Chemicals of emerging concern monitoring and assessment by Great Lakes Mussel Watch Program

Session: Poster Session

Michael Edwards, NOAA/National Ocean Service, [email protected]
Erik Davenport, NOAA, [email protected]
Kimani Kimbrough, NOAA - Mussel Watch, [email protected]
Ed Johnson, NOAA, [email protected]
Annie Jacob, CSS/NOAA, [email protected]

Abstract

Defining the environmental occurrence and spatial distribution of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in coastal freshwater  and riverine systems is often difficult and complex. As these compounds are detected in various environmental matrices, their persistence, potency and toxicological endpoints creates growing concern and their potential risks warrant further assessment and characterization. The Great Lakes Mussel Watch Program (MWP) utilizes a multi-matrix approach that deploys caged and in-situ dreissenid mussels, and polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS)  to spatially characterize the presence of CECs in the rivers, harbors, and offshore areas of the Great Lakes. By leveraging various resources to achieve common goals of CEC assessment and characterization, the MWP investigated the occurrence and magnitude of a broad list of CECs collected from several Great Lakes locations with several land-use characteristics. Herein, we summarize the CEC data obtained between 2015-2017 and present the percent detections and magnitude in various matrices, and the spatial distribution of CECs with respect to land-use. The results presented will serve as an initial assessment to characterize various suites of CEC that had the highest probability of being detected in tissue as well as POCIS devices, and to identify what methods could be used to support future assessment and site classification.