THE SGHUYLKILL RIVER, 1973
Some Interesting Biological Effects Of The
Oil Spill Durir;£ Hurricane AS^QS
By
Roger B. Griffith
John Austin
USEPA
Region III
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, INTRODUCTION
The oil spill of the Berks Oil Company in 1972 raised a serious
question in relation to the heavy metal effects on the biology in
the Schuylkill River. Seven to ten million gallons of sludge were
t
lost, containing 17»000 to 50,000 ppm of lead,as well high amounts
of copper, zinc and cadmium. A smaller spill of the same material
had occurred in 1970. During the fall of 1972, winter, and early
spring of 1973. preliminary studies were inconclusive in regards to
'the effects of the oil spill and suggested other metals problems
in .the Schuylkill River masking the effects of the oil spill.
The state of Pennsylvania proposed a comprehensive biological
study of the Schuylkill River in the summer of 1973 Region III of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggested that such a study
might be utilized to evaluate the heavy metals problems on the
Schuylkill River and better define possible oil spall effects. As
a result, a cooperative special metals study was conducted on the
Schuylkill River in conjunction with the comprehensive study. The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Pennsylvania
Fish Commission, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were in-
volved.
1 / U.S. EPA Region III
Regional Center for Environmental
Information
1650 Arch Street (3PM52)
Rcg,oni,IC,nterforl;nv,n,1,m.,,,Hnfnrm,,t,on Philadelphia, PA 19103
US FPA Region III r '
1650 Arch St
Philadelphia, P4 19101
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DESCRIPTION OF AREA
The Schuylkill River flows in a southeasterly direction one
hundred and thirty-one miles to its confluence with the Delaware
River'in Philadelphia, draining 1,912 square miles. It begins in
the southern coal fields of the Anthracite Basin where coals, sand-
stones, shales predominate. The River continues to pass through
such rock types as sandstones, shales, red beds, limestone and
metamorphic rock, ending in sand and gravel deposits at its mouth.
Nine dams cross the mainstem of the Schuylkill River which has
an average flow of 2,9^5 cfs at Philadelphia.
The River has numerous bedrock outcrops and tends to flow
relatively fast through the better portion of its course. Four (4)
"basic types of habitat are found on the River: 1) fast flow over
shallow, course gravel and sand beds; 2) fast flow over bedrock
outcrops; 3) deep pools with high silt accumulations and occasional
"bedrock outcrops; ^) shallow pools with sand, some silt accumulations
and bedrock outcrops.
Between Reading and Philadelphia, the Schuylkill River flows
through heavily industrialized areas, marginal forest land, marginal
fana land, and distinctly urban areas. Throughout this stretch of
the River, some signs of pollution are consistently found with many
areas having major pollution problems.
1
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METHODS
Field Procedures
Bottom sediments, "benthic macroinvertebrates, and fishes were
collected at selected sampling stations on the Schuylkill River
and several of its major tributaries (Figure 1).
Grab samples of bottom sediments were collected directly in
Whirl-Pak plastic bags at shallow water stations by wading. Bottom
sediments from deep water areas were brought to the surface by
means of a biological dredge. Samples were stored in Whirl-Pak
plastic bags and placed in dry ice for shipment to the EPA
laboratory in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Fishes were collected by electrofishing methods. The gills,
viscera, and fillets of large specimens were placed in separate
collection bags. All samples were stored in Whirl-Pak bags and
kept in dry ice for shipment to the EPA laboratory in Charlottesville.
Virginia.
Laboratory Procedures
Bottom Sediments
Bottom sediments were analyzed-following a modified procedure
of the method by the Great Lakes Region Committee on Analytical
Methods (1).
A 2.5 gm« well mixed bottom sediment sample was placed in a
250 ml beaker. Ten milliliters of cone. HNOo acid and 0.5 ml of
^2^2 (30$) were added and the sample was evaporated to dryness.
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The sample was then ashed at ^00O-A-25°C for 1-hour in a muffle
furnace and allowed to cool. To this sample was added 25 ml of
acid mixture (200 ml of cone, HNOo, 50 ml cone. HC1 and 750 ml of
redistilled water), 20 ml of 10$ NH^ Cl and 1 ml of Ca (N0o)2-
4H20 (11.8 g/100 ml). The sample was heated gently for 15 minutes
and allowed to cool for five minutes or longer. The sample was
then transferred to a centrifuge for 10 minutes at 20,000 rpm.
The supernatant was transferred to a 250 ml volumetric flask. The
residue in the centrifuge tube was rinsed twice with redistilled
water. The washings were added to the supernatant, diluted to
volume, and then subjected to analysis by atomic absorption
spectrophotometry using a Perkin-Elmer Model 305B.
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
After low temperature ashing the samples and bringing them to a
given volume with'HNO-j, a micro-pipette is used to transfer a 5 ul
aliquot of the sample to the graphite furnace which has previously
been set for a three temperature program. The program is then
initiated and in sequence the furnace heats to a drying, ashing
and then atomizing temperature. The drying and ashing times and
temperatures are determined by the solution being analyzed and the
atomization time and temperature by the metal for which one is
analysing.
The instrument used v;as a Varian AAS with a graphite rod
furnace.
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r
Fishes
Tissue samples or whole fish approximately 100 gm in wet
weight (2gm dry) were dried overnight at 100° C in a weighed
. glazed porcelain dish ana the sample dry weight determined. The
- samples were then transferred, to a muffle furnace preheated to 200°C.
i
The temperature of the furnace was raised at 50°C intervals over
two (2) hours to a final temperature of 500°C and' ashed overnight.
The ash was dissolved in 5 ml cone. HNOo and evaporated to dryness.
The resulting residue was dissolved in 5 ml HNO/j. and 20 ml of
deionized water with warming. If needed, samples were filtered
and brought to a final volume of 100 ml. The concentration of
each element was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry
using a Perkin-Elmer Model 305B.
Sampling
A total of 1? sampling stations were established in the
Schuylkill River Basin, 11 stations on the main stem and 6 stations
on selected tributaries (Figure 1). Only the 11 main stem stations
are considered in this paper. Of these stations, 8 on the main
. stem had the complete compliment of metals analysis on sediment,
benthos, and fish. At station SCH019 only sediments were analyzed.
Benthos samples were not collected at stations SCH039 and 006.
Based on the data obtained from the oil spill analyses- and
state industrial waste reports, the metals selected for analysis
included lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, nickel, chromium, antimony,
and mercury.
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L
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Metals
At this point, it seems appropriate to discuss briefly the
natural occurrence and toxicity of each of the metals analyzed in
\
this study. The metals are grouped according to apparent relation-
ships found, in this study. This grouping will be used throughout
the discussion in this text.
Zinc and Cadmium
Zinc occurs abundantly in rocks and ores. In zinc mining
areas, zinc has been found in natural waters in concentrations as
high as 50 nag/1 and in effluents from metal plating works it may
occur in significant concentrations. Zinc is highly toxic to fish
and benthic macroinvertebrates especially in soft waters. Its
toxicity varies with species and physical-chemical characteristics
on the water.
Cadmium occurs naturally with zinc. It is used in metalurgy,
electroplating, and chemical industries. Most of the quantitative
data on toxicity of cadmium to aquatic life indicates that it is
moderately toxic but acts snyergistically with other substances to
increase its toxicity.
Lead and Antimony
Lead can be found in small concentrations in natural waters,
but most is introduced from various industrial and mining effluents.
-------
Lead is quite toxic to aquatic life with fish apparently being
most sensitive.
Antimony is used for alloys and other metalurgical purposes.
Antimony is toxic to aquatic life.
Chromium and Nickel
Elemental nickel seldom occurs in nature, although many nickel
salts are highly soluble in water. Most occurs as a result of
waste from metal plating operations. Nickel appears to be less
toxic to fish and benthic macroinvertebrates than copper, zinc, or
iron. Toxicity of nickel towards aquatic life varies with species,
pH, and its synergism to other metals.
Hexavalent chromium salts which are extremely toxic to aquatic
life are used extensively in metal pickling and plating operations.
The toxicity of chromium-salts towards aquatic life varies widely
with the species, temperature, pH and hardness of the water. Pish
are relatively tolerant of chromium salts, but lower forms of aquatic
life are extremely sensitive.
Copper
"Copper and copper salts occur in natural surface waters only
in trace amounts up to about 0.05 mg/1 so that their presence is
generally the result of pollution" (2). Toxicity of copper to
aquatic life varies with the species and with the physical-chemical
characteristics of the water such as its temperature, turbidity,
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and hardness. The toxicity of copper salts is less in hard water
than in soft water.
