Criteria for mercury under the Great Lakes water quality initiative
- Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, Westford, MA (United States)
On April 16, 1993, US EPA proposed guidance for establishing water quality standards intended to support protection of the Great Lakes System under the Clean Water Act. In this paper, the approach and values US EPA applied to factors used in calculating criteria for mercury in this proposed rule are considered. There appears to be more a appropriate method for calculating a No Effect Level for avian species, and further justification is required for the selected species sensitivity factor applied to this toxicity value. Further, significant uncertainty is associated with the calculation of Bioaccumulation Factors (BAFs), particularly with respect when used as the ratio of methylmercury to total mercury. It is both simpler and more consistent with the US EPA-stated preference to obtain field data for determining BAFS. Application of various parameter values that are consistent with the data result in high variability in derived criteria. In view of the extreme potential cost of compliance with the criteria for mercury as developed in the Great Lakes Guidance, it seems cost-effective to obtain information to reduce the uncertainties.
- OSTI ID:
- 37441
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Mercury study report to Congress. Volume 6. An ecological assessment for anthropogenic mercury emissions in the United States
U.S. EPA`s development of chemical-specific wildlife criteria as applied in the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative