Fish Mercury Levels in Northeastern Massachusetts Lakes
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FINAL REPORT FISH MERCURY LEVELS IN NORTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS LAKES December 2003 Office of Research and Standards Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 1 Winter Street Boston, MA 02108 USA FISH MERCURY IN NE MASSACHUSETTS LAKES ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ..........................................................................................................V ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................. VI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................VIII INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS.................................................................................................... 4 Study Design................................................................................................................................... 4 Category 1 – Public Health-Based Lake Survey for Mercury Advisory Consideration............. 5 Category 2 – Regional Geographic Comparisons....................................................................... 5 Sampling Protocol........................................................................................................................... 7 Category 1 – Public Health-Based Lake Survey for Mercury Advisory Consideration............ 7 Category 2 – Regional Geographic Comparisons....................................................................... 7 Field Methods ................................................................................................................................. 7 Laboratory Procedures .................................................................................................................... 8 Data Analysis Methods ................................................................................................................... 8 Category 1 - Public Health-Based Lake Survey for Mercury Advisory Consideration............. 8 Category 2 - Regional Geographic Comparisons ....................................................................... 9 Preliminary Data Evaluation................................................................................................... 9 Verification of Assumptions for Use of Parametric Statistics .............................................. 10 Mercury Concentrations, Fish Condition, and Reproductive Condition............................. 11 Spatial Variation in Mercury Concentrations in Northeast Massachusetts .......................... 11 Mercury in Northeast Massachusetts Lake Fish Versus Other State Fish............................ 12 Fish Mercury and Lake Water Quality................................................................................. 13 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Category 1 - Public Health-Based Lake Survey for Mercury Advisory Consideration............... 14 Category 2 - Regional Geographic Comparisons ......................................................................... 15 Preliminary Data Evaluation..................................................................................................... 15 Verification Of Assumptions .................................................................................................... 16 Mercury Concentrations, Fish Condition, And Reproductive Condition................................ 17 MA DEP, Office of Research and Standards FISH MERCURY IN NE MASSACHUSETTS LAKES iii Spatial Variation In Mercury Concentrations In Northeast Massachusetts .............................. 18 Mercury In Northeast Massachusetts Lake Fish Versus Statewide Distributions ................... 19 Fish Mercury And Lake Water Quality.................................................................................... 19 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................... 20 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................... 29 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ 32 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 50 APPENDIX A............................................................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX B............................................................................................................................... 61 MA DEP, Office of Research and Standards FISH MERCURY IN NE MASSACHUSETTS LAKES iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Study Design Details ..................................................................................................... 33 Table 2. Predictive Equations for Mercury in Massachusetts Fish.............................................. 35 Table 3. Advisory Screening Tissue Mercury Concentrations in Northeast Massachusetts Lakes. ............................................................................................................................................... 36 Table 4. Factor Scores for Environmental and Fish Condition Variables. .................................. 37 Table 5. Results of Environmental Gradient Studies from Point Atmospheric Mercury Sources ............................................................................................................................................... 38 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Mean Mercury Concentrations for Target-Sized LMB and All YP in Northeast Massachusetts Study Lakes. Potential Mercury Depositional Areas Noted in Relation to Point Source Locations ......................................................................................................... 40 Figure 2. Fish Species Mercury Concentrations (±1 Standard Deviation) By Location. ............ 41 Figure 3. Fish Mercury Concentrations in Northeast Massachusetts. A) Based on Public Health Risk Criteria; B) YP Values Compared to 1997 Study Values (Rose et al., 1999). ............. 43 Figure 4. Frequencies of Fish Consumption Advisories Based on Fish Tissue Mercury Concentrations (>0.5 mg/kg). Northeast Massachusetts Versus Rural Areas. A) all YP; B) standard-sized LMB. * NE Massachusetts advisory frequency significantly greater than Rural Areas, p=0.05. ............................................................................................................. 44 Figure 5. Total Fish Mercury Concentrations Versus Total Fish Length.................................... 45 Figure 6. Study Variables Plotted by Study Area ....................................................................... 46 Figure 7. Fish Condition Index (weight/length3) Versus Fish Muscle Mercury Concentration.. 47 Figure 8. Mean Species Mercury Concentrations (means ± 1 std. dev.) Stratified by Sex and Reproductive Condition Based on All YP and 27-38 cm Target Range LMB. D-developing, R-ripe, S-spent gonads. ......................................................................................................... 48 Figure 9. Comparative LMB and YP Muscle Mercury Concentrations. Means ±1 standard deviation, ranges. .................................................................................................................. 49 MA DEP, Office of Research and Standards FISH MERCURY IN NE MASSACHUSETTS LAKES v LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Office of Research and Standards Michael S. Hutcheson, PhD, MPH Jane Rose, PhD C. Mark Smith, PhD, MS Carol Rowan West, MSPH Wall Experiment Station Kenneth Hulme Oscar Pancorbo, Ph.D. Barbara A. Eddy Chi-ying Hsieh Division of Watershed Management Gregory DeCesare Robert Maietta Normandeau Associates Richard Simmons Mark Mattson Joseph Strube MA DEP, Office of Research and Standards FISH MERCURY IN NE MASSACHUSETTS LAKES vi ABSTRACT Fish from 26 lakes in northeast Massachusetts were sampled in order to: 1) determine if human health fish consumption advisories for mercury were necessary; 2) examine the relationships between levels of fish tissue total mercury concentrations in the study area and other regions of the State and country; and 3) examine the possible contribution of local sources of atmospheric mercury to the local fish mercury concentrations. In a recent regional report on mercury in the northeast states, this area of Massachusetts was predicted, on the basis of atmospheric dispersion modeling of sources of mercury emissions in the U.S., to have the highest level of atmospheric mercury deposition in the northeast U.S. This area of Massachusetts has had until recently three municipal waste combustors and one medical waste incinerator and has a long history of industrialization, with mercury releases occurring as early as the nineteenth century. The study area was delineated into downwind, near-field upwind and far upwind areas based upon prevailing wind patterns vis-à-vis the four incinerators. Concentrations of mercury in fish tissue were compared with data from elsewhere in the State and between these sub-areas to determine whether any differences could be potentially attributed to the incinerators. Largemouth bass (LMB) (Micropterus salmoides) and yellow perch (YP) (Perca flavescens)