Contaminants in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) from the upper Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada
- MacDonald Environmental Sciences Ltd., Ladysmith, British Columbia (Canada)
- Canada Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Sidney, British Columbia (Canada). Inst. of Ocean Sciences
- British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, Prince George, British Columbia (Canada)
- British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). Water Quality Branch
Four white sturgeon were collected from the upper Fraser River near Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, in the fall of 199a and 1992. Two additional fish were taken from the Fraser River near Williams Lake, some 250 km downstream of Prince George. Samples of white muscle, red muscle, liver, and roe were analyzed for metals, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), non-ortho and mono-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorophenols to determine whether the tissues of this species were acceptable for human consumption. The concentrations of mercury in the white muscle and liver of several fish from the upper Fraser River exceeded the provincial tissue residue criteria for people who consumed low quantities of fish. The concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs, and coplanar PCBs (expressed as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin toxic equivalents) in red muscle and liver of these fish exceeded the Health Canada working guidelines for the protection of human health. By comparison, white sturgeon collected in the lower Fraser River had much lower concentrations of metals and organic contaminants. The differences in contaminant burdens in fish from the two widely separated reaches of the river reflect their proximity to or distance from known contaminant sources.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 464856
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 16, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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