Douglas G. Burrows

Determination of individual metabolites of aromatic compounds in hydrolyzed bile of English sole (Parophrys vetulus) from polluted sites in Puget Sound, Washington

A number of individual metabolites of aromatic compounds were found in the hydrolyzed bile of five English sole (Parophrys vetulus) captured from polluted sites in Puget Sound, Washington. Metabolites of fluorene, dibenzofuran, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene and benzo-[a]pyrene (BaP) were tentatively identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Identifications of these metabolites were confirmed by comparing their fluorescence excitation/emission and mass spectra to those obtained from metabolites produced after other English sole from a reference site were injected with individual parent aromatic compounds. High concentrations of many of the individual metabolites quantitated (up to 300,000 ng/g) were found in the hydrolyzed bile of sole sampled from polluted sites. None of these metabolites were found in bile of sole sampled from a relatively clean (reference) site in Puget Sound.

Status, correlations and temporal trends of chemical contaminants in fish and sediment from selected sites on the Pacific Coast of the USA

Abstract The National Benthic Surveillance Project (NBSP), a component of NOAAs National Status and Trends Program, monitored sediment and bottomfish for chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides (CHs), PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at selected urban and nonurban sites along the west coast of the USA from 1984 to 1993. This project successfully generated an extensive data set to evaluate the recent status and trends of environmental quality in coastal waters. This article summarizes and interprets the status of selected PAHs, PCBs and CHs in surficial sediments and selected species of bottom-feeding fish for 50 sites in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California for the first 7 years (1984–1990) of the NBSE. The highest concentrations of most sediment-associated organic contaminants were present in the most highly urbanized areas, and many of the organic contaminants were bioaccumulated by indigenous marine fish species. The concentrations of PAHs and CHs in sediments generally correlated with levels of these compounds or their derivatives in bottom-dwelling fish. Assessment of trends in the concentrations of chlordanes, dieldrin, DDTs, PAHs and PCBs for the 7 year period from 1984–1990 suggest that, since the mid-1980s, concentrations of the persistent CHs, such as PCBs and DDTs in sediment and fish, show no consistent temporal trends, whereas levels of PAHs, which are nonpoint source contaminants, showed consistent increases at both nonurban and urban near-coastal sites.

A method for analysis of butyltin species and measurement of butyltins in sediment and English sole livers from Puget Sound

Abstract A method for the determination of tetra-, tri-, di- and monobutyltin in marine sediments and in tissues from English sole was developed. The method utilized dichloromethane/tropolone extraction of the butyltins, derivatization with hexylmagnesium bromide, and a silica/alumina column cleanup prior to gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis. A number of quality assurance measures were incorporated in the method. Mean recoveries of the surrogate spike tripentyltin from sediment and tissue reference materials ranged from 96% to 110%. The method was applied to sediments and livers of English sole collected in Puget Sound, Washington state. Total butyltin concentrations in sediments ranged from 1000 ng/g were found in some sediments. Butyltins were also determined in livers from English sole captured at sites where sediments were contaminated with butyltins. Dibutyltin (at concentrations up to 870 ng/g dry weight as Sn) was the predominant butyltin species found in the livers.

Organic and trace metal contaminants in sediments and English sole tissues from Vancouver Harbour, Canada

As part of a multinational workshop on marine environmental quality, sediments were collected from seven sites in Vancouver Harbour and analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines (OCs), and for trace metals. English sole were collected from five sites, and muscle was analyzed for trace metals and liver for OCs. As expected, sediment PAH and OC concentrations and tissue OC concentrations were higher at sites east of the First Narrows, compared to the outer harbor and reference sites. Sediment PAH concentrations east of the First Narrows were similar to concentrations at moderately contaminated sites in Puget Sound, south of Vancouver Harbour. In contrast, concentrations of OCs in sediments and tissue were low to moderate, even at relatively contaminated sites within Vancouver Harbour. Although several trace metals in sediments were higher than in contaminated sediments from Puget Sound, trace metals measured in fish muscle were lower.

