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PREPARED BY THE PESTICIDES COMMITTEE
OF
THE LAKE MICHIGAN ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 1968
'*"'
-------
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION
GREAT LAKES REGION
S3 EAST CONGRESS PARKWAY, ROOM 41O
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 6O6O5
-------
REPORT ON INSECTICIDES IN LAKE MICHIGAN
Prepared by Pesticides Committee
of
The Lake Michigan Enforcement Conference
November 1968
-------
INTRODUCTION
One of the sixteen conclusions reached by conferees
of The Four State Enforcement Conference on pollution of
Lake Michigan (January-March 1968) is:
"Pesticides are found in Lake Michigan
and its tributary streams resulting from
the application of these materials. The
ever-increasing use of these materials
threatens water uses for recreation, fish
and wildlife, and water supplies."
The conferees took positive action toward review and
study of the pesticide problem in Lake Michigan in their
recommendation No. 15:
"A technical committee on pesticides will
be established to be chaired by a member
of the Federal Water Pollution Control
Administration with representatives from
each state. The committee shall evaluate
the pesticide problem and recommend to the
conferees a program of monitoring and con-
trol. The first report will be submitted
in six months to the conferees. The states
shall seek legislation to license
commercial applicators."
Accordingly, the pesticide committee members were
appointed, and held meetings in Chicago, Illinois on May 17,
June 11-12, and July 9-10, 1968 arid in Duluth, Minnesota
on September 19-20, 1968. The committee consists of:
-------
Dr. Donald I. Mount, Federal Water Pollution
Control Administration, Chairman
Mr. Benn J. Leland, Illinois Sanitary Water
Board
Mr. Stephan Kin, Indiana Water And Waste
Laboratory
Mr. John Favinger, Indiana Natural Resources
Department
Mr. Carlos Fetterolf, Michigan Water
Resources Commission
Mr. Lloyd Lueschow, Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources
Mr. John Carr, Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries
Dr. Oliver B. Cope, Bureau of Sport
Fisheries and Wildlife
The following report of the technical committee on
pesticides contains recommendations based on information
obtained by the committee from published material, testimony
of experts, unpublished data from studies not yet completed,
and from the background and experience of the committee
members. Despite this wide range of sources, the informa-
tion was scanty on most aspects of pesticides in the Lake
Michigan watershed, and totally lacking in several critical
areas. These factors had a pronounced effect on the nature
and scope of the committee's recommendations.
-------
Despite considerable effort by the committee,
information necessary to determine the quantity and kinds
of pesticides in Lake Michigan was not obtainable, and
apparently such information would require large expenditures
of time and money. The committee recognized a pressing
need for a system to obtain such information. The only
significant information available was the levels of DDT
and dieldrin (both insecticides) present in Lake Michigan
fish.
This report includes only insecticides since there
is no information to suggest that any significant amount
of pesticide, other than insecticides, has been detected
in Lake Michigan or its aquatic organisms. Thus, the word
insecticide is used henceforth.
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PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM INSECTICIDE
ACCUMULATIONS IN LAKE MICHIGAN
Several indications of insecticide hazards in Lake
Michigan have been reported, some of them based on
insecticide measurements in the basin and some based on
situations in other parts of the country and recognized
as probable eventualities in Lake Michigan. The more
important ones follow.
Pesticides in Lake Michigan Water
Water samples from Lake Michigan contain insecticides.
Samples collected in July 1968 at points five miles west
of Ludington, Michigan, and twenty-five miles west of
Saugatuck, Michigan, contained chlorinated hydrocarbons.
The collections were extracted, and aliquots of the extract
were consigned to the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries
Laboratory at Ann Arbor, Michigan; Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin; and the
Fish-Pesticide Research Laboratory, Columbia, Missouri.
The analytical results from these three laboratories were
in close agreement, showing the Saugatuck sample to contain
approximately .002 jig/1 of DDT, less than .001>ig/l of
ODD (TDE), a trace of DDE, and approximately .001 jig/1 of
dieldrin. The sample from Ludington contained slightly
-------
greater quantities of DDT and dieldrin and about the same
quantities of ODD and DDE. (Note that .001 jug/1 Lone part
per trillion] of DDT = 167,000,000,000 molecules per
liter.) These samples should be representative of Lake
Michigan's open water areas, and the amounts of insecti-
cides indicative of widespread distribution throughout the
greater portion of the lake. Insecticides are also found
in tributary streams which are likely the principal source
supplying Lake Michigan.
Hazards to Fish Reproduction
The Michigan Conservation Department has found DDT to
be the most probable cause of death of nearly one million
coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) fry hatched from Lake
Michigan brood stock. New York studies have established
that insecticide accumulations in lake trout (Salvelinus
namaycush) brood stock result in reproductive failure. In
light of the New York studies and the current residue of
DDT and dieldrin in Lake Michigan fish, it is likely that
natural reproduction of lake trout and coho salmon in
Lake Michigan is in jeopardy. Other fish species in Lake
Michigan probably face similar reproductive hazards although
-------
there is evidence only for these two species. Other
important commercial and sport fishery species known to
have significant insecticide residues include chubs
(Leucichthys spp.), alewives (Pornolobus pseudo-harengus),
yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and smelt (Qsmerus
mordax). All are important in the bionomics of the lake.
Hazards to Bird Reproduction
Wisconsin workers have suggested an insecticide-
induced reproductive hazard to gulls in the Green Bay area
This does not imply that the gull population in the Great
Lakes area is declining, but suggests a possibility of
failures in desirable bird populations. Indeed, the
diminishing population trends of raptorial birds, such as
eagles, osprey and peregrine falcons in the Lake Michigan
drainage basin have been attributed to widespread use of
DDT and other insecticides.
Hazards to Human Health
The United States Food and Drug Administration has
established no tolerance level of insecticides in fish
utilized for human consumption. The presence of residues
in fish flesh has been established by Wisconsin, Michigan,
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7
and Federal investigators. The Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries has analyzed approximately 30 species of Great
Lakes fish in the last three years and has observed
insecticides in all species collected from Lake Michigan.
The concentration of DDT in chubs from Lake Michigan has
averaged 7.5jug/g plus analogs. Other species have lower
but significant quantities of DDT; dieldrin was found in
all fish analyzed. The concentration of residue in Lake
Michigan fish is usually two to five times higher than in
other Great Lakes fish and is substantially higher in fish
from smaller Wisconsin lakes.
Although the presence of residues in Lake Michigan
fish has been established, the effects of these residues
on human health .have not been evaluated. The letter of
June 4, 1968 (attached) from R. E. Duggan, Food and Drug
Administration, states that the FDA has "no petitions for
tolerance in fish" and has no "plans to establish tolerances
on the initiative of the Commissioner." They further state,
"We are not in a position to comment on the effects of
pesticide contamination of Lake Michigan on human health,"
and after considering analytical and technological problems,
".... we concluded that legal action is warranted when 0.3
ppm aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor or heptachlor
-------
epoxide, is present in the edible portions of fish." The
Ann Arbor Laboratory (Bureau of Commercial Fisheries) has
found some fish with 0.3 ppm dieldrin total body concen-
trations.
Reproductive Failure of Mink Fed on Lake Michigan Fish
The Research Advisory Committee of the Mink Ranchers
Association has suggested that mink fed on Lake Michigan
fish having a high DDT level have failed to reproduce.
The Association has initiated research contracts to determine
if there is a correlation between pesticide levels in the
mink food and the observed reproductive failures.
Relation of Insecticides to Other Pollutants
Evidence of numerous pollutants in Lake Michigan is
well documented. Wastes from municipalities, industries,
agriculture, and watercraft have contributed to eutrophi-
cation, bacterial contamination, excessive algae populations,
local oxygen depletions, heated water, and other nuisances.
The effects of this complex pollution may be magnified by
insecticide pollution either directly or indirectly.
Insecticides may not be toxic in the observed concentrations
themselves, but as part of a complex of stresses placed on
-------
organisms, they may be much more damaging.
The Committee views the quantities of insecticides
in Lake Michigan as an immediate problem affecting aquatic
life but not human health. It is essential that public
officials, industry, and the community recognize this
problem and take the necessary action to alleviate hazards
caused by insecticide contamination. The higher concen-
tration of insecticides in Lake Michigan fishes, as
compared to fishes of the other Great Lakes, suggests that
with proper control, lower concentrations can be achieved
in Lake Michigan.
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10
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20204
Jyne 4, 1968
Dr. Donald I. Mount
Chairman, Pesticides Committee
Lake Michigan Enforcement Conference
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
U. S. Department of Interior
6201 Congdon Boulevard
Duluth, Minnesota 55804
Dear Dr. Mount:
Your letter of May 23 requests information on pesticide
residue problems associated with Lake Michigan. We are not in a
position to comment on the effects of pesticide contamination of
Lake Michigan on human health. There have been instances where
the pesticide residue content of fish caught; by commercial
fishermen in Lake Michigan have been substantial and consideration
was given to appropriate legal action. Tolerances for pesticide
residues as such, or as food additives, in fish could be established
under Section 408 or 409 of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. No
petitions for tolerances in fish have been submitted, nor do we
have plans to establish tolerances on the initiative of the
Commissioner.
After giving due consideration to analytical problems in sampling,
sensitivity and reliability attainable in routine analyses, as well
as current knowledge on the toxicology of specific residues, we
concluded that legal action is warranted when 0,3 ppm aldrin, dieldrin,
endrin, heptachlor or heptachlor epoxide, is present in the edible
portion of fish. This guideline will be reevaluated and changed as
additional information becomes available and is not to be construed
as a tolerance.
The above figures are applicable only where there is no history of
purposeful use pf the pesticide which would result in residues }.n
fish. Furthermore, we would not consider these levels acceptable
if a significant proportion of fish marketed contained this
concentration of residue.
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11
Dr. Donald I. Mount 6/4/68
- 2 -
In addition to the problem of residues in fish for human
consumption, attention should be given to the use of fishery
products in animal feeds which might result in residues in meat,
milk and eggs.
