Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS40 Long-Term Research Programs in the Twenty-first Century (Spatial and Temporal Connections)

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 10:15:00 AM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Baumann, P, C, USGS Field Station, Ohio State U., Columbus, OH, USA, baumann.1@osu.edu

Blazer, V, S, Leetown Science Center, USGS, Kearneysville, WV, USA, Vicki_Blazer@usgs.gov

Harshbarger, J, C, George Washington U. , Washington, DC, USA, patjch@gwumc.edu

TWO DECADES OF BULLHEAD TUMOR PREVALENCE AS EFFECTED BY INDUSTRIAL PAH CONTAMINATION AND REMEDIAL DREDGING IN THE BLACK RIVER, OHIO

For decades the Black River, Ohio has been greatly influenced by a steel and coking facility and associated high levels of PAHs in sediment. In 1982 the liver cancer prevalence in age-3 or older (mature) brown bullhead was 39%. Age distribution was truncated in 1981 and 1982, with just over 5% of fish reaching age 5 (N = 522). The coking plant closed in 1983. By 1987 the PAH levels in sediment had declined about two orders of magnitude and the liver cancer prevalence had declined to 10%. Because of a US EPA Consent Decree, the most contaminated sediments were dredged in 1990. Liver cancer prevalence in 1992 and 1993 increased in mature fish to over 50%. However by 1998 liver cancer prevalence in mature bullhead had declined to 6.7%, even though the percentage of age 5 and older fish increased dramatically to over 60%. These data allow comparisons of the short and long term consequences of both natural and active remediation; a comparison that would not be possible with only a two or three year study.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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