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Human Health Exposure Factor Estimates Based Upon A Creel/Angler Survey of the Lower Passaic River (Part 3)
Abstract
The results of an analysis of site-specific creel and angler information collected for the lower 6 miles of the Passaic River in Newark, NJ (Study Area), demonstrate that performing a site-specific creel/angler survey was essential to capture the unique characteristics of the anglers using the Study Area. The results presented were developed using a unique methodology for calculating site-specific, human exposure estimates from data collected in this unique urban/industrial setting. The site-specific human exposure factors calculated and presented include (1) size of angler population and fish-consuming population, (2) annual fish consumption rate, (3) duration of anglers' fishing careers, (4) cooking methods for the fish consumed, and (5) demographic information. Sensitivity and validation analyses were performed, and results were found to be useful for performing a site-specific, human health risk assessment. It was also concluded that site-specific exposure factor values are preferable to less representative "default values." The results of the analysis showed that the size of the angling population at the Study Area is estimated to range from 154 to 385 anglers, based on different methods of matching intercepts with anglers. Thirty-four anglers were estimated to have consumed fish; 37 people consumed fish from the river. The fish consumption rate for anglers using this area was best represented as 0.42 g/day for the central tendency and 1.8 g/day for the 95th percentile estimates. Anglers fishing at the river have relatively short fishing careers with a median of 0.9 yr, an average of 1.5 yr, and a 95th percentile of 4.8 yr. Consuming anglers tend to fry the fish they caught. The demographics of anglers who consume fish do not appear to differ substantially from those who do not, with no indication of a subsistence angling population.
... This evaluation was limited to fish tissue collected in the lower six miles of the coast (referred to as the study area) because this is an area of intense focus by regulatory agencies and it is the location with the greatest amount of available data. This area is also the subject of a robust creel angler survey (CAS), which provides unparalleled site-specific information for use in such a human health risk assessment (Ray et al. 2007). The secondary goal of this study, and ultimately its most important feature with respect to risk assessment, was to define an exposure parameter known as the 'Representative Fish.' ...
... (1) sampling must have been conducted in the study area; and (2) the species and edible matrix of fish consumed by anglers must have been represented in the analyses. The first criterion is straightforward, whereas the second is based upon the extensive creel angler survey (CAS) conducted in the study area, thus providing very detailed information about fish consumption patterns (Ray et al. 2007). ...
... Responses from CAS interviews indicated that data to be utilized in a human health risk assessment associated with consumption of coastal fishing should be based on concentrations measured in fillets without skin from fish species typically consumed by coastal anglers. In fact, the CAS found that more than 95% of the area's angler population intercepted for the study that consumed their catch (less than 9% of all anglers interviewed) ate only fish fillets (skin on or off) (Ray et al. 2007). These results conform to the USEPA recommendation to use composites of fillets in screening studies to provide conservative estimates of typical exposures for the general population (United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) (2000). ...
The fishery, biology, growth and stock structure of Euthynnus affinis is studied in detail. Hooks and lines, gillnets and purse seines are the major equipment used to exploit the fish. Fisheries are sustained mainly by 1–2 year old fishes (34–50 cm). Spawning was observed around the year with peaks during July–August and November–January. The length–weight relationship is 0.0254 L2.889 with no significant difference between males and females. Age and growth are estimated using length based methods. The maximum sustainable yield estimated was higher than the average annual catch, indicating scope for further exploitation. Elevated levels of heavy metals in Euthynnus affinis may be a good indication of pollution of an aquatic ecosystem due to anthropogenic influences. A total of 278 fishes were collected from Karachi coast, Fish Harbor West Wharf, Karachi, for metal (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu) analysis in the organs of the fish. The metal levels in the sample fishes are in descending order of toxicity Cd>Pb>Zn>Cu. In the risk assessment, we assessed potential human health risks associated with consumption of fish, incorporating information gathered during a year-long, intercept-style creel angler survey and representative heavy metal concentrations in fish tissue. Fishing operations can cause ecological impacts of different types, e.g. by the catches, damage of the habitat, mortalities caused by lost or discarded gear, pollution, and generation of marine debris. Periodic reassessment of the tuna potential is required, with adequate inputs from exploratory surveys as well as commercial landings; this may prevent any unsustainable trends in the development of the tuna fishing industry in the Arabian Sea.
