Distribution and uptake of environmental contaminants in the lower Calcasieu estuary, Louisiana

Miscellaneous · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5117351

Norriss, D D

The lower Calcasieu estuary, located in southwest Louisiana, has received industrial, municipal, and agricultural discharge for the last several decades, resulting in the contamination of distinct regions of the system. This paper coordinates existing environmental data from the analyses of surface waters, sediments, and tissues of higher trophic level aquatic organisms collected by several state and federal agencies, attempting to detect spacial trends in contaminant distribution. Selected industrial facilities were examined with respect to process, effluent parameters, and wastewater treatment equipment. Surface water quality in areas has been impacted by the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and sediment contaminants detected include chlorinated benzenes, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and phthalates. State analyses of both edible portions and whole body samples of seventeen aquatic species show a very wide spacial distribution of individuals carrying elevated body burdens of hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), two of the more prevalent chlorinated hydrocarbons found in the system. While found in animals from throughout the system, HCB and HCBD were detected in only a very limited spacial range in sediments and surface waters of the system. In an attempt to understand potential mechanisms of uptake in various species, middle trophic level organisms were collected and analyzed for whole body burden concentrations of HCB and HCBD. Dialysis tubing filled with isooctane was employed as a biological surrogate to determine relative bioavailability of water-solubilized HCB and HCBD from various regions in the system. Detectable levels of both compounds were found in areas downstream, upstream, and lateral to the area of known sediment contamination.

• Research Organization: Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5117351
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CONTAMINATION
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
LOUISIANA
WATER POLLUTION
PHTHALATES
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
BIOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY
BODY BURDEN
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ESTUARIES
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
MONITORING
MUNICIPAL WASTES
AROMATICS
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISTRIBUTION
FEDERAL REGION VI
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROCARBONS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
USA
WASTES
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology