Application of an Effects-Based Monitoring Strategy to Assess the Impact of Contaminants on Fish Health in an Urbanized Watershed.

Effects-based monitoring frameworks that combine the use of analytical chemistry with in vitro cell bioassays, as well as in vivo whole organism tests offer an integrative approach to broadly screen for chemical contaminants and link their presence with adverse effects on aquatic organisms. California (USA) is currently evaluating the use of such a framework to assess the impact of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) on biota in urbanized rivers and other waterbodies. In the present study, the occurrence and effects of contaminants found in the Los Angeles River (Los Angeles County, CA, USA) were examined using analytical chemistry and in vitro and in vivo bioassays.

Using spatial and temporal variability data to optimize sediment toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) study designs.

Toxicity tests are an important aspect of sediment quality assessments, but knowledge of the cause of toxicity is needed to determine effective management actions. Toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) methods were developed to meet this need. While TIE method manuals provide information on the procedures, little information on study design is presented.

Linking in vitro estrogenicity to adverse effects in the inland silverside (Menidia beryllina).

High-throughput cell assays that detect and integrate the response of multiple chemicals acting via a common mode of action have the potential to enhance current environmental monitoring practices. Establishing the linkage between in vitro and in vivo responses is key to demonstrating that in vitro cell assays can be predictive of ecologically relevant outcomes. The present study investigated the potency of 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), nonylphenol (NP), and treated wastewater effluent using the readily available GeneBLAzer estrogen receptor transactivation assay and 2 life stages of the inland silverside (Menidia beryllina).

The Sequential Probability Ratio Test: An efficient alternative to exact binomial testing for Clean Water Act 303(d) evaluation.

The United States's Clean Water Act stipulates in section 303(d) that states must identify impaired water bodies for which total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) of pollution inputs into water bodies are developed. Decision-making procedures about how to list, or delist, water bodies as impaired, or not, per Clean Water Act 303(d) differ across states. In states such as California, whether or not a particular monitoring sample suggests that water quality is impaired can be regarded as a binary outcome variable, and California's current regulatory framework invokes a version of the exact binomial test to consolidate evidence across samples and assess whether the overall water body complies with the Clean Water Act.

Fish consumption as a driver of risk-management decisions and human health-based water quality criteria.

The use and interpretation of fish consumption surveys and interviews, the application of fish consumption rates for sediment evaluation and cleanup, and the development of human health water quality criteria (HH WQC) are complex and interrelated issues. The present article focuses on these issues using examples from the United States, although the issues may be relevant for other countries. Some key considerations include the fact that there are many types of fish consumption surveys (e.

Ecotoxicogenomics: Microarray interlaboratory comparability.

Transcriptomic analysis can complement traditional ecotoxicology data by providing mechanistic insight, and by identifying sub-lethal organismal responses and contaminant classes underlying observed toxicity. Before transcriptomic information can be used in monitoring and risk assessment, it is necessary to determine its reproducibility and detect key steps impacting the reliable identification of differentially expressed genes. A custom 15K-probe microarray was used to conduct transcriptomics analyses across six laboratories with estuarine amphipods exposed to cyfluthrin-spiked or control sediments (10 days).

A tiered assessment framework to evaluate human health risk of contaminated sediment.

For sediment contaminated with bioaccumulative pollutants (e.g., PCBs and organochorine pesticides), human consumption of seafood that contain bioaccumulated sediment-derived contaminants is a well-established exposure pathway.

The use of sediment toxicity identification evaluation methods to evaluate clean up targets in an urban estuary.

The Ballona Creek Estuary (BCE) in Los Angeles, California, is in a highly urbanized watershed, is contaminated by a variety of chemicals, and has prevalent sediment toxicity. Sediment cleanup targets for BCE have been established for Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, chlordane, DDTs, PCBs, and PAHs, based on sediment quality guidelines. A sediment toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) was conducted to examine how these targets corresponded to toxicity observed with the estuarine amphipod Eohaustorius estuarius.

Biological responses of marine flatfish exposed to municipal wastewater effluent.

There is increasing concern over the presence of pharmaceutical compounds, personal care products, and other chemicals collectively known as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in municipal effluents, yet knowledge of potential environmental impacts related to these compounds is still limited. The present study used laboratory exposures to examine estrogenic, androgenic, and thyroid-related endocrine responses in marine hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) exposed to CECs from municipal effluents with 2 degrees of treatment. Fish were exposed for 14 d to environmentally realistic concentrations of effluent (0.

Molecular analysis of endocrine disruption in hornyhead turbot at wastewater outfalls in southern california using a second generation multi-species microarray.

Sentinel fish hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthysverticalis) captured near wastewater outfalls are used for monitoring exposure to industrial and agricultural chemicals of ~ 20 million people living in coastal Southern California. Although analyses of hormones in blood and organ morphology and histology are useful for assessing contaminant exposure, there is a need for quantitative and sensitive molecular measurements, since contaminants of emerging concern are known to produce subtle effects. We developed a second generation multi-species microarray with expanded content and sensitivity to investigate endocrine disruption in turbot captured near wastewater outfalls in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles California.

Gene expression of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to two types of treated municipal wastewater effluents.

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in treated municipal effluents have the potential to adversely impact exposed organisms prompting elevated public concern. Using transcriptomic tools, we investigated changes in gene expression and cellular pathways in the liver of male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to 5% concentrations of full secondary-treated (HTP) or advanced primary-treated (PL) municipal wastewater effluents containing CECs. Gene expression changes were associated with apical end points (plasma vitellogenin and changes in secondary sexual characteristics).

Genomic and phenotypic response of hornyhead turbot exposed to municipal wastewater effluents.