... This study used the weighting approach developed for the Passaic River Creel and Angling Survey, (3,6,7) which has been peer reviewed and accepted as an appropriate technique. (8) This approach was designed for an infrequently visited system and improves upon earlier attempts to correct for avidity bias, such as that developed by Price et al. (9) The sampling weight (w i ) for an angler interview is the inverse of the probability (p) that the respondent is interviewed at least once during the study period. ...
A one-year angler intercept survey was conducted on Choccolocco Creek, a rural, limited access tributary to the Coosa River in northeastern Alabama. The purpose of the survey was to collect data and information about the behaviors and fish consumption habits of the recreational anglers who fish there. Nine survey locations were included in the stratified sampling plan, and sampling occurred throughout daylight hours, on weekdays and weekends/holidays, during all four seasons of the year. Surveys were completed on a total of 101 survey days between June 28, 2008 and June 27, 2009.(6) Seventy-two anglers were observed fishing during the survey period, and 52 (72%) of those individuals agreed to participate in the survey. Based on the information collected by the survey clerks, the angler population fishes the Creek between 1 and 54 times per year, with an average frequency of seven trips per year. The average number of months fished was three months per year, with a range of one to nine months. Only 15% of the anglers who participated in the survey (eight individuals) had succeeded in catching fish by the end of their trips, and only four of those individuals (8%) had retained any of the fish they had caught for consumption. Reasons provided for not retaining fish were that they either only fished for sport, did not catch enough fish to eat, or the fish they caught were too small to keep. Because so few anglers used and harvested fish from the resource, fish consumption rates could not be determined with a high degree of confidence. However, from these limited data it was estimated that the three anglers for whom consumption rates could be estimated had annualized average daily fish consumption rates of 0.14, 0.44, and 7.9 grams per day (g/day). The majority of anglers traveled less than 10 miles to fish the Creek. It was estimated that a total population of 173 anglers use the Creek each year. The results of this survey indicated that Choccolocco Creek is a local fishery that is not heavily used by area residents.
... Estimates of the mean value were calculated for each location (i.e., expected value). Confidence limits were also derived as described in the work of Haas et al. (27).29, 41, 42), and USEPA considered this to be a complete pathway in their draft risk assessment of the Lower Passaic River (7). Again, a triangular distribution was assumed for incidental ingestion (mg/day) for adults and adolescents (minimum 25, mode 50, maximum 95). The use of lower values for visitors than for recreators was based on the assu ...
High levels of pathogenic microorganisms have been documented previously in waters of the Lower Passaic River in northern New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to characterize the microbial contamination of river sediments near combined sewer overflows (CSOs), a known source of pathogens. Concentrations of fecal coliform, total coliform, fecal Streptococcus, fecal Enterococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Giardia lamblia, and Cryptosporidium parvum organisms were measured in 16 samples from three mudflat locations along the Lower Passaic River, as well as from an upstream location. Selected samples were also analyzed for antibiotic resistance. All of the samples contained high concentrations of total coliform, fecal coliform, fecal Streptococcus, and fecal Enterococcus organisms. Analysis of isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli from several samples indicated that each strain was resistant to at least one antibiotic typically used in clinical settings. Eight of 16 samples contained Giardia, and one sample contained Cryptosporidium. With these sampling data, a quantitative microbial risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the probability of infection or illness resulting from incidental ingestion of contaminated sediments over a 1-year period. Three potential exposure scenarios were considered: visitor, recreator, and homeless person. Single-event risk was first evaluated for the three individual exposure scenarios; overall risk was then determined over a 1-year period using Monte Carlo techniques to characterize uncertainty. For fecal Streptococcus and Enterococcus, annualized risk estimates for gastrointestinal illness ranged from approximately 0.42 to 0.53 for recreators, 0.07 to 0.10 for visitors, and 0.62 to 0.72 for homeless individuals across the three sampling locations. Annualized risk of Giardia infection ranged from 0.14 to 0.64 for recreators, 0.01 to 0.1 for visitors, and 0.30 to 0.87 for homeless individuals, across all locations where detected. Cryptosporidium was detected at one location, and the corresponding annualized risk of infection was 0.32, 0.05, and 0.51 for recreators, visitors, and homeless individuals, respectively. This risk assessment suggests that pathogen-contaminated sediments near areas of CSO discharge in the Lower Passaic River could pose a health risk to individuals coming into contact with sediments in the mudflat areas.
