Assessing the toxic threat of selenium to fish and aquatic birds
A procedure is given for evaluating the toxic threat of selenium to fish and wildlife. Toxic threat is expressed as hazard, and is based on the potential for food-chain bioaccumulation and reproductive impairment in fish and aquatic birds, which are the most sensitive biological responses for estimating ecosystem-level impacts of selenium contamination. Five degress of hazard are possible depending on the expected environmental concentrations of selenium, exposure of fish and aquatic birds to toxic concentrations, and resultant potential for reproductive impairment. A separate hazard score is given to each of five ecosystem components; water, sediments, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish eggs, and aquatic bird eggs. An example is given to illustrate how the procedure is applied to selenium data from a typical contaminant monitoring program.
- Research Organization:
- Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
- OSTI ID:
- 445814
- Report Number(s):
- PB-97-123210/XAB; TRN: 70491197
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: DN: Pub. in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 43, 19-35 (1996); PBD: 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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