Mercury
Mercuric salts occur in nature chiefly as the sulfide and
are used industrially. Mercuric ions are considered to be highly
toxic to aquatic life.
Sediments
Sediment samples were collected at each of the selected
stations. Grab samples designed to show significant qualitative
differences between stations were collected and seem sufficient for
the purposes of the report. They were not intended as samples in
the geologic sense, but rather approximates of industrial pollu-
tants as well as geologic deposition.
More impressive data could have been developed with more
refined sampling procedure and sieving procedure in the laboratory
analysis. Metals tend to be found in the sediment fraction less
than 16 microns, according to deGroot (3)« In future studies
utilization of the above observation will enable the production
of uniform reproducable results for sediment data. Percentage
silt and clay composition on the main stem is shown in Figure (2).1 '"'
Zinc tends to follow closely to the silt and clay configuration
(Figure 3).
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fable 1: Percent cor.posi t lor. of sodir.ients (sand, silt, clay),
Schuvlkill River, July 9-25, 1973. Tributaries in downstream
oreor are added for comparison.
STAT.
SCH
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SCH
3.09
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SCH
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SCH
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TRIB.
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SCH
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TRIB.
TRIB.
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SAND
92.3
98.1
98.3
96.4
98.5
99.4
94.6
97.4
99.4
88.3
91.8
93.3
98.8
37.4
95.3
97.5
00 e;
7TOM SEDIM^N"
SILT
5.4
0.5
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1.8
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0.2
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5.9
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0
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0.5
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0.3
0.4
0.2
0.2
0.5
0.2
0.3
0.7
1.0
0.6
0.1
13.5
0.1
0.3
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Dr. Robert C. Smith of the Pennsylvania Geologic Survey and
Dr. David Poche, currently with the Virginia Department of Highways,
assisted in providing a descriptive evaluation of the sediment
samples in relation to the metals concentrations found. Percentage
composition of the sediments at the various stations is shown in
Table I. Dr. Poche states: "Heavy metals absorb to the surfaces
of most of the smaller particles (silt and clay), particularly
clays where unbalanced charges are present at the surface. It is
my opinion that sediment at station SCH006 had the best potential
for heavy metal absorption followed by stations SCH039, SCH114
respectively". Dr. Smith tends to corroborate the above state-
ment in his discussion of the data.
Zinc and Cadmium
According to Dr. Smith, zinc ore deposits are found in the
coal regions encompassing the upper portions of the Schuylkill
Basin, thus, zinc concentrations throughout the Schuylkill River
System tends to be rather high. There seems to be a natural
tendency for zinc concentrations to progressively increase in the
sediment as the Schuylkill drainage flows towards its mouth
(Figure 3)« When allowances are made for differences in silt
and clay composition at sampling sites, the tendency still holds
true. It is difficult to separate the effects of industrial
sources from the natural concentrations.
Cadmium concentrations closely follows the zinc concentrations
in the sediments (Figure 4). Dr'. Smith points out that cadmium
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is associated with zinc in natural sources and anything over
0«9 mg/1 may "be considered anomalous.
Another observation supporting the natural relationship is the
close' correlations of the concentrations to the percent silt and
clay (Figure 2). This correlation also helps account for the
high concentrations at Station SCH006. Industrial and sewerage
effluents also contribute to the problem at Station SCH006 which
is tidally affected. Tidal action could contribute to increased
metals by causing incomplete, selective flushing.
Lead and Antimony
According to Dr. Smith, the samples collected at SCH090 and
SCH077 suggest pollution. He states that in central Pennsylvania,
values of over ?0 ppm of lead are anomalous and while no data
exists for southeast Pennsylvania, the geologic structure should
generally contain less than 100 ppm of lead. Station SCH090 had
the highest lead concentration in the sediment, other significant
peaks are at SCHO??, SCH039 and SCH006 (Figure 5).
Antimony also had its highest concentration at SCH090 (Berne)
(Figure 6). A second peak spread from station SCHO?? to SCH061,
with peaks at SCH039 and SCH019, except for stations SCH019 and
SCH006, the changes in antimony concentration correlate closely
with the two battery operations near SCH090 (Berne) and SCHO??
(downstream of Bernhart Creek). These plants, Browns Battery
Breaking and General Battery Corporation re-spectively, tend to use
both lead and antimony in their operations.