Recreational fisheries are social-ecological systems (SES), and knowledge of human dimensions coupled with ecology are critically needed to understand their system dynamics. Creel surveys, which typically occur in-person and on-site, serve as an important tool for informing fisheries management. Recreational fisheries creel data have the potential to inform large-scale understanding of social and ecological dynamics, but applications are currently limited by a disconnect between the questions posed by social-ecological researchers and the methods in which surveys are conducted. Although innovative use of existing data can increase understanding of recreational fisheries as SES, creel surveys should also adapt to changing information needs. These opportunities include using the specific temporal and spatial scope of creel survey data, integrating these data with alternative data sources, and increasing human dimensions understanding. This review provides recommendations for adapting survey design, implementation, and analysis for SES-focused fisheries management. These recommendations are: (1) increasing human dimensions knowledge; (2) standardization of surveys and data; (3) increasing tools and training available to fisheries scientists; and (4) increasing accessibility and availability of data. Incorporation of human dimensions information into creel surveys will increase the ability of fisheries management to regulate these important systems from an integrated SES standpoint.
A one-year angler intercept survey was conducted on the lower 17 miles of the Passaic River, an urban industrialized river that flows through Newark, New Jersey. The purpose of the survey was to collect data about anglers’ behaviors and fish consumption habits in order to calculate exposure factors for a human health risk assessment of the Study Area. This paper focuses on estimating site-specific fish consumption rates for LPRSA anglers that consume their catch. The study design included on-site interviews and counts (angler enumeration). Forty survey locations were included in the stratified random sampling plan; interviews were conducted on 136 days and counts on 164 days. After matching intercepts with the same angler, a total of 294 anglers were interviewed, of which 25 reported consuming their catch. LPRSA fishing trips ranged from 2 to nearly 50 annual trips for anglers who reported consuming their catch. Species caught and reported to be consumed included carp, catfish, white perch, smallmouth bass, and eel. The estimated mean and 90th percentile consumption rates for the population of consuming anglers are 5.0 and 8.8 g/day, respectively. Based on sensitivity analyses, the 90th percentile fish consumption rates range from approximately 4 to 18 g/day.
Although many recreational anglers reside in urban areas, important policy questions, such as how to optimally improve urban shorelines and increase urban angler participation rates, are unresolved. This article presents an econometric model that quantifies the relationships between site quality, angler characteristics, and urban angling behavior in five northeastern New Jersey counties. The model employed (repeated nested logit) is prominent in the environmental economics literature but has not to our knowledge been applied to urban fishery management. The results indicate that the repeated nested logit can effectively characterize urban anglers’ site choices, participation rates, and resource values. The article presents two models whose differences highlight considerations in modeling urban angling behavior. The first includes variables typically found in recreational-fishing, site-choice models. The second (and preferred) model includes variables that more appropriately characterize urban angling. This model predicts approximately 2,341,000 total annual trips. Adding a fishing site in a centrally located but industrial area (Newark) generates direct economic benefits to recreational anglers that are estimated at US312,419 per year. This new site draws an expected 14,814 trips annually. Of these trips, 247 arise from increased angling rates and 14,567 are diverted from other sites. These results illustrate the usefulness of this modeling approach for assessing management objectives. For example, a manager hoping to increase angling participation might prefer the Newark project if it could be completed at half the price; a manager intending to maximize social benefits or reduce pressure at other sites would pay a substantial premium for the Garfield project.Received November 3, 2009; accepted December 30, 2010
Mugdan et al. have criticized certain aspects of the approach and general conclusions of our recently published fish ingestion risk assessment for the lower Passaic River (Urban et al., 2009), asserting that they are inconsistent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's risk assessment guidelines we reference in our paper. Specifically, they assert that the excess cancer risk and health hazard results calculated as a part of our analyses underestimate the potential health risk posed to lower Passaic River anglers who actually consume their catch due to the fish ingestion rates we utilized in our analysis and our lack of inclusion of a crab ingestion pathway. While there clearly are differences between our risk assessment and the one conducted by the USEPA, this is not at all surprising given that their assessment reflects a typical screening-level risk assessment while that described in our paper reflects a more detailed site-specific risk assessment. In developing our exposure scenarios and assumptions, we considered and incorporated the available site-specific information in both deterministic and probabilistic quantitative risk frameworks in an effort to provide a sound and realistic human health risk assessment that quantitatively accounts for much of the variability and uncertainty typically inherent in such estimates. Although it is understandable that Mugdan et al. are compelled to defend the effort and conclusions put forth by USEPA Region 2 in its 2007 draft human health risk assessment of the lower Passaic River, the site-specific lower Passaic River human health risk assessment presented in Urban et al. (2009) was conducted according to USEPA guidelines, underwent peer review, and is, in fact, consistent with Superfund guidance and accepted principles of risk assessment.
