Head capsule deformities in midge larvae exposed to Burlington Harbor (Lake Champlain) sediments -- field and laboratory investigations
- Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States). School of Natural Resources
Investigations of sediment associated contaminants in Burlington Harbor indicated the harbor contains elevated levels of a number of pollutants. Lead, silver, mercury and total PAH levels exceed NOAA`s ER-M at numerous sites in the harbor. Benzo(a)pyrene concentrations (ranging from 0.055 to 6.64 ug/g (dry wt.)) exceed the ER-M at a number of sites. Pyrene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, anthracene and fluorene also exceed the ER-M at a number of stations within the harbor. Despite these relatively high levels of contaminants found in harbor sediments, solid phase and pore water exposures with Ceriodaphnia dubia indicate acute toxicity at only a limited number of sites. Examination of midge larvae populations from the harbor, however, indicates a high rate of head capsule deformities at some sites. Preliminary work which exposed laboratory cultures of Chironomus tentans to harbor sediment induced a 17% incidence in deformities in the F{sub 1} generation, a 50% incidence in the F{sub 2} generation and a 75% in the F{sub 3} generation. The incidence of deformities decreased substantially when F{sub 3} generation organisms were reared in clean substrate. Laboratory cultures of C. tentans are being exposed to sediments from various harbor sites for determination of head capsule deformity induction. In addition, several generations of larvae will be reared in sediment to determine the overall impacts on survival and whether deformities increase in subsequent generations.
- OSTI ID:
- 37511
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273-; TRN: IM9519%%435
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Denver, CO (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15th annual meeting: Abstract book. Ecological risk: Science, policy, law, and perception; PB: 286 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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