Chemical pollutants in sediments and diseases of bottom-dwelling fish in Puget Sound, Washington

Abstract

A 4-year multidisciplinary study was conducted on relationships between pollutants and diseases of fish in Puget Sound, WA. In this study, high concentrations of a large number of anthropogenic chemicals such as petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other chlorinated compounds, pesticides, and metals were found in certain Puget Sound sediments. For example, over 900 individual organic compounds were detected in sediment from one urban bay (Commencement Bay), and evidence was obtained for the presence of numerous additional compounds. Many of the chemicals accumulated in bottom-dwelling fish, and high levels of certain toxic chemicals in the urban bays were linked to serious diseases (e.g., liver carcinomas) of English sole (Parophrys vetulus) and other demersal fish species. It was concluded that application of the approach used would reveal comparable serious pollution-related health problems in marine biota in other urban coastal areas of the world.