The Lower Passaic River (LPR) is one of the most heavily industrialized waterways in the US with both historical and continuing discharges of chemicals from point and non-point sources. Significant efforts have been initiated on behalf of public, private, and regulatory entities to restore this degraded urban river. Considerable attention has been devoted to characterizing environmental media with respect to human and ecological risk. As part of these efforts, a wealth of environmental data have been collected and analyzed for a variety of metals, pesticides, organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like compounds. The objectives of the study described in this paper were two-fold: (1) to generate LPR-specific data for use in human health risk assessment by characterizing concentrations of contaminants in LPR fish tissue samples based on publicly available data using a methodical and transparent approach, and (2) using the resulting data, to calculate the contaminant concentrations in a "Representative Fish," which is a representation of proportional fish tissue concentrations calculated based upon consumption patterns of LPR anglers. The data reduction, processing, and analyses described provide a representative dataset for the conduct of a human health assessment associated with fish consumption from the LPR.
Buchanan et al. assert that our recent fish ingestion risk assessment for a section of the Lower Passaic River (LPR) (Urban et al., 2009a) utilizes inappropriate ingestion rates and is inconsistent with state and USEPA guidelines and risk assessment procedures, and therefore underestimates the human health risks associated with angler exposure along this stretch of the river. However, they fail to support these assertions with evidence; indeed, in a recent response to similar allegations, we demonstrated that the utilized ingestion rates are, in fact, the most appropriate for this parameter (Urban et al., 2009b). Our reliance on data from a comprehensive, independently validated, peer-reviewed, and site-specific creel angler survey (CAS) in order to define fish and crab ingestion rates for this region of the LPR is fully compliant with USPEA guidelines. In fact, the crab ingestion survey and risk assessment cited by Buchanan et al. as evidence of crabbing activity and crab ingestion for this region was less comprehensive than the CAS in question, was not overseen by an independent panel, has yet to be peer-reviewed, and does not provide any activity or consumption data for this section of the LPR. Contrary to the implications of Buchanan et al., our effort provides a transparent, comprehensive, and scientifically legitimate human health risk assessment of fish ingestion for the lowest 6miles of the LPR. Thus we adamantly disagree with the characterization and assertions put forth by Buchanan et al., and stand by the conclusions presented in Urban et al. (2009a) and defended in Urban et al. (2009b).
Urban et al. (2009) presented a human health risk assessment for the Lower Passaic River that very narrowly defines fish consumption, ignores crab consumption, and is not consistent with current NJ or EPA risk assessment procedures and guidance. The restrictively defined consumption then leads to inappropriate conclusions on the risk of eating fish from this highly contaminated estuarine river. The paper underestimates angler exposure to contaminated fish, does not evaluate exposure to contaminated crab, and underestimates the cancer risks and non-cancer health hazards associated with these exposure pathways. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection along with the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services issues fish and crab consumption advisories for all state waters; these advisories should be followed for the Passaic River and surrounding waters: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/FishSmartEatSmartNJ.org.
Urban et al. (2009) presented a human health risk assessment for the Lower Passaic River that is not consistent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) risk assessment guidance for Superfund cited in the article, because it is based on a fish ingestion rate that underestimates angler exposure to contaminated fish, does not evaluate exposure to contaminated crab, and underestimates the cancer risks and non-cancer health hazards associated with these exposure pathways. USEPA recommends that people follow the health advisories for the Lower Passaic River, available online at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/2009FishAdvisoryBrochure.pdf.