Chemical contamination and associated liver diseases in two species of fish from San Francisco Bay and Bodega Bay

Starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) and sediments were collected annually from selected sites within San Francisco Bay, and a reference site in Bodega Bay between 1984--1991. Fish livers were examined for toxicopathic lesions and analysed for selected chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHs) such as PCBs, DDTs, chlordanes and dieldrin; sediment and fish stomach contents were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and CHs; and bile was analysed for PAH metabolites. Sediment concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and DDTs; bile concentrations of PAH metabolites; and liver concentrations of PCBs, dieldrin and chlordanes were generally significantly higher at all San Francisco Bay sites compared to the Bodega Bay reference site. For both species, hydropic vacuolation of biliary epithelial cells was the most prevalent liver lesion detected and was statistically associated with sediment and tissue concentrations of PAHs or their metabolites, PCBs, DDTs, chlordanes and dieldrin. Temporal trends analyses showed that at Hunters Point, sediment PAHs and CHs increased between 1984--1991, while liver concentrations of CHs decreased. Liver concentrations of dieldrin in starry flounder decreased at all three San Francisco Bay sites

Natural sunlight and residual fuel oils are an acutely lethal combination for fish embryos.

The majority of studies characterizing the mechanisms of oil toxicity in fish embryos and larvae have focused largely on unrefined crude oil. Few studies have addressed the toxicity of modern bunker fuels, which contain residual oils that are the highly processed and chemically distinct remains of the crude oil refinement process. Here we use zebrafish embryos to investigate potential toxicological differences between unrefined crude and residual fuel oils, and test the effects of sunlight as an additional stressor. Using mechanically dispersed oil preparations, the embryotoxicity of two bunker oils was compared to a standard crude oil from the Alaska North Slope. In the absence of sunlight, all three oils produced the stereotypical cardiac toxicity that has been linked to the fraction of tricyclic aromatic compounds in an oil mixture. However, the cardiotoxicity of bunker oils did not correlate strictly with the concentrations of tricyclic compounds. Moreover, when embryos were sequentially exposed to oil and natural sunlight, the bunker oils produced a rapid onset cell-lethal toxicity not observed with crude oil. To investigate the chemical basis of this differential toxicity, a GC/MS full scan analysis was used to identify a range of compounds that were enriched in the bunker oils. The much higher phototoxic potential of chemically distinct bunker oils observed here suggests that this mode of action should be considered in the assessment of bunker oil spill impacts, and indicates the need for a broader approach to understanding the aquatic toxicity of different oils.

Effects of Legacy Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Fish—Current and Future Challenges

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that are not readily degraded in the environment. They are typically lipophilic, bioaccumulating in tissues of aquatic organisms and biomagnifying in freshwater and marine food webs. POPs include a wide range of halogenated legacy contaminants [e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), chlordanes, hexachlorobenzene (HCB)] that have been banned because of their toxicity to humans and wildlife; compounds such as polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) that can be produced naturally (e.g., through forest fires and volcanic eruptions) or through industrial processes; and chemicals of emerging concern [e.g., polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated compounds]. Although many POPs are no longer being released into the environment, they continue to be reported at toxic concentrations in fish, and there is much that is not yet understood about their modes of action and their ecological effects on aquatic habitats. This chapter reviews current information on (1) uptake and metabolism of these compounds by fish; (2) their biological effects, including their actions as endocrine disruptors, reproductive, developmental, neurological, immunological, and metabolic toxicants and carcinogens; and (3) recent efforts to evaluate the ecological risks of exposure to such compounds on fish populations and aquatic communities.

Food resources influence levels of persistent organic pollutants and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in tissues of Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska

ABSTRACT The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a small canid with a circumpolar Arctic distribution. Several subspecies are recognized, including a subspecies known as the Pribilof fox (V. l. pribilofensis) endemic to the Pribilof Islands of Alaska, USA. Pribilof fox tissues were collected from the islands of St. Paul (n = 38) and St. George (n = 13). Levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were measured and the findings related to sex, age class, island and access to anthropogenic food resources using ANOVA and principal component analysis. The rank order for POPs in fat was polychlorinated biphenyls (∑PCBs) > chlordanes (∑CHLs) ≫ hexachlorocyclohexanes (∑HCHs) > DDTs (∑DDTs) > hexachlorobenzene (HCB) ~ polybrominated diphenyl ethers (∑PBDEs). Adult females had lower mean levels of most POPs (∑PCBs, ∑CHLs, ∑HCHs, ∑DDTs) and lower δ15N values than adult males. Foxes on St. Paul had significantly higher levels of most POPs than those on St. George, though St. George foxes were significantly higher in HCB. Foxes with high probability of access to anthropogenic foods had significantly lower levels of ∑DDTs and lower δ15N values than foxes with a low probability of access. The observed differences in contaminant and stable isotope levels were consistent with fox use patterns of different food resources. POP concentrations in the tissues of some Pribilof foxes, especially from St. Paul, were higher than those associated with thresholds for adverse health effects. POPs may therefore be a factor for consideration in the conservation of Pribilof foxes.