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The high concentrations of lead and antimony at station SCH039
are probably related to the Berks Associates oil spill of 1972.
The sludge involved in that spill had an average concentration
of 20,000 ppm lead. While antimony was not analyzed for in the
sludge at the time of the spill, one of the major sources of lead
in that sludge, from reclaimed motor oil, would be Babbit metal.
Babitt metal contains a combination of lead and antimony.
The differences in relationship between lead and antimony at
stations SCH019 and SCH006 is likely due to a difference in the
sources of the two metals in the Norristown-Philadelphia area.
Chromium and Nickel
There is a natural relationship between nickel and chromium
according to Smith. However, nickel and chromium often occur
together in industrial use as well. Thus, in this data the close
correlation of chromium and nickel doesn't necessarily imply a
natural relationship.
In the headwaters from SCH114 through SCH08? (opposite Maiden
Creek) total chromium concentrations were low (10 microgram/gram
or less) , increasing to 116 micrograms per gram at station 'SCH077
(downstream from Bernhart Creek in Reading (Figure 7) The
General Battery Corporation on Bernhart Creek manifests itself
through a marked increase in chromium concentration in the sediment
with a tendency towards oscillation. A significant peaking tendency
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is noted between SCH024 (Norristown) and SCK006 (Philadelphia).
This is probably the result of a massive influx of domestic and
industrial waste in this area and accompanying tidal influences at
station SCH006.
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The nickel concentrations are low upstream of Reading, increas-
ing to a high of 138 micrograms per gram at station SCHO?7i thus
paralleling chromium concentrations (Figure 8). Oscillations
downstream of station SCHO?7 also parallel chromium. However, at
station SCH039 nickel peaks much higher than chromium. This
downstream station appears to show the effects of the oil spill,
since nickel would be higher than chromium in relative concen-
trations in the oil sludge.
Copper
Downstream to Berne, Pennsylvania (SCH090) copper concentra-
tions ranged between 23 and 35 micrograms per gram.
Station SCH087 opposite the mouth of Maiden Creek showed the
highest concentration of copper (Figure 9) This area is composed
of ordovician stonehenge limestone, a common host for mineralization.
In addition, copper sulfate has commonly been used in this area to
control algae, causing anomalous copper concentrations in many
tributary streams in the area.
Copper concentrations increased in the sediments downstream
from SCH077 (Reading) and peaked at SCH049-(Pottstown). The large
iron-copper ore deposits on Fritz Island at Reading and anomalous
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concentrations on several tributaries above Pottstovm are likely
sources. It seems unlikely, in view of the other data, that the
oil spill was significantly contributing to high concentrations
in this area.
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From station SCHO^-9 to station SCH019 (Norristown) , the
concentrations decline steadily. The sharp rise in copper con-
centrations at station SCH006 is due to the tidal conditions and
wastewater problems discussed above for this area,
Mercury
The concentration of mercury at each station is shown in
Figure 10. Dr. Smith states that all mercury concentrations
found are all within the range of background concentrations. Only
station SCH006 exceeds 1 microgram/gram and the concentration tends
t
to follow the silt and clay fraction of the sediment (Figure 2) .
One interesting observation is that there is a somewhat
anomalous rise in concentration between stations SCH08? and SCH049.
This area encompassed the battery operations at Berne and Muhlenberg
Township .
Zinc and Cadmium
Zinc and cadmium for purnpkinseed and Lepomis correspond closely
in uptake within the main stem, with the exception of stations
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BENTHOS
Benthos metals were only run for zinc and lead due to equipment
difficulties. Zinc uptake in benthos (Figure 3) tends to follow the sediment
concentrations quite closely except at stations SCH049 and SCH02U (Figure 3)-
SCHO^-9 is immediately belov the spill site. High uptake here could be
explained by the increased availability of biologically active species of
zinc, i.e. organically bound. Lead (Figure 5) also follows the sediment
concentrations closely. There is an apparent lag, probably due to the
natural conversion of lead to biological assimilable form, between sediment
concentration and benthos concentration. Unfortunately, benthos samples
could not be obtained at the critical stations SCH039 and SCH019 to confirm
the trends in benthos metal sediment metal relationships suggested by
upstream stations.
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SCH061 and SCH024 (Figures 11 and 12), The reason for these
occurrences is not apparent with available data.
