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The toxicity of creosote‐treated wood to Pacific herring embryos and characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons near creosoted pilings in Juneau, Alaska
Author(s) -
Duncan Danielle L.,
Carls Mark G.,
Rice Stanley D.,
Stekoll Michael S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.3653
Subject(s) - creosote , pacific herring , environmental chemistry , chemistry , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon , toxicology , herring , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , clupea , biology
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from creosote exposure in the laboratory resulted in deleterious effects in developing Pacific herring ( Clupea pallasi ) embryos, and potentially toxic concentrations of PAHs were measured using passive water samplers at 1 of 3 harbor field sites in Juneau, Alaska, USA. Aqueous total PAH concentrations of 4.6 μg/L and 8.4 μg/L from creosote exposure resulted in skeletal defects and ineffective swimming in hatched larvae in the laboratory (10% effective concentrations) and were the most sensitive parameters measured. Hatch rates also suffered from creosote exposure in a dose‐dependent manner: at exposures between 5 μg/L and 50 μg/L total PAH, 50% of the population failed to hatch. Comparisons between laboratory and field deployed passive samplers suggested that for at least 1 harbor in Juneau, concentrations sufficient to induce teratogenic effects were found directly on creosoted pilings, within 10 cm of them, and sometimes at a distance of 10 m. Total PAH concentrations generally decreased with distance from creosoted pilings. Creosote pilings contribute to the PAH load within a marina and can rise to PAH concentrations that are harmful to fish embryos, but at a scale that is localized in the environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1261–1269. © 2016 SETAC