The Lower Passaic River (LPR) in New Jersey has been impacted by variety of human activities over the course of the last two centuries. In this risk assessment, we assessed potential human health risks associated with consumption of fish from the LPR, the human exposure pathway of greatest concern when addressing contaminated sediments. Our risk assessment incorporates fish consumption information gathered during a year-long, intercept-style creel angler survey and representative fish tissue concentrations for 156 chemicals of potential concern (COPCs) obtained from USEPA's public database (OurPassaic website: http://www.ourpassaic.org/projectsites/premis_public/index.cfm?fuseaction=contaminants). Due to the large number of COPCs investigated, this risk assessment was divided into two phases: (1) identification of COPCs that contribute to the majority of overall excess cancer risk and hazard estimates using deterministic and probabilistic methods, and (2) probabilistic characterization of risk using distributions of chemical concentration and cooking loss for those compounds identified in Phase 1. Phase 1 relied on point estimates of COPC concentrations and demonstrated that PCDD/Fs and PCBs (dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like) are the greatest contributors to cancer risk, while non-dioxin-like PCBs are the primary contributors to non-cancer hazard estimates. Total excess cancer risks for adult and child and receptors estimated in Phase 1 were within USEPA's acceptable excess cancer risk range, with the exception of RME child (3.0 x 10(-4) and 1.3 x 10(-4) for deterministic and probabilistic approaches, respectively). Phase 2 focused on PCDD, PCDF, and PCBs and used distributions of chemical concentrations in fish. The results showed that all excess cancer risk estimates were within the acceptable risk range, although non-cancer hazard estimates for PCBs slightly exceeded a Hazard Index of 1. This HHRA of LPR fish ingestion represents the most comprehensive evaluation conducted to date, and demonstrates that measured concentrations of COPCs are not likely to pose a health risk to people who currently consume fish from the LPR.
This article describes a unique analytical method employed to characterize angler activities on the lower 6-mile stretch of the Passaic River in New Jersey. The method used data collected by a creel/angler survey that was designed to capture the information necessary to calculate the exposure factors needed to characterize the fish consumption pathway for recreational anglers in a human health risk assessment for the river. The survey used two methods to address the challenges of conducting a creel/angler survey in an urban and industrial setting with limited river access. While unique, the analytical method described in this article is based upon accepted methods of interpreting survey data and basic laws of probability. This article was written as a companion to two other articles, also in this issue and cited here, of which one describes in detail the survey methodology designed for the lower Passaic River creel/angler survey to meet various challenges unique to conducting such a survey in urban and industrialized rivers, and the other presents, validates, and interprets the results of the lower Passaic River work relating to human exposure factors using the methodology described in this article.
During precipitation events, untreated human sewage is often intentionally discharged to surface water bodies via combined sewer overflow (CSO) systems in order to avoid overloading wastewater treatment plants. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the risk of pathogen-related disease associated with CSO discharges into the Lower Passaic River. Concentrations of fecal coliform, total coliform, fecal Streptococcus, and fecal Enterococcus bacteria were measured at six river locations on six different days in 2003 (n = 36). In addition, water samples (n = 2) were collected directly from and in the immediate vicinity of a discharging CSO in Newark, NJ. These samples were analyzed for fecal coliforms, total coliforms, fecal Streptococcus, fecal Enterococcus, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, and several viruses. Risk estimates for gastrointestinal illness and Giardia infection resulting from indirect and direct ingestion of contaminated water were calculated for three potential exposure scenarios: visitor, recreator, and homeless person. Single-event risk was first evaluated for the three individual exposure scenarios; overall risk was then determined over a 1-year period. Monte Carlo techniques were used to characterize uncertainty. Nearly all of the pathogen concentrations measured in the Passaic River exceeded health-based water quality criteria and in some cases were similar to levels reported for raw sewage. The probability of contracting gastrointestinal illness due to fecal Streptococcus and Enterococcus from incidental ingestion of water over the course of a year ranged from 0.14 to nearly 0.70 for the visitor and recreator scenarios, respectively. For the homeless person exposure scenario, the risk for gastrointestinal illness reached 0.88 for fecal Streptococcus and Enterococcus, while the probability of Giardia infection was 1.0. This risk analysis suggests that, due to the levels of pathogens present in the Lower Passaic River, contact with the water poses, and will continue to pose, significant human health risks until CSO discharges are adequately controlled or abated.
A Creel/Angler Survey (CAS) was conducted to provide site-specific information on recreational fishing in the lower six miles of the Passaic River (Study Area). Information collected during the CAS will be used to develop site-specific exposure factors, including fish consumption rates, for use in the human health risk assessment required by an Administrative Order on Consent as part of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study for the Study Area. An expert panel was convened to provide an independent opinion regarding the need for, design of, and implementation of the CAS. The expert panel was charged with evaluating whether the conduct of a CAS is necessary to support an accurate risk assessment for the Study Area and whether the proposed CAS is sufficient to characterize local fish consumption behavior for risk assessment purposes. The expert panel agreed that a CAS is necessary and concluded that the proposed CAS, with specific modifications to the study design and data analysis, would provide the information necessary to estimate site-specific fish consumption rates. Revision of the CAS to accommodate the expert panel recommendations enhanced the quality of the data collected and ensured that the data will support the assessment of human health risks from consumption of fish from the Study Area.
