Chemical contaminants including herbicides, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and biogenic hormones have been detected at fish nesting sites in the Potomac River watershed where endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) was also observed. Although these contaminants are known to originate from a variety of human and animal-waste sources, results of a recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study corroborate previous studies suggesting that seasonal runoff from agricultural activities is an important source of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals by smallmouth bass during critical life stages.
In the study, reported in Science of the Total Environment and Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, a team of USGSscientists collected water and bed sediment samples from fish nesting sites and studied fish from these sites where smallmouth bass spawn and build nests in the Potomac River watershed. This study and others help determine the seasonality and sources of chemical exposures contributing to abnormal fish health, such as intersex, observed in this region. Natural-resource managers, scientists, regulators, and others can use the results to inform decisions regarding overall fish health throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
The Toxic Substances Hydrology, Contaminant Biology, Priority Ecosystems Science, and Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Programs of the U.S. Geological Survey supported this study. Funding was also provided by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Virginia Departments of Game and Inland Fisheries and Environmental Quality, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Related science listed below.
Sources of Contaminants to Congaree National Park—USGS and National Park Service Working Together
Study Highlights the Complexity of Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
New Study Measures Crop Bactericide, Nitrapyrin, in Iowa Streams
Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Swine Manure Application as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus and other Livestock-Related Pathogens
Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
Potential Exposure to Bacteria and Viruses Weeks after Swine Manure Spill
Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Chemicals Found in Treated Wastewater are Transported from Streams to Groundwater
Neonicotinoid Insecticides Documented in Midwestern U.S. Streams
Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
- Overview
Chemical contaminants including herbicides, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and biogenic hormones have been detected at fish nesting sites in the Potomac River watershed where endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) was also observed. Although these contaminants are known to originate from a variety of human and animal-waste sources, results of a recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study corroborate previous studies suggesting that seasonal runoff from agricultural activities is an important source of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals by smallmouth bass during critical life stages.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.USGS scientist dissecting a fish to determine possible effects from exposure to endocrine disrupting contaminants. In the study, reported in Science of the Total Environment and Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, a team of USGSscientists collected water and bed sediment samples from fish nesting sites and studied fish from these sites where smallmouth bass spawn and build nests in the Potomac River watershed. This study and others help determine the seasonality and sources of chemical exposures contributing to abnormal fish health, such as intersex, observed in this region. Natural-resource managers, scientists, regulators, and others can use the results to inform decisions regarding overall fish health throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
The Toxic Substances Hydrology, Contaminant Biology, Priority Ecosystems Science, and Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Programs of the U.S. Geological Survey supported this study. Funding was also provided by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Virginia Departments of Game and Inland Fisheries and Environmental Quality, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
- Science
Related science listed below.
Filter Total Items: 22Sources of Contaminants to Congaree National Park—USGS and National Park Service Working Together
A National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study determined the concentrations, potential for degradation, and potential for aquatic and terrestrial animal exposure to organic contaminants in water and sediment within the flood-plain/aquatic environments of Congaree National Park which is located downstream from urban and agricultural areas.Study Highlights the Complexity of Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
A new study highlights the complexity of chemical mixtures in streams and advances the understanding of wildlife and human exposure to complex chemical mixtures.New Study Measures Crop Bactericide, Nitrapyrin, in Iowa Streams
First-ever reconnaissance study documents the off-field transport of nitrapyrin — a nitrification inhibitor applied with fertilizers as a bactericide to kill natural soil bacteria for the purpose of increasing crop yields — to adjacent streams. This study is the first step in understanding the transport, occurrence, and potential effects of nitrapyrin or similar compounds on nitrogen processing in...Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Short-term laboratory exposure of adult fathead minnows to the human contraceptive progestin, gestodene (GES), at environmentally relevant concentrations induced rapid and negative effects on reproductive health and suggests that wild fish may be similarly affected.Swine Manure Application as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus and other Livestock-Related Pathogens
The presence of indicator bacteria, hepatitis E virus (HEV), and numerous bacterial pathogen genes increased following precipitation-induced runoff events in streams draining adjacent land surfaces in Iowa where swine manure was recently applied.Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
The occurrence of complex mixtures of prescription pharmaceuticals in streams and rivers around the globe has raised concerns about potential unintended adverse effects on aquatic organisms. The deleterious effects (for example, alteration of fish behavior) observed in this study confirm that effluents containing pharmaceuticals can adversely affect fish in ways that are central to sustaining...Potential Exposure to Bacteria and Viruses Weeks after Swine Manure Spill
Manure spills may be an underappreciated pathway for livestock-derived contaminants to enter streams. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied an Iowa stream after the release of a large volume of swine manure (a manure spill). The scientists observed an increase in viruses and bacteria, which have the potential to cause human or...Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists determined that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, water, and fish tissue in urban waterways in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River Regions (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio) during 1999 through 2009.Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were transported 2 kilometers downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall in a coastal plain stream. EDCs persisted downstream of the outfall with little change in the numbers of EDCs and limited decreases in EDC concentrations.Chemicals Found in Treated Wastewater are Transported from Streams to Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists studying a midwestern stream conclude that pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in treated wastewater effluent discharged to the stream are transported into adjacent shallow groundwater. Other mobile chemicals found in wastewater are expected to have similar fates.Neonicotinoid Insecticides Documented in Midwestern U.S. Streams
Three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid) were detected commonly throughout the growing season in water samples collected from nine Midwestern stream sites during the 2013 growing season according to a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists. Clothianidin was detected most frequently (75 percent) and at the highest maximum concentration (257 nanograms...Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station, Switzerland, found that some mycotoxins are common in U. S. stream waters. Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by molds (fungi) that can cause disease and even death in humans and animals. Mycotoxins can grow on a wide variety of crops. - Publications