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Wildlife toxicology: biomarkers of genotoxic exposures at a hazardous waste site

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Abstract

A large number of hazardous waste sites in the United States have undergone the initial stages of remediation or containment. At many of the remaining sites, the potential for exposure to ecological receptors is a primary concern. This manuscript reports on studies to investigate the impact on ecological receptors exposed to complex mixtures at a former creosote facility. Currently there are isolated areas on-site that were not addressed in the initial removal action that appear to be releasing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the surrounding environment. The U.S. EPA collected environmental samples and performed ex situ sediment bioassays to measure chronic toxicity; whereas, this study describes an in situ study to measure biomarkers of effect in two ecological receptors. Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) were collected from a small intermittent creek adjacent to the site, and reference stations. A weight-of-evidence ecological risk assessment was completed for the amphibian and fish communities. The ecological risk assessment was developed using analysis of media chemistry, body burden of specific PAHs, bioassay results, community surveys, and cellular genome size variation as a biomarker of genotoxicity. Flow cytometric estimates of chromosomal damage were significantly elevated for both mosquitofish and cricket frogs inhabiting the contaminated site, relative to at least one reference site. Surface water screening values for fish and amphibians exceeded screening values for PAHs by more than one order of magnitude in the on-site creek, and sediment PAH concentrations were extremely high (up to 1,549 μg/dry g). Tissue concentrations of PAHs were below screening values. Media chemistry, bioassay and genotoxicity data all support the same conclusion that on-site PAHs continue to impact aquatic receptors. The genotoxicity findings are consistent with and contribute to results of the weight-of-evidence ecological risk assessment. The results support continuing efforts to incorporate biomarkers as valuable lines of evidence within ecological risk assessment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the technical support and guidance of staff from the USEPA and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This work was funded by Texas A&M NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program (P42ES04917). Partial salary support was provided to C.W.M. by the Duke NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Center (P42ES010356). An earlier version of this manuscript was included as a chapter in the dissertation of A.M.G.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708-0328, USA

    Cole W. Matson

  2. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2258, USA

    Cole W. Matson & John W. Bickham

  3. Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4458, USA

    Annika M. Gillespie & K. C. Donnelly

  4. CH2M Hill, Houston, TX, 77040-5719, USA

    Chris McCarthy

  5. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, 77843-1266, USA

    Thomas J. McDonald & K. C. Donnelly

  6. Center for the Environment, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2966, USA

    John W. Bickham

  7. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dallas, TX, 75202-2750, USA

    Robert Sullivan

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  1. Cole W. Matson
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  2. Annika M. Gillespie
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  7. K. C. Donnelly
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Correspondence to Cole W. Matson.

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K. C. Donnelly deceased.

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Matson, C.W., Gillespie, A.M., McCarthy, C. et al. Wildlife toxicology: biomarkers of genotoxic exposures at a hazardous waste site. Ecotoxicology 18, 886–898 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-009-0350-1

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