* Chairman, thia concXudaa ay prapara d atataaant* HONS 014235 Rafarancas BioMagnification and Bloaccuaulation Bryan, C*W* 1979. Bioaeeuaulation of Marina Pollutants* Phil* Trans* R. floe. Lond* 286s483* Coaaittaa on tha Anaoiiaont of Polychlorinatad Biphanyls In tha Invironaantt 1979* Polychlorinatad Biphanyls* Inyironaantal Studiaa Board* Coaaission on Natural Rasourcaa, National Raaaarch Council, National Acadasy of Sclancas, Washington, D.C. 182 p* Hacak, K*J*, at al* 1979* Conaidarationa in Assaaslng tha Potantlal for, and Signiflcanca of, Sioaagnification of Chaalcal Rasiduas in Aquatic rood Chains* Aquatic Toxicology, L.L. Hacking and R*A* Kiaarla, Ida* ASTH 667* pp. 251-268. Nunaon, T.O. 1972* Chlorlnatad Hydrocarbon Rasiduas in Harina Aniaals of Southarn California* Bull* Bnvlron* Contaa* Toxicol* 7i223* Hlsbat, C.T. and A.r. Sarofla* 1972. Ratos and Routaa of Transport of PCSs in tha laylronsunt* Inviron* Hsalth Parspac* It 21* Thoaann, R.V* Staady Stats Modal of Pats of Chaalcala in OlTarsa Aquatic Food Chains* J* of Fish* Rao* Board of Canada* (In prasa)* HONS 014236 TOU HONS 0 1 4 2 3 7 t&ilk ii HONS 0 1 * 2 3 * TABLE I REFERENCES Tonicity and Bioconcantration Factora for Sheapahaad Minnowa 1. Goodman, L.R., at al. 1976. Effacta of haptaehlor and toxaphane on laboratory-reared aabryoa and fry of tba ahaapahaad minnowa. Proo. 30th Annual Conf. S.E. Aaaoc. Gama Fiah Comm. 192. 2. Goodman, L.R., at al. 1979. Dlazlnont Chronic toxicity to, and brain aeetyl-cholineetaraaa inhibition in, tha ahaapahaad minnow, Cyprinodon variagatua Trana. Amor. Fiah Soc. 108: 479. 1. Hanaan, D.J., at al. 1973. AroclorR 1254 in 099a of ahaapahaad ainnowa: Effact on fartiliration auccaaa and aurrival of aabryoa and fry. Proc. 27th Anna. Conf. S.E. Aaaoc. Gama Fiah Coma. 402. 4. Hanaan, D.J., at al. 1975. Effocta of AroclorR 1016 on aabryoa, fry, juvenllaa, and adulta of ahaapahaad ainnowa (Cyprinodon wariaaatua). Trana. Am. rish. Soc. 104:564. 5. Hanaan, D.J., at al. 1977. Kapono: Chronic affact on ambryo, fry, juwanila and adult ahaapahaad ainnowa 1Cyprinodon wariagatua). Chaaapaaka Scl. 18(2) 227. 6. Hanaan, D.J., at al. 1977. Endrin: Effacta on tha antira lifa cycla of a aaltwatar fiah, Cyprinodon variagatua. Jour. Toxicol. Environ. Haalth 3:721. 7. Lova, J.I. (H.O.) Rasulta of toxiciy taata with fiahaa and macroinyartabrataa. Data ahaata available from 0.8. Environmental Protaction Agency, Environmental Raaaarch Laboratory, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561. 6. Parriah, P.E., at al. 1976. Chronic toxicity of ehlordana, trifluralln, and pantachlorophanol to ahaapahaad ainnowa (Cyprinodon variagatua). O.S. EPA Eco. Rea. Ser., EPA-600/9-78-010, 121. 9. Schiamal, S.C., at al. 1974. Effacta of AroclorR 1254 on laboratory-raarad aabryoa and fry of __ ahaapahaad ainnowa (Cyprinodoin variagatua). Trana. Am. Fiah. Soc. 103:562. HONS 014239 -2 10. Schlmmal, S.C., at al.# 1976* Haptachlor* Toxicity to and uptaka by aavaral aatuarina organitat. Jour. Toxico\. Environ. Health. 1(959. 11. Sehiaaal# S.C.# at al. bioeoncantration of aatuarina animals. 6(355. 1977. Toxicity and BBC and lindana in aalaetad Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 12. Schimmal# S.C., at al. 1977. Uptaka and toxicity to toxaphana in aavaral aatuarina organlama. