Sophia LaFond-Hudson , Matthew A. Pronschinske , Sarah M. Elliott , Steven R. Corsi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Lake Superior is typically assumed to have excellent water quality, but its tributaries have been understudied for contaminants relative to other Great Lakes. This study monitored polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylphenols (AP) and alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), bisphenols, and neonicotinoid pesticides in 18 sites on 17 United States tributaries to Lake Superior in 2022. Contaminants were analyzed from 54 surface water and 17 stream bed sediment samples. PAHs were the most prevalent contaminant class. Among 17 PAHs in 17 samples (289 instances), 71 % were positive detections. Surface water samples were not analyzed for PAHs. Next, among 4 APs and APEs analyzed, 35 % of sediment sample instances and 21 % of instances in 54 water samples were positive detections. Bisphenol analogues were detected in 2 % of sediment sample instances and 4 % of water sample instances. Bisphenol A (BPA) was not quantified due to field blank contamination, but bisphenol AF (BPAF), bisphenol E (BPE), bisphenol F (BPF), and bisphenol S (BPS) were detected in environmental samples. Neonicotinoids were detected in 0.5 % of sediment sample instances and 0.4% of water samples instances. Low detection frequencies for contaminants precluded analyses with watershed land use characteristics, but four sites (Tischer Creek, Miller Creek, Carp River and Iron River) emerged as locations with relatively elevated contaminant concentrations. Comparison of concentrations with ToxCast and other water quality guidelines suggested potential for biological effects from some samples. This study provides a baseline of low contaminant prevalence in Lake Superior tributaries while identifying a few locations that may warrant further monitoring.
期刊介绍:
Published six times per year, the Journal of Great Lakes Research is multidisciplinary in its coverage, publishing manuscripts on a wide range of theoretical and applied topics in the natural science fields of biology, chemistry, physics, geology, as well as social sciences of the large lakes of the world and their watersheds. Large lakes generally are considered as those lakes which have a mean surface area of >500 km2 (see Herdendorf, C.E. 1982. Large lakes of the world. J. Great Lakes Res. 8:379-412, for examples), although smaller lakes may be considered, especially if they are very deep. We also welcome contributions on saline lakes and research on estuarine waters where the results have application to large lakes.