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| Title | PCBs in Sediments at Selected Sites in Puget Sound | |||
| Month-Year Published | February 2002 | |||
| Online Availability |
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| Short Description |
Sediment from 15 Puget Sound sites was collected during May 2001 and analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using EPA methods 8082 and 1668a. This study was conducted to support efforts by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to compare PCB concentrations in sediment with PCB concentrations in muscle tissue of English sole (Plueronectes vetulus). (Also see abstract below) | |||
| Publication Number | 02-03-003 | |||
| Author(s) | Roose, M. and K. Seiders | |||
| Print Availability | ||||
| Number of pages | 49 pp. | |||
| Keywords | cleanup, Commencement Bay, fish, health, order, Puget Sound, sediment, study, toxics monitoring | |||
| Subject Waterbodies |
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| Related Publications | Title | Relationship | ||
| Quality Assurance Project Plan: PCBs in Sediments from Selected Sites in Puget Sound | similar topic | |||
| Abstract | Long Description |
Sediment from 15 Puget Sound sites was collected during May 2001 and analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using EPA methods 8082 and 1668a. This study was conducted to support efforts by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to compare PCB concentrations in sediment with PCB concentrations in muscle tissue of English sole (Plueronectes vetulus). Concentrations of PCBs in sediment samples from all sites were generally low, and results were compared to various sediment criteria. Using method 8082, total PCB concentrations of 3.5-11.2 ug/kg, dry weight (dw) basis, were detected in the Outer Commencement Bay, Port Townsend, and Possession Point sites. These concentrations exceeded the proposed Human Health Cleanup Screening Level of 260 ug/kg, normalized to organic carbon. All 15 sites were at least an order of magnitude lower than the Washington State sediment quality standard of 12,000 ug total PCB/kg, organic carbon. The highest total PCB value in this study, 11.2 ug/kg, dw, was an order of magnitude below the lowest apparent effects threshold of 130 ug/kg, dw. Three samples from the Vendovi Island and Outer Commencement Bay sites were analyzed by EPA method 1668a, and all showed detectable levels of PCBs. Practical quantitation limits for method 1668a ranged from 0.00003 to 0.004 ug/kg, dw. While method 1668a has the ability to detect PCBs at lower levels than method 8082, the price difference is formidable: $1,100/sample (1668a) vs. $130/sample (8082). Improvement of correlations between sediment and English sole PCB concentrations using data from this study will be minimal, due to the majority of non-detected values from method 8082. Future PCB studies should use method 1668a to more accurately characterize background levels of PCBs in Puget Sound sediments and to allow development of more meaningful bioaccumulation factors. |
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