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Tsuji LJS, Martin ID. The use of leeches to monitor aquatic PCB contamination at Mid-Canada Radar Line site 050: four years post-remediation. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2009; 153:1-7. [PMID: 18478345 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0332-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2008] [Accepted: 04/10/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The Mid-Canada Radar Line (MCRL) was built by the Canadian government during the 1950s and closed in the 1960s. MCRL Site 050 located in close proximity to Fort Albany First Nation was a source of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); thus, this site was remediated in 2001. There has been concern in Fort Albany that the Albany River by MCRL Site 050 is still contaminated. We examined whether the aquatic environment surrounding MCRL Site 050 has returned to background levels four years post-remediation using leeches (Haemopis spp.) as bioindicators. Leech data for 2005 indicates that PCB levels remain higher near Site 050 than at the control site upstream; however, there has been a decrease in difference between Site 050 and the control site for leech body burden between years. Thus, the removal of the terrestrial source of PCB contamination at Site 050 appears to have removed the main source of aquatic PCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J S Tsuji
- Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
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Macova S, Harustiakova D, Kolarova J, Machova J, Zlabek V, Vykusova B, Randak T, Velisek J, Poleszczuk G, Hajslova J, Pulkrabova J, Svobodova Z. Leeches as Sensor-bioindicators of River Contamination by PCBs. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2009; 9:1807-20. [PMID: 22573988 PMCID: PMC3345870 DOI: 10.3390/s90301807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2009] [Revised: 03/10/2009] [Accepted: 03/11/2009] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of leeches of the genus Erpobdella as a means of assessing polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of watercourses. The River Skalice, heavily contaminated with PCBs, was selected as a model. The source of contamination was a road gravel processing factory in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem from which an estimated 1 metric ton of PCBs leaked in 1986. Levels of PCB were measured in leeches collected between 1992 to 2003 from 11 sites covering about 50 km of the river (the first sampling site upstream to the source of contamination and 10 sites downstream). The PCB indicator congeners IUPA no. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180 were measured. Levels were highest at the four sampling sites nearest the source of pollution. The highest values of PCB congeners were found in 1992. PCB content decreased from 1992 to 2003 and with distance from the source. The study indicated that leeches of the genus Erpobdella are a suitable bioindicator of contamination in the surface layer of river sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislava Macova
- University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Toxicology, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Danka Harustiakova
- Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Kamenice 126/3, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jitka Kolarova
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Machova
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimir Zlabek
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Blanka Vykusova
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Randak
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Velisek
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Gorzyslaw Poleszczuk
- Szczecin University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, ul. Felczaka 3A, 71–412 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Jana Hajslova
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Department of Food Chemistry and Analysis, Technicka 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Pulkrabova
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Department of Food Chemistry and Analysis, Technicka 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zdenka Svobodova
- University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Toxicology, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic
- University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
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