One should note the upsurge of concentration in pumpkinseeds
for b'oth cadmium and zinc "below station SCH061 which may be
attributed to the oil spills. The lead, chromium, cadmium, zinc,
nickel, and copper, found in such high concentrations in the
spilled sludge, is likely to have been an organically bound
form more amendable to biological absorption. This would ac-
count for a higher concentration of zinc and cadmium in the fish-
in relation to the sediment concentration at this location.
Zinc concentrations in pumpkinseeds and Leporn is dropped
significantly after a peak at SCH039i when compared to an in-
crease in concentrations in the sediment. This corresponds with
the findings for the benthos discussed above. The concentration
of zinc remains stable at a 100 micrograms per gram in the whole
fish for the Lepomis in the two downstream stations. Considering
the fact that both the zinc concentrations in the sediment and
the percent of silt and clay are high at station SCH006, one
would expect a large increase in the fish. However, this is not
the case. Since this is a tidal area with many and varied sources
of pollution utilizing zinc, unknown tidal action and type of zinc
in the sediment may be influencing factors.
Cadmium has a rise at SCH061 which corresponds to the rise of
cadmium in the sediment. Zinc, which has a corresponding rise in
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sediment, shows a drop at this site for both puinpkinseed and
genus Lepomis data. The "benthos data for zinc at this station
shows only a moderate tendency to increase with the corresponding
increase in sediment. The present data provides no insight into
this difference in "behavior "between zinc and cadmium.
At station SCH024 the decrease in cadmium in pumpkinseeds
corresponds to the decrease in cadmium found in the sediment.
However, the Lepomis data shows an increase in cadmium at this
station. A larger proportion of bluegills were collected here
than at other stations and appear to have contributed to this
increase in average concentration.
Station SCH006 shows the same decrease in cadmium concen-
tration in the pumpkinseed and Lepomis data compared to increases
in the sediment which is found for zinc. This association phenomenon
likely occurs for the same reason as for zinc.
It should be noted that the pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus
and the genus Lepomis are discussed and graphed together. This
is done for all metals. The member species and the genus tend to
coincide quite nicely in relation t.o metals uptake with some
exceptions. Utilizing the genus enables the inclusion of data
bracketing the very important source of heavy metals at Berne
(SCH090) which is missed with the pumpkinseed data.
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LEAD AND ANTIMONY
Lead
Background lead for Lepomis and pumpkinseed is about 10 ppm
dry weight for whole fish on the Schuylkill River main stem
(Figure 13). Between stations SCH090 and SCH08? concentra-
tions increase to about 15 ppm which corresponds with the
high lead concentration in the sediments (385 ppm) at station
SCH090. From that point on the lead concentrations remained
high, greater than 13 ppm, the entire length of the Schuylkill.
This increases to approximately 18 ppm between stations SCHO^
and SCH039 which corresponds to the two oil spills in Berks
County just below station SCH061. It is interesting to note
that sediment concentrations of lead here are lower than up-
stream polluted sites even though lead concentration in fish is
higher. The explanation stated for zinc and cadmium applies.
Antimony values in fish all fell below 0.05 "to 0.005 ppm
for both whole fish and fillets. This would suggest minimal
uptake of antimony by fish life. However, the maximum concen-
tration of antimony in the sediment is only 0.8 ppm and uptake
may be occurring without being within the detection limits of
current methodology. It seems likely that antimony is not as
biologically active as mercury tends to be and thus requires
higher quantities in the sediment before showing uptake in the
biosphere.
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-------
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Chromium and Nickel
Again there is a rise in the content of the pumpkinseed and
genus Lepomis which corresponds with increases in levels of
chromium and nickel in the sediment at stations SCH07? and
SCH039 (Figure 14). For nickel these increases are quite
distinct at stations SCH061 and SCH039 (Figure 15), For chromium
the two distinct peaks are not found, but rather a steady rise in
concentration in fish from section SCH039- The reason for this
difference in uptake pattern is not readily explained by the
data available, unless a different uptake pattern exists for
the two metals.
