Progress report summarizing the reef fish sampling, PCB - Earthjustice

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I (B) OVERVIEW OF PCBS I (B) (1) PCBs Congeners and Homologs PCBs are long-lived man-made organic chlorinated hydrocarbons. The PCB molecule is an organic biphenyl structure composed of two covalently linked phenyl rings with a generic formula of C12H a Cl b (where a+b =10). The number of hydrogen (H) or chlorine (Cl) substitutions on a biphenyl ring can yield up to 209 unique molecules (positional isomers or congers.) In turn these 209 unique organic congeners can be grouped in ten homolog groups according to the number of chlorine atoms in the biphenyl rings (Cl 1 -Cl 10 ). The summation of all 10 homolog groups corresponds to the total PCBs and is the same as the sum of all 209 congeners. Each of the 209 congeners has a specific identifier number (1-209) assigned to it for international reference purposes. In the FWC/ECMRD Tier 1 monitoring study, each individual fish sample was sampled for all 209 congeners and 10 homologs in order to obtain the most detailed information possible. In this monitoring study individual skin-on muscle fillet tissue samples were analyzed for all 209 PCB congeners (skin-on analysis is considered a more conservative approach than skin-off analysis). The EPA defines a PCB congener as “any single, unique well-defined chemical compound in the PCB category. The name of a congener specifies the total number of chlorine substituents and the position of each chlorine. For example: 4,4’-Dichlorobiphenyl is a congener comprising the biphenyl structure with two chlorine substituents, one on each of the #4 carbons of the two rings. In 1980, a numbering system was developed which assigned a sequential number to each of the 209 congeners. Homologs are defined by the EPA as subcategories of PCB congeners having equal numbers of chlorine substituents. For example the tetrachlorobiphenyl homologues are all PCB congeners with exactly 4 chlorine substituents that may be in any arrangement.” (EPA PCB congener website http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/congeners/htm) I (B) (2) Aroclors Aroclors are one of the more common commercial PCB trade names, though PCBs were manufactured and sold under over 100 other names. EPA states that “PCBs were manufactured as a mixture of various PCB congeners until a certain target percentage of chlorine by weight was achieved. Commercial mixtures with higher percentages of chlorine contained higher proportions of the more heavily chlorinated congeners, but all congeners could be expected to be present at some level in all mixtures.” The most common trade name for PCBs synthetically manufactured between 1929 and 1979 was the Aroclor series. Each Aroclor type has a distinguishing suffix number that indicated the degree of chlorination. EPA states 10 | P age
that “the numbering standard for the different Aroclors is as follows: the first two digits generally refer to the number of carbon atoms in the phenyl rings (for PCBs this is 12), the second two numbers indicate the percentage of chlorine by mass in the mixture. For example the name Aroclor 1254 means that the mixture contains approximately 54% chlorine by weight.” Common Aroclor numbers included 1016, 1210, 1216, 1221, 1231, 1232, 1240, 1248, 1250, 1252, 1254, 1260, 1262, and 1268. (EPA website http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/aroclor.htm) The EPA on their basic PCB information website states: “Once in the environment, PCBs do not readily break down and therefore may remain for long periods of time cycling between air, water, and soil. PCBs can be carried long distances and have been found in snow and sea water in areas far away from where they were released in the environment. As a consequence, PCBs are found all over the world. In general, the lighter the form of PCB, the further it can be transported from the source of contamination. PCBs can accumulate in the leaves and above-ground parts of plants and food crops. They are also taken up into the bodies of small organism and fish. As a result, people who ingest fish may be exposed to PCBs that have bio-accumulated in the fish they are ingesting.” (EPA Basic PCB information website: (http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/about.htm). The more heavily chlorinated PCBs persist to a much greater extent in the environment, don’t dissolve well in seawater and tend to adsorb to sediments, organic particulate matter and also have a lipophilic tendency to accumulate in lipid-rich fatty tissues or organisms (SPARWAR, 2006d) On October 11, 1976 the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) became law. TSCA authorized the EPA to control any substances that were determined to cause unreasonable risk to public health or the environment. TSCA, also referred to as U.S. Code Title 15, Chapter 53, Subchapter I Section 2605, (Regulation of hazardous chemical substances and mixtures), in paragraph (e) directed that PCBs, were to be banned from manufacture, processing and distribution in commerce in the U.S. by 1979. Non-liquid solid materials are considered PCB contaminated and regulated for disposal as hazardous material if they contain PCBs at concentrations ≥ 50 ppm but < 500 ppm concentrations or where insufficient liquid material is available for analysis, a non-porous surface having a surface concentration of > 10µg/100 square cm but < 100µg/100 square cm measured by a standard wipe test as defined in 40 CFR §761.123. I (B) (3) Potential PCB Health Issues. The EPA’s peer reviewed PCB cancer assessment and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have concluded, based on many laboratory mammal studies, 11 | P age
Page 1 and 2: Progress report summarizing the ree
Page 3 and 4: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In compliance wit
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page No. 1.
