MP3 Ecological Relevance of Photo-enhanced Toxicity
Ballroom G, Level 4
2:10 PM - 5:30 PM, Monday, 10 November 2003
Chair: Barron, Mace ,
(109) Photo-induced Toxicity of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Larval Fish of the Coastal Great Lakes: Evidence for Relevance?
Adams, A.1, Lehr, R.1, Simcik, M. 1, Swackhamer, D. 1, Diamond, S.2, Mount, D. 2, 1 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA2 US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, MN, USA
ABSTRACT- Photo-induced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has been documented extensively in laboratory studies for both invertebrate and vertebrate aquatic organisms. However, the question of ecological relevance has become pertinent because of the lack of in situ observations of photo-induced toxicity. A component of the Great Lakes Ecological Indicators (GLEI) project set out to answer this question for larval fish in the coastal Great Lakes. In the field, photo-induced toxicity of PAHs to larval fish is a function of exposure to both PAHs and UV light, which includes factors such as light intensity, dissolved organic carbon, total suspended solids, wavelength dependent PAH absorbance of light, and quantum yields of PAH excitation. Filtered water samples and larval fish were collected at eighteen sites and toxic potential was estimated based on UV penetration and PAH concentration. Calculated potentials suggest that there may be sites around the coastal Great Lakes experiencing significant photo-induced toxicity and anecdotal evidence supports this conclusion.
Key words: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, photo-induced toxicity, Great Lakes, ecological relevance