The highest concentration in the sediments is found at
station SCHO??. but as in the other metals, the highest concen-
tration in fish is between stations SCHO^-9 and SCH039 downstream
of the oil spills. ,
Copper
Copper does not follow other metals in pattern of uptake by
pumpkinseeds (Figure 16). Rather the distribution of copper in
the pumpkinseed and Lepomis emphasizes the presence of anomalous
copper concentrations in the tributaries between Reading, station
SCH077 and station SCH061 as well as tne presence of a copper
deposit below Reading. The tendency of pumpkinseeds to migrate
in and out of tributary mouths is emphasized by the high con-
centration in them at station SCHOol. In this area, according
-------
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-------
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to geologic information, it seems likely they are exposed to
larger amounts of copper in the tributaries than the main stem.
It is also possible the copper from the high concentration areas
upstream is converted to a form more readily available to the
"biomass in the vicinity of station SCH061.
The genus Lepomis data shows a rise at SCH090 (Figure 16).
However, the highest concentration in the sediment is at SCH08?.
The difference is not easily explained based on this data, but is
likely due to a change in the species of copper affecting uptake.
As with zinc and other materials mentioned previously, copper
uptake at station SCH006 drops, even with a rise in the sediment
concentration. This phenomena seems consistent for several metals.
The explanation is presented in the zinc discussion for this
phenomena.
Mercury
Since mercury showed only background concentrations, it was
not analyzed in the fish.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
The sediment concentrations in the Schuylkill River were
considerably higher for several metals than the metals found in
the sediments of Shenandoah River (Table 2). The major exception
is zinc. A major problem with zinc in the Shenandoah was the
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Table. 2: Shcnandoah River fish kill related to zinc: concentrations
in th.2 sedinohts, August, 1969, (''3/8 dry '-.'eight)
CONTROL
AREA
1
2
3
Avg.
Zn
84.4
45.5
71.3
67.07
MF.T,
Cr
14.9
14.3
32.2
20.47
\LS
Pb
4.47
2.01
2.82
3.10
CM
14.6
11.8
15.1
13.83
AFFECTED
AREA
1
2
3
4
5
AY 2.
Zn
643
1073
166
247
1220
C-59.8
MET/
Cr
30.6
67.4
9.9
10.5
£0.1
?1.7
iLS
Pb
5.35
5.97
2.50
1.99
6.28
5 < 0
Cu
32.80
33.2
3.92
9.16
32.10
9 9 -» /
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reason for that investigation. In the control area of the
Shenandoah, zinc never exceeded 90 Ppm» copper never exceeded
16, lead never exceeded 5 ppm. In the polluted area, copper
reached a high of 32 ppra, zinc 1220 ppm, lead 6 ppm.
The Schuylkill, on the other hand, had a high of 378 ppm
lead in one polluted area and 55 ppm in unaffected areas; zinc
never exceeded 220 ppm anywhere in the "basin; copper reached a
high of 72 ppm in an area where known deposits of ore as well
as pollution sources existed. Rolfe (5) also found a similar
distribution of lead related to mine and smelter sources. Mathis
and Cummings (6) in their study on the industrialized Illinois
River showed significantly lower metals in the sediments than
those found in the Schuylkill. In their study, lead never
exceeded 140 ppm with a mean of 28 ppm; zinc had a mean of 81 ppm
and a maximum of 339 ppm; copper had a mean of 19 ppm and a
maximum of 82 ppm.
Wisconsin (?) conducted a survey of toxic metals at
selected points in the state. They found large increases of
metals in sludges of treatment plants which had metals sources
emptying into them. However, they did not measure any concen-
trations in the sediments of the streams. They did, however,
find low concentrations in the effluents. The water chemistry
of the Schuylkill River found low concentrations in the water
-------
-------
and effluents as compared to the sediments. This points up the
fact that metals tend to "be associated and concentrated in the
sediments or solid materials rather than remain free in the water.
Concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments are highly
significant from the biological point of view. Microbial action
on heavy metals in the sediments could provide a mechanism for
uptake into the aquatic biosphere. This has been sufficiently
demonstrated for mercury. Tornabene and Edwards (8) found
certain soil microbial systems are capable of extracting sub-
stantial quantities of inorganic lead and theorized such systems
may be of importance in the transfer through the food chain.
The implications of these findings is of special importance in
the Schuylkill study where a serious heavy metals problem exists,
as indicated in the above comparisons, It is of particularly
large importance when it is noted that the major metal problem
in the Schuylkill River is lead.
Little is known about the effect of oil in these systems.
However, Jobsen et al (9) found that some of the same microbial
systems; i.e., Micrococcus, active in lead extraction, are also
highly active.in the natural breakdown of some oil fractions.
