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Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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8.4 Preliminary Evaluati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Potential</str<strong>on</strong>g> C<strong>on</strong>cernThe 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> identifies over 200 chemical substances (termedchemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern) that have been released or are likely to have been releasedinto aquatic habitats within the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. As it is challenging to c<strong>on</strong>duct adetailed evaluati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> each <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> these chemicals <strong>on</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>, acomm<strong>on</strong>ly-utilized screening procedure was applied to identify the substances that occurin abiotic envir<strong>on</strong>mental media (i.e., surface water or sediment) at c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s sufficientto pose potential risks to sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> utilizing habitats in the study area. Thisprocedure c<strong>on</strong>sisted <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> five general steps, including:• Pathway Analysis (which was c<strong>on</strong>ducted to identify potentially-completeexposure pathways through which sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> could be exposed to thechemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern);• <str<strong>on</strong>g>Effects</str<strong>on</strong>g> Assessment (which was c<strong>on</strong>ducted to identify c<strong>on</strong>servative thresholdsfor adverse effects <strong>on</strong> aquatic organisms, which are termed toxicity screeningvalues; TSVs);• Exposure Assessment (which was c<strong>on</strong>ducted to identify 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 that sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> could be exposed to, whichare termed exposure point c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s or EPCs);• Hazard Evaluati<strong>on</strong> [which was c<strong>on</strong>ducted to identify the substances that occurin <strong>on</strong>e or more media types at c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s sufficient to pose potential risksto sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>; i.e., by calculating hazard quotients, (HQs), where HQ =EPC/TSV]; and,• Uncertainty Analysis (which was c<strong>on</strong>ducted to identify the substances forwhich insufficient informati<strong>on</strong> was available to determine if they pose potentialrisks to sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>).The screening-level assessment was designed to provide a c<strong>on</strong>sistent basis for identifyingall <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 pose potential risks to sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>utilizing spawning and incubati<strong>on</strong> habitats, rearing habitats, and migrati<strong>on</strong> corridors withinthe <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. Accordingly, c<strong>on</strong>servative assumpti<strong>on</strong>s were used in the effectsand exposure assessments (i.e., the maximum c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> measured for each habitattype in each area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interest was selected as the exposure point c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> for eachchemical <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern; estimates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> no-effect c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s for aquatic organismswere selected as the toxicity screening values). Chemicals for which all measuredc<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s were below the corresp<strong>on</strong>ding no-effect c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s were c<strong>on</strong>sidered to134

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