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Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern identified in the Inventory <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Aquatic <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>taminants</str<strong>on</strong>g> for the<strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin (See Chapter 4 for more informati<strong>on</strong>). In some cases, the data neededto determine the c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern in surface water orsediment (i.e., exposure point c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s) were unavailable. For other chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>potential c<strong>on</strong>cern, exposure levels that corresp<strong>on</strong>ded to no observed adverse effectc<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s (i.e., toxicity screening values) were not defined in the scientific literature.All <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern that fell into these two categories were identifiedas uncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern and carried forward into the detailed assessment.In the detailed assessment, more realistic exposure assumpti<strong>on</strong>s were adopted to evaluatethe potential effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern and uncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern <strong>on</strong>sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> utilizing habitats within the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. In additi<strong>on</strong>, salm<strong>on</strong>idspecifictoxicity thresholds (termed toxicity reference values) replaced the toxicityscreening values used in the screening level assessment. In most cases, however,uncertainty regarding the potential effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> uncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern could notbe resolved in the detailed assessment process. Accordingly, most <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> these c<strong>on</strong>taminantsretained their designati<strong>on</strong>s as uncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern (See Chapter 5 for moreinformati<strong>on</strong>).Many <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the uncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern identified in the preliminary and detailedassessments are classified as known endocrine disrupting compounds, potential endocrinedisrupting compounds, and/or c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> emerging c<strong>on</strong>cern. As insufficientinformati<strong>on</strong> was located to c<strong>on</strong>duct quantitative evaluati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the potential effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> suchuncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern, a qualitative approach was adopted to assess the risksto sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> associated with exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds andc<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> emerging c<strong>on</strong>cern in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. The results <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> thesequalitative assessments suggest that endocrine disrupting compounds and/or c<strong>on</strong>taminants<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> emerging c<strong>on</strong>cern could be causing or substantially c<strong>on</strong>tributing to the declines <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> observed over the past two decades.Direct evidence to dem<strong>on</strong>strate the effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> endocrine disrupting compounds andc<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> emerging c<strong>on</strong>cern <strong>on</strong> <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> is not available.Nevertheless, indirect lines-<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>-evidence can be used together, in an ecoepidemiologicalapproach, to support or weaken the case that a cause and effect relati<strong>on</strong>ship accounts forthe patterns observed in the envir<strong>on</strong>ment (Suter et al. 2007). In this assessment, such anecoepidemiological approach was used to evaluate the following hypothesis:112

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