No direct connection is demonstrated between these two phenomena;
however, the higher lead uptakes by fish, compared to lead avail-
able in the sediment below the oil spill, suggests one might exist.
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v\
When the metals concentrations in the fish of the Schuylkill
River are compared to concentrations found in other river systems,
they are considerably higher. Average zinc concentrations for
whole Lepomis range "between 80 ppm and 1^0 ppm dry weight
throughout the main stem. The highest whole fish dry weight
average concentrations of lead range between 16 pjDm and 21 ppm
for the genus Lepomis. The highest average concentration of
lead in the Lepomis fillets was 14.? ppm dry weight or approxi-
mately 4 ppm wet weight. For whole fish Lepomis the highest
average copper readings ranged betv/een 16 and 20 ppm dry weight.
Data from the State of Virginia on whole fish and fillets
are in dry weight and are directly comparable to the Schuylkill
River data. Tables 3» ^i artd 5 show the metals concentrations
for fish in the Shenandoah, James, and Roanoke Rivers. Fish in
the Shenandoah River generally had less than 6 ppm lead in whole
i
fish and less than 2 ppm in the flesh, while copper is less than
10 ppm whole fish and ^ ppm in the flesh. Zinc was over 100 ppm
for the whole fish. For Lepomis in the James River, lead con-
centrations were generally less than 2 ppm and never more than
7 ppm, while copper averaged around 5 PP^ not exceeding 10 ppm,
and zinc averaged around 100 ppm never exceeding 150 ppm.
The Roanoke River data is only for fillets or striped bass
and are not quite comparable to any species collected in the
Schuylkill River.. Hov/ever, the concentrations of lead did not
exceed 0.18 ppm. Copper did not, exceed J.O ppm and zinc remained
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Table'r; lurinary of selected, average data on the cor.ceuLrations of
metals in the fish for tho Jar.es River Basin, "ay-June, 1971
Lep 01333 flesh
Control Area
Leponis flesh
Affected Area
Catfish flesh
Control Area
Catfish whole
Control Area
Zn
38.6
47.9
41.0
253.11
MET/
Cr
0.44
0.51
0.1
1.19
iLS
Pb
1.13
0.95
0.1
2.50
Cu
2.8
3.6
3.5
7.71
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-------
5: Metals analysis ">f e
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-------
under 30 ppm for fish ranging between 18 and 30 inches. 'Carp,
approximately the same size, in the lower Schuylkill River, had
'2.0 ppm lead, less than 5 PP^i copper and less than ?0 ppm zinc.
The Shenandoah is a natural hard water river and the James
in its upper reaches is a moderately hard water river. The
Roanoke is a moderately hard water river with several areas of
known organic pollution problems. The Schuylkill is a moderately
hard water river due to both the presence of limestone deposits
and the effects of coal mining operations. The major difference
"between the rivers from the water quality standpoint is the
amount of pollution sources and kinds of pollution found in the
various basins. Strictly speaking, metal concentrations of fish
and sediments cannot be compared between rivers systems. However,
looking at the other river systems does provide baseline infor-
mation on what normal expectations would be under a variety of
conditions.
Mathis and Cummings found significantly lower concentra-
»
tions for similar species of fish in the Illinois River. Only
' muscle tissue was analyzed in this study on a wet weight basis.
For carp they found a mean of 0.56 ppm and a range from 0.15 PP^
to 2.13 ppm for lead; a mean of 0.2*1 and a range from 0.12 to
0.14 for copper; a mean of 10.2 and a range from 4.1 to 16.1 ppm
for zincj a mean of 0.19 and a range from 0.04 to 0.28 for nickel.