Laboratory tests with marine flatfish were conducted to investigate associations among gene expression, higher biological responses and wastewater effluent exposure. In the present study, male hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) were exposed to environmentally realistic (0.5%) and higher (5%) concentrations of chemically enhanced advanced-primary (PL) and full-secondary treated (HTP) effluents from two southern California wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).

Evaluation of reproductive endocrine status in hornyhead turbot sampled from Southern California's urbanized coastal environments.

As part of a regionwide collaboration to determine the occurrence of contaminants and biological effects in coastal ecosystems offshore of urban southern California, the present study characterized the reproductive endocrinology of an indigenous flatfish, the hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis), and compared groups sampled from different study sites representing varying degrees of pollution to screen for potential endocrine disruptive effects. Turbot were sampled from locations near the coastal discharge sites of four large municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located between Los Angeles and San Diego, California, USA, and were compared with fish sampled from three far-field reference locations in the region. Despite environmental presence of both legacy contaminants and contaminants of emerging concern and evidence for fish exposure to several classes of contaminants, both males and females generally exhibited coordinated seasonal reproductive cycles at all study sites.

Integrated coastal effects study: synthesis of findings.

Municipal wastewater discharges constitute a major source of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) to coastal waters, yet uncertainty exists regarding their linkage to adverse biological effects such as endocrine disruption. Limited information is available concerning the types and fate of CECs discharged to the Southern California Bight (SCB) from municipal wastewater and their potential for ecological impacts. The present study investigated the impacts of CECs from ocean wastewater discharges on SCB fish.

Annual and seasonal evaluation of reproductive status in hornyhead turbot at municipal wastewater outfalls in the Southern California Bight.

Treated wastewater effluent containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals is discharged into the coastal waters of the Southern California Bight (SCB) daily. The present study investigated changes in indicators of reproductive health and environmental estrogen exposure in hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) near wastewater outfalls. Fish were collected from discharge areas, farfield stations, and a reference location in the SCB to examine spatial and temporal patterns.

Contaminants of emerging concern in municipal wastewater effluents and marine receiving water.

The occurrence and concentrations of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) were investigated in municipal effluents and in marine receiving water. Final effluent from four large publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and seawater collected near the respective POTW outfall discharges and a reference station were collected quarterly over one year and analyzed for 56 CECs. Several CECs were detected in effluents; naproxen, gemfibrozil, atenolol, and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate were the compounds most frequently found and with the highest concentrations (>1 µg/L).

Transitioning sediment quality assessment into regulations: Challenges and solutions in implementing California's sediment quality objectives.

Development and promulgation of sediment quality criteria represents a substantial challenge for water quality agencies. Unlike water quality programs that rely on individual chemical thresholds to assess water quality, the complex processes affecting contaminant bioavailability in sediments preclude the use of contaminant concentrations to independently assess impacts or identify cause. Various multiple line of evidence approaches (e.

Organic contaminants of emerging concern in sediments and flatfish collected near outfalls discharging treated wastewater effluent to the Southern California Bight.

To investigate the occurrence and bioaccumulation of organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) near four major wastewater ocean outfalls in the Southern California Bight, more than 75 pharmaceutical and personal care products, current-use pesticides, and industrial/commercial chemicals were analyzed in sediment and liver tissues of hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) using gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Although most CECs targeted were infrequently detected or not detectable, triclosan, 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and bis(2-ethylhexylphthalate) were detected in all sediments at median (maximum) concentrations of 5.1 (8.

Comparison of national and regional sediment quality guidelines for classifying sediment toxicity in California.

A number of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) have been developed for relating chemical concentrations in sediment to their potential for effects on benthic macroinvertebrates, but there have been few studies evaluating the relative effectiveness of different SQG approaches. Here we apply 6 empirical SQG approaches to assess how well they predict toxicity in California sediments. Four of the SQG approaches were nationally derived indices that were established in previous studies: effects range median (ERM), logistic regression model (LRM), sediment quality guideline quotient 1 (SQGQ1), and Consensus.

Regional assessment of marine and estuarine sediment toxicity in Southern California, USA.

Sediment toxicity was investigated at 222 stations in the Southern California Bight (SCB) during 2008. This represented the first time that assessment methods established by California's new Sediment Quality Objectives program were employed in a survey of this scale. The goal was to determine the extent and magnitude of sediment toxicity in the SCB, how toxicity compared among specific environments, and whether toxicity has changed over the last decade.

Pyrethroids in Southern California coastal sediments.

Little is known about pyrethroid fate and effects in estuarine and marine environments. In the present study, the extent and magnitude of pyrethroids in coastal embayments of the Southern California Bight (SCB), USA, were assessed. Using a stratified probabilistic design, 155 sediment samples were collected from four embayment habitats (estuaries, marinas, open bays, and ports) and analyzed for eight common-use pyrethroids.

Development and evaluation of sediment quality guidelines based on benthic macrofauna responses.

Toxicity-based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) are often used to assess the potential of sediment contamination to adversely affect benthic macrofauna, yet the correspondence of these guidelines to benthic community condition is poorly documented. This study compares the performance of 5 toxicity-based SQG approaches to a new benthos-based SQG approach relative to changes in benthic community condition. Four of the toxicity-based SQG approaches--effects range median, logistic regression modeling (LRM), sediment quality guideline quotient 1 (SQGQ1), and consensus--were derived in previous national studies in the United States, and one was developed as a regional variation of LRM calibrated to California data.

Using gene expression to assess the status of fish from anthropogenically influenced estuarine wetlands.

The diverse mixture of contaminants frequently present in estuaries complicates their assessment by routine chemical or biological analyses. We investigated the use of gene expression to assess contaminant exposure and the condition of southern California estuarine fish. Liver gene expression, plasma estradiol concentrations, and gonad histopathology were used to study biological condition in longjaw mudsuckers (Gillichthys mirabilis).