Exposure duration is an important component in determining long-term dose rates associated with exposure to environmental contaminants. Surveys of exposed populations collect information on individuals' past behaviors, including the durations of a behavior up to the time of the survey. This paper presents an empirical approach for determining the distribution of total durations that is consistent with the distribution past durations obtained from surveys. This approach is appropriate where the rates of beginning and ending a behavior are relatively constant over time. The approach allows the incorporation of information on the distribution of age in a population into the determination of the distribution of durations. The paper also explores the impact of "longevity" bias on survey data. A case study of the application of this approach to two angler populations is also provided. The results of the case study have characteristics similar to the results reported by Israeli rind Nelson (Risk Anal. 12, 65-72 (1992)) from their analytical model of residential duration. Specifically, the average period of time for the total duration in the entire population is shorter than the average period of time: reported for historical duration in the surveyed individuals.
Condition indices are used in fishery science as indicators of the weight-to-length relationship of a population or subgroup (e.g., strain, sex, or age category). This conversion of the two-dimensional weight-length relationship into a single statistic results in a loss of information and, in many cases, an inaccurate representation of that relationship. Fulton's condition factor (K) is based on the assumption that the slope of the weight-length relationship is 3.0. The relative condition factor (Kn) is based on the assumption that the slopes of all samples to be compared are equal to some specific value. Relative weight (Wr) is based on the assumption that the slope and the intercept of the weight-length relationship are the same as those in the “ideal” equation. Instead of providing simple, interpretable descriptions of the weight-length relationship in fish populations, all three of these commonly used condition indices have critical flaws that can result in incorrect conclusions. Relative weight is arguably the most misleading of these indices, and its use should be reconsidered before it becomes as misused as Fulton's K. The calculation of estimates of ordinary least-squares regression parameters is a more accurate method of examining the weight-length relationships for fish populations, and I suggest that it is the preferred method for evaluation of fish condition.
Accurate fish consumption estimates are necessary to determine the risks anglers face associated with consumption of contaminated fish and to assess compliance with fish consumption health advisories. Based on a 12-month diary methodology, anglers who fished Lake Ontario in 1992 consumed an average of 30.3 fish meals in 1992, of which 28% were sport-caught. When meal size was factored in, an estimated 17.9 g of fish per day from all sources were consumed by Lake Ontario anglers. Virtually all diary participants (>95%) who fished Lake Ontario in 1992 said they were aware of the New York State health advisory. However, 36% of 1992 Lake Ontario anglers consumed fish in excess of the fish consumption limits recommended for Lake Ontario; 14% ate fish from Lake Ontario but did not exceed limits recommended in the advisory; the remainder (50%) did not consume any fish from Lake Ontario in 1992. Furthermore, 90% of those who actually consumed over the limit said they believed their consumption was within the recommended limits in 1992. These anglers may have believed that use of risk-reducing cleaning techniques decreased their risk sufficiently to allow increased consumption of listed species. Clarification of how risk is calculated and whether it assumes use of risk-reducing cleaning techniques should be included in the health advisory. Communication efforts should address this lack of consumers' “compliance,” especially in light of our finding that most of these anglers believed that their consumption was within the limits recommended in the advisory.
In deriving water quality standards and appropriate restoration levels for contaminated surface waters, the potential for human exposure is often the most important factor to be considered. For certain persistent compounds, like 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TODD) or mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls, a primary pathway of human exposure is through ingestion offish obtained from affected waters. Pending water quality regulation for TCDD in Maine required that estimates be made of the rate of consumption of freshwater fish obtained from rivers that receive TCDD discharges. Because commercial freshwater fishers do not exist on Maine rivers, any freshwater fish that are eaten have been caught by anglers. A statewide mail survey of Maine's licensed anglers was undertaken to characterize rates offish consumption from rivers and streams in Maine. The survey was mailed to 2,500 licensed resident anglers who were randomly selected from state license files. The response rate of 70% (based on deliverable surveys) resulted in a usable sample of 1,612 anglers. Results ofthis study indicated that, if fish are shared with other fish eaters in the household, the annual average consumption of freshwater river fish per consuming angler in Maine is 3.7 g/d. Comparisons of findings of this study and of studies in other regions of the United States show considerable variations in fish consumption rates, supporting the use of state- or region-specific estimates of fish consumption in establishing water quality regulations for persistent, biologically accumulative compounds.