-------
-------
All carp collected in the Schuylkill River were below the
first source of metals and were over a range of stations show-
ing varying degrees of effects from heavy metals. The results
of fillet analysis showed them to have a mean of 4.53 PPm d^Y
weight (approximately 1.51 ppm wet weight), and a dry weight
range from 1.78 ppm to 157 ppm for lead. For copper they had
a mean of 3-10 ppm and a range from 1.42 ppm to 6.85 ppm. For
zinc they had a mean of 73-09 ppm and a range from 27.6 ppm to
1J*5«7 ppm 5 for nickel they had a mean of 3-13 ppm and a range
from 0.54 ppm to 6.44 ppm. While this is significantly higher
than the concentrations in the Mathis and Cummings study, it
should be noted that the carp seems to have the least potential
for uptake of the omnivorous fish samples in the Schuylkill River
study, In the Mathis and Cummings study of the Illinois River,
omnivorous fish showed a mean of 0.64 ppm wet weight for lead
and 5-02 ppm wet weight for zinc; carnivorous fish showed a
i
mean of 0.57 ppm wet weight for lead and 3.49 ppm wet weight for'
zinc. In the Schuylkill River the upstream stations affected by
mine drainage had a mean of 47.66 zinc and 7«25 ppm dry weight
for lead in the omnivorous fishes. The stations downstream of
the metal sources had a mean of 8.48 ppm for lead and 66.77 ppm
for zinc (dry weight) in omnivorous fish, Upstream carnivorous
fish had a dry weight mean of 7.64 ppm for lead and 47.68 ppm
for zinc. The fish downstream from the metal sources showed a
mean of 12.18 for lead and 72.54 for zinc.
-------
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7
The above analysis as applied to the Schuylkill River has
serious weaknesses. The size class and species composition of
the stations varies widely for the two categories used. This is
particularly true of the omnivorous classifications since the up-
stream stations have a composition of smaller fish with higher-
uptake rates.
In the Wisconsin study the highest lead concentration found
was 4.31 ppm wet weight and the highest zinc concentration was
18.3 ppm v/et weight. Most of the concentrations for lead were
less than 1,0 ppm wet weight and for zinc less than 10 ppm. It
is obvious that the mining and metal industries on the Schuylkill
River have had a severe impact on the distribution of metals and
fish flesh and biota. The evidence points to the sediments as
the vehicle facilitating uptake in the biosphere. It seems likely
that the species-of metal and the kind of material with which it
is associated has a significant effect on the route of uptake.
Rolfe and Jennett found that large quantities of heavy
metals moved through the aquatic system in association with
suspended matter. They also found fish near lead sources and
higher levels than unexposed fish, which supports the findings
of this study. This study suggests that a highly organic matrix
such as oils may greatly facilitate uptake of metals. In a
heavily loaded system such as the Schuylkill River, vdth a highly
toxic metal such as lead, it seems reasonable to suspect that
-------
-------
health hazard situations could develop under the proper conditions.
%
' Hazardous Aspects
v
The high concentrations of metals, particularly lead, in the
sediment and fish requires the acknowledgement of health hazard
aspects of the problem. Lead and fish flesh approach the environ-
mental alert levels (3 "to 5 ppm or micrograms per gram wet weight)
proposed, but not accepted, in the 19?1 Shellfish Sanitation
Workshop. (10)
Hardy, et al. (11) and Browder et al. (12) found a maximum
amount of lead that could be safely consumed in food is ^00 to
500 micrograms per day or about 5 micrograms per kilogram body
v/eight. Hardy also notes that protein tends to minimize toxicity
of lead. However, Trieff (personal communications) considers the
toxic level to be 100 to 300 micrograms per day absorbed lead.
Taking Trieff's calculations and applying them to a 100 gram
portion of fish flesh per day with the average concentration of
4.06 micrograms per gram, the absorbed lead would be 20 to ^0
micrograms per day. A 200 gram sample would double the amount
of absorbed lead. He points out that 100 to ^00 micrograins per
cay figure is for absorbed lead from all sources including food
consumption. Thus, other known sources of lead absorption could
significantly reduce the amount of lead in food which could be
safely cor.sur.ed.
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The Wisconsin study states that the Canadian Food and Drug
Directoriate has set a 10 ppm standard for lead in marine and
i fresh water animal products. Dr. Sandi of the Directoriate was
* contacted and he confirmed that 10 ppm is the current regulation.
Hov/ever, he stated that the regulation is "quite unrealistic" and
is currently being revised to a lower level.
California V/ater Quality Criteria states that total lead
consumption in excess of 0.6 mg per day may cause dangerous ac-
cumulations of lead and that daily ingestion of 0.1 mg per day
of lead over a period of years has resulted in lead poisoning.
The data from this sxudy clearly indicates the levels of
lead in fish flesh are sufficient for environmental concern in
some areas of the Schuylkill River. However, insufficient data
exists to clearly define a health hazard. A distinct health
hazard does not appear to-exist at this time.
The data suggests significant effect of the oil spill in
] regard to lead concentration in fish.
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