Page 7 and 8: I (A) (1) EPA Oriskany Reef PCB Tie
Page 9: validate the Navy developed PCB fat
Page 13 and 14: ship material leachate experiments
Page 15 and 16: solid PCB containing materials woul
Page 17 and 18: EPA review included: 1) a human hea
Page 19 and 20: I(C)(6) PCB Containing Materials On
Page 21 and 22: I(C) (8) Oriskany Reef Created In a
Page 23 and 24: fishes for the Monitoring Work Plan
Page 25 and 26: I (D) (2) Fishing Vessel Sampling P
Page 27 and 28: long from the top to the mouth of t
Page 29 and 30: During sample round #2 all four che
Page 31 and 32: The rod and reel manpower sampling
Page 33 and 34: was intentionally scheduled after t
Page 35 and 36: weren’t running after each fish w
Page 37 and 38: actually shipped to GERG on Februar
Page 39 and 40: samples during Sampling Rounds 1-8
Page 41 and 42: harvesting at least 15 legal size r
Page 43 and 44: attraction as expressed by an incre
Page 45 and 46: Of these 10 reef assessment dives,
Page 47 and 48: assessments which were limited to t
Page 49 and 50: not considered target species for a
Page 51 and 52: have had any PAH levels approaching
Page 53 and 54: Oriskany, and one recapture at a
Page 55 and 56: ed snapper season commencement. The
Page 57 and 58: Table 8a. List of reef fish species
Page 59 and 60: Oriskany Reef during Sampling Round
Page 61 and 62:
Species Composition of Oriskany Sam
Page 63 and 64:
The GERG lab reported their receipt
Page 65 and 66:
pectoral fins of the blackfin snapp
Page 67 and 68:
Trophic level or position Trophic p
Page 69 and 70:
that means after five years only 3%
Page 71 and 72:
II (D) (1) (c) Red Snapper Discussi
Page 73 and 74:
1,000,000 ΣPCB (pg/g) a. Sample Da
Page 75 and 76:
The PCB levels measured from red sn
Page 77 and 78:
fins relatively short, not reaching
Page 79 and 80:
Results of PCB analysis by sample d
Page 81 and 82:
ody, these spots giving a yellow-st
Page 83 and 84:
II (D) (3) (c) Red Porgy Discussion
Page 85 and 86:
cheeks that are speckled with brigh
Page 87 and 88:
II (D) (4) (c) Whitebone Porgy Disc
Page 89 and 90:
(common) name. The first spine is l
Page 91 and 92:
II (D) (5) (c) Gray Triggerfish Dis
Page 93 and 94:
The Scamp inhabits continental shel
Page 95 and 96:
Results of PCB analysis by sample d
Page 97 and 98:
species was not among the first 30
Page 99 and 100:
elieved to be unlikely since most o
Page 101 and 102:
trip less than 15% of the time due
Page 103 and 104:
II F (6) (b) Current Florida Marine
Page 105 and 106:
assessment, technological feasibili
Page 107 and 108:
III Oriskany Reef Monitoring Projec
Page 109 and 110:
Fishbase.org (Internet site). 2011.
Page 111 and 112:
Ingram, G.W., Jr. and W.F. Patterso
Page 113 and 114:
Patterson, W. F., J. H. Cowan Jr, e
Page 115 and 116:
Thompson, M.J., W.W. Schroeder, and
Page 117 and 118:
Table 2. FWC Fish Census data taken
Page 119 and 120:
Table 4. Fish census data taken by
Page 121 and 122:
frogfish Antennarius sp.
Page 123 and 124:
eef butterflyfish Chaetodon sedenta
Page 125 and 126:
Vermilion snapper Rhomboplites auro
Page 127 and 128:
OR-RS-042 Red Snapper 4/12/2007 HnL
Page 129 and 130:
OR-RS-155 Red Snapper 11/18/2009 Hn
Page 131 and 132:
Table 14. Tissue sample characteris
Page 133 and 134:
Table 15. Percent composition of to
Page 135 and 136:
Table 16b. Percent composition of t
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Progress report summarizing the reef fish sampling, PCB - Earthjustice

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