Exposure duration is an important component in determining long-term dose rates associated with exposure to environmental contaminants. Surveys of exposed populations collect information on individuals' past behaviors, including the durations of a behavior up to the time of the survey. This paper presents an empirical approach for determining the distribution of total durations that is consistent with the distribution past durations obtained from surveys. This approach is appropriate where the rates of beginning and ending a behavior are relatively constant over time. The approach allows the incorporation of information on the distribution of age in a population into the determination of the distribution of durations. The paper also explores the impact of “longevity” bias on survey data. A case study of the application of this approach to two angler populations is also provided. The results of the case study have characteristics similar to the results reported by Israeli and Nelson (Risk Anal. 12, 65-72 (1992)) from their analytical model of residential duration. Specifically, the average period of time for the total duration in the entire population is shorter than the average period of time reported for historical duration in the surveyed individuals.
Recreational and subsistence fishing play major roles in the lives of many people, although their importance in urban areas is often underestimated. There are fish and shellfish consumption advisories in the New York-New Jersey harbor estuary, particularly in the waters of the Newark Bay Complex. This paper examines fishing behavior, consumption patterns, and the reasons that people fish in the Newark Bay Complex. I test the null hypotheses that there are no differences among Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites in consumption patterns for fish and crabs and in the reasons that they fish or crab. Most people either fished or crabbed, but not both. People who fish and crab ate more grams of crab than fish in a given meal; people who crab only consumed more grams of crab at a meal than those who fish only consumed of fish. Although 30% or more of the people who fished and crabbed in the Newark Bay Complex did not eat their self-caught fish or crabs 8-25% of the people ate more than 1500 g/month. Some people angling in the Newark Bay Complex are eating crabs at a rate well over 1500 g/month, and about 70% are eating crabs even though there is a total ban on both harvest and consumption because of the health risks from dioxin. Consumption patterns were negatively correlated with mean income and positively correlated with mean age. Most people rated relaxation and being outdoors the highest reasons for angling, although on an open-ended question they usually listed recreation. There were no ethnic differences in reasons for angling, although other studies have shown ethnic differences in consumption. Obtaining fish or crabs to eat, give away, trade, or sell were rated low, suggesting that consumption advisories fail partly because people are not primarily fishing for food.
The potential human health risks associated with consuming fish containing hazardous substances are related to the frequency, duration, and magnitude of exposure. Because these risk factors are often site specific, they require site-specific data. In anticipation of performing a risk assessment of the lower 6 miles of the Passaic River in New Jersey (Study Area), a year-long creel/angler survey collected such site-specific data. The lower Passaic River is urbanized and industrialized, and its site conditions present unique survey design and sampling challenges. For example, the combined population of the municipalities surrounding the Study Area is nearly 330,000, but because the Study Area is tidal, state law does not require fishing licenses for anglers to fish or crab in the Study Area. The sampling challenges posed by the lack of licensing are exacerbated by the industrialization and lack of public access in the lower half of the Study Area. This article presents a survey methodology designed to overcome these challenges to provide data for accurately estimating the Study Area's angling population and the fish and crabs they catch, keep, and eat. In addition to addressing the challenges posed by an urban and industrial setting, the survey methodology also addresses the issues of coverage, avidity, and deterrence, issues necessary for collecting a representative sample of the Study Area's anglers. This article is a companion to two other articles. The first companion article describes the analytical methodology designed to process the data collected during the survey. The second presents, validates, and interprets the survey results relating to human exposure factors for the lower Passaic River.
Personal communication (fax to V. Craven, Exponent, Detroit, MI, on December 3, 1998, regarding fillet-to-whole-fish weight ratios from the Minnesota Fish Contaminant Database Report) Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Consumption patterns and why people fish
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A statistical method for analyzing data collected by a creel/angler survey (Part 2) Assessing human health risks from chemically contaminated fish and shellfish: A guidance manual Risk assessment guidance for Superfund: Volume I: Human health evaluation manual
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Michigan sport anglers fish consumption survey. A report to the Michigan Toxic Substance Control Commission. Prepared by the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources
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