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol* 5(353. 13. Schimmal# S.C. and A.J. Wilaon# Jr. 1977. Acuta toxioity of XaponaR to four aatuarina animala. Chaaapaaka Sci. 18(2)t 224. 14. Schimmal# S.C.# at al.. 1979. Toxicity and bioeoncantration of EPE and leptaphoa to aalaetad aatuarina animala. Contributions in Marina Sclanca. 22i 194. 15. Woodwall* G.M., at al. 1967. DOT raaiduas in an aaat coast aatuaryt a caaa of biological concantratioo of a parslatant inaactlelda. Sclanca. 156: 821. HONS 014240 TASK II R(FBR(HC(S Bloconcentratlon Factor* Bahner. h-H., at *1. 1977* Eaponax bioconcantration, accumulation, Ioa, and tranafar through aatuarina food chain** Chaaapaaka Scl. 18(3): 229. Duka, T.W., *t al. 1970. A polychlorinated biphenyl (iroelor* 1254) in tha mar, aadiaant and biota of (acambia Bay, Florida. Contaa. Toxicol. 5: 171. Bull, environ. (manualaen, M., at al. 197S. Tha raaidua uptaka and hiatology of American oyittra (Craaaoatcaa vlrqlnlca. Gamlin) axpoaad to dialdrin. Bull, nviron. Contaa. Toxicol. 18: 121. Ranaan, D.J., and A.J. Wilaon, Jr. 1970. Significanca of DOT raalduaa froa tha aatuary naar Fanaacola, Fla., Paat. Non. Jour. 4: SI. Ranaan, D.J., at al. 1971. Chronic toxicity, uptake and retention of Aroclor* 1254 in tvo-aatuarlna fiahaa. Bull (nviron. Contaa. Toxicol. 6: 113. Banaan, D.J., at al. 1973. AroclorR 1254 in agga of ahaapahaad ainnowai (ffacta on fartiliaation auecaaa and aurvival of aabryoa and fry. Proc. 27th An. Conf. S.B. Aaaoo. Caaa Fiah Coaa. 420. Ranaan, D.J., at. al. 1974. AroclorR 1016: Toxicity to and uptaka by aatuarina animal*. 7: 363. (nviron. Raa. Ranaan, O.J., at al. 1977. (ndrint (ffacta on the antira life oycla of a aaltwater fiah, Cyprlnodon varlagatua. J. Toxicol, (nviron. Health. 3: ' 721. Ranaan, D. J., at al. 1977. Kapona: Chronic affect* on embryo, fry, juvanil* and adult ahaapahaad minnow* (Cyprlnodon varlagatua). Chaaapaaka Scl. 18(2): 227. MQNS 2- 10. Lowet J.I., at al. 1971* to DDT, toxphn and Anoc. 61: 71. Chronic axpoaura parathlon. Hat. of oyatara Shellfish 11. Love, J.X., at al 1972* Bffacta of poiychlorlnatad biphanyl AroclorR 1254 on tha Aaerlcan oyitir, Cfinoitrii virolnlca. Mar. Biol. 17: 209. 12. Mason, J.W., and loss oyatar. and DR. Rove 1976. Tha accnaulation of dialdrin and andrin in tha Baatsrn Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 4> 349. 13. Hiaao, D R , at al. 1974. Accumulations of Aroclor* 1254 in grass ahriap (Palaeaonataa pqqio) in tha laboratory and fiald axpoauraa. Bull* Environ. Contaa. Toxicol. 11: 303. 14. Hiaao, D.R., at al. 1975. Toxicity of Aroclor* 1254 and ita physiological activity in aavaral aatuarina organlaaa. Arch. Environ. Contaa. Toxicol. 3: 149. 15. Schiaaal, S.C., at al. 1976. Haptachlor: Toxicity to and uptaka by aavaral aatuarina organlaaa. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health. 1: 955. 16. Schiaaal, S.C., at al. 1977. Toxicity and bioconcantration of BBC and lindana in aalactad aatuarina aniaala. Arch. Environ. Contaa. Toxicol. 6* 355. ` 17. Schiaaal, S.C., and A.J. Wilaon, Jr. 1977. Acuta toxicity of Kepone* to four aatuarina aniaala. Cheaapeake Sci. 18(2): 224. HONS 0142*2