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Relative cancer risks of chemical contaminants in the great lakes

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Abstract

Anyone who drinks water or eats fish from the Great Lakes consumes potentially carcinogenic chemicals. In choosing how to respond to such pollution, it is important to put the risks these contaminants pose in perspective. Based on recent measurements of carcinogens in Great Lakes fish and water, calculations of lifetime risks of cancer indicate that consumers of sport fish face cancer risks from Great Lakes contaminants that are several orders of magnitude higher than the risks posed by drinking Great Lakes water. But drinking urban groundwater and breathing urban air may be as hazardous as frequent consumption of sport fish from the Great Lakes. Making such comparisons is difficult because of variation in types and quality of information available and in the methods for estimating risk. Much uncertainty pervades the risk assessment process in such areas as estimating carcinogenic potency and human exposure to contaminants. If risk assessment is to be made more useful, it is important to quantify this uncertainty.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Chemistry Program and Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 660 North Park Street, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin

    Kenneth M. Bro

  2. State Laboratory of Hygiene and Water Chemistry Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    William C. Sonzogni

  3. Institute for Environmental Studies and Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Mark E. Hanson

Authors
  1. Kenneth M. Bro
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  2. William C. Sonzogni
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  3. Mark E. Hanson
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Bro, K.M., Sonzogni, W.C. & Hanson, M.E. Relative cancer risks of chemical contaminants in the great lakes. Environmental Management 11, 495–505 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867657

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