Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Many other substances have the potential to partition into water and may pose potentialhazards to Fraser River sockeye salmon stocks, including organometallics, monoaromatichydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs), resin and fatty acids, petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, wood preservationchemicals, surfactants, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, steroids, hormones andhormone mimickers, disinfectants, fire retardants, plastics-related chemicals, andnanoparticles. However, insufficient data were available to characterize exposures tothese contaminants and/or toxicity screening values were not located for these substances.As such, it was not possible to evaluate the hazards posed to sockeye salmon in the FraserRiver associated with exposure to these contaminants. Accordingly, these substanceswere identified as uncertain contaminants <strong>of</strong> concern and were considered, to the extentpossible, in the qualitative evaluation <strong>of</strong> endocrine disrupting chemicals and contaminants<strong>of</strong> emerging concern (Chapter 6).4.5.2 <strong>Potential</strong> Risks to Sockeye Salmon Exposed to SedimentsData on sediment quality conditions in the Fraser River Basin were obtained from theBCMOE EMS database (BCMOE 2010b) and from reports generated from the MetroVancouver Regional District (ENKON Environmental Ltd. 2007; see Appendix 3). Datawere obtained for four geographic areas in the watershed (Figure 4.22), including theLower Fraser River, the Harrison River (specifically Lillooet Lake), the Lower ThompsonRiver (specifically Nicola Lake), and the South Thompson River (specifically ShuswapLake, and Harris and Bessette creeks) areas <strong>of</strong> interest. These sediment chemistry datafacilitated characterization metal, pesticide, PAH, and PCB concentrations in selectedriverine and lacustrine sediments (Table 4.16). The summary <strong>of</strong> available sedimentchemistry data for each <strong>of</strong> the areas <strong>of</strong> interest is presented in Table 4.18.As the availability <strong>of</strong> sediment chemistry data was limited both temporally and spatially,the data obtained from BCMOE and Metro Vancouver were amalgamated for use in thepreliminary hazard evaluation. Furthermore, the assessment <strong>of</strong> the sediment chemistrydata was not conducted for key exposure times (i.e., spawning and incubation, rearing,smolt outmigration and upstream adult migration). Rather, the maximum hazard quotientswere calculated for each <strong>of</strong> the chemicals <strong>of</strong> potential concern in each area <strong>of</strong> interest(Table 4.51) for the pre-1990 and post-1990 time periods. In addition, the frequency <strong>of</strong>exceedance <strong>of</strong> the selected toxicity screening value was determined for each <strong>of</strong> thechemicals <strong>of</strong> potential concern during the pre-1990 and post-1990 time period for eacharea <strong>of</strong> interest (Table 4.52).54