We are referring your letter and a copy of our reply to the
Federal Committee on Pest Control for their information. You
may wish to seek suggestions from that Committee, if you have
not already done so.
If we can be of further assistance or provide additional
information on specific questions, we will be glad to do so.
Sincerely yours,
Ei Duggan
Deputy Associate Commissioner
for Compliance
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12
INSECTICIDE USE
The kinds and quantities of insecticides used in the
past, those being used now, and those predicted for the
future bear directly on the presence and distribution of
insecticides in Lake Michigan and on steps to be recom-
mended to decrease the amounts in the lake and its biota.
The Committee has exerted effort to compile information
on types, amounts, and distribution of insecticides applied
in the Lake Michigan drainage basin, and has learned that
there are no accurate, consistent compilations of such
information. Fragmentary figures are available for some
areas and for some insecticides, but extrapolation of these
numbers into realistic totals for the drainage basin appears
impossible at the present time. Even the following general
statements on usage are subject to great error; the values
are only general indications and should be i,ised cautiously.
Approximately 1.25 million acres of Indiana land
drains into Lake Michigan. Much of this area is heavily
industrialized and urbanized and the remainder is devoted
to dairy and general farming. About 58,000 acres of
Illinois is in the Lake Michigan watershed; most of this
area is highly-developed industrial and residential area.
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13
The Lake Michigan drainage area in Wisconsin measures about
250 miles long, and up to about 150 miles wide; this area
has extensive orchard and other farm acreage, as well as
forests. Michigan lands in the drainage basin are extensive,
and include approximately one-half of the entire state
(approximately 29,100 square miles). In this area are
vast forests, numerous Christmas tree farms, and widespread
agricultural lands, including the greater part of the
Michigan fruit belt.
In 1964 approximately 3.8 million pounds of insecti-
cides were used on crops in the three lake states of
Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin (U.S.D.A., 1968). It
is not known what portion of this was applied in the Lake
Michigan watershed. In the lake states the greatest
amounts of the insecticides were used on apples and other
deciduous fruits. Aldrin (that converts to dieldrin) used
on the largest acreage on corn, totaled 761,000 pounds on
approximately 1.2 million acres. DDT was applied to about
150,000 acres and accounted for 511,000 pounds.
The State of Wisconsin estimates that in its segment
of the Lake Michigan drainage basin approximately 150,000
acres of farm lands received 500,000 pounds of technical
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14
insecticides in 1967. Of this, 86,600 pounds was DDT,
4,200 pounds was dieldrin, 103,800 pounds was chlordane,
and 28,000 pounds was toxaphene. Most of the remainder was
composed of non-persistent insecticides.
Based on 1966 insecticide application data and 1964
crop average data, the agricultural use of persistent
chlorinated hydrocarbons, in the Michigan portion of the
drainage basin is considerably less than the fungicides,
phosphates and herbicides. Of the persistent materials,
aldrin, DDT, and dieldrin were the most frequently applied
and were used primarily on grain crops and fruits. Dieldrin
and DDT were applied in much greater amounts before 1966,
The Lake Michigan drainage basin is not typical of the
rest of the United States in respect to the distribution of
insecticide use. In the corn belt and cotton belt states
there is a much higher percentage of insecticide use on
field crops, while the basin use is perhaps 6070 metropolitan
and 40% agricultural. Throughout the greater part of the
Lake Michigan drainage basin municipalities have made heavy
use of DDT for control of the lesser European elm bark
beetle, the principal vector of Dutch elm disease. The
amount of DDT applied to a large elm tree approximates that
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15
normally applied per acre for field crop purposes; DDT
spraying is largely municipally-sponsored and trees in
parks and along streets are sprayed mainly in the spring.
Considerable insecticide drops to paved areas and is washed
away by storm water directly into tributaries of Lake
Michigan. Mosquito abatement programs are also common in
the resort and residential areas in much of the basin.
Persistent insecticides applied for the above purposes have
less opportunity to become bonded to soil particles than
do those applied directly to crop areas for insect control.
The Lake Michigan drainage area must have received
immense amounts of pesticides in recent years. Prospective
future use, based on present trends, suggests increased
emphasis on the less persistent insecticides and decreasing
reliance on the persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons.
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16
MONITORING PROGRAMS
It is axiomatic that a program of insecticide measure-
ments in the Lake Michigan environment would have helped
us recognize the existence of an insecticide problem, but
a monitoring program will be indispensable in following
future changes, whether or not a control program is
implemented.
Some measurements of insecticides in this ecosystem
have been made in recent years. Certain of these programs
could be classed as monitoring activities, but data have
also been accumulated from individual studies restricted
as to times and places. All of these have added to our
knowledge and helped form our impressions of the history of
insecticides in the water and the animals of Lake Michigan.
During the past three years the Ann Arbor Biological
Laboratory of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries has been
measuring insecticide levels in fish from each of the
Great Lakes. Some results from these studies are included
in Table 1. The same laboratory has collected many water
samples from Lake Michigan and has found DDT and dieldrin
in measurable amounts.
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17
Table 1
Pesticide Residues in Whole Fish from
Lake Michigan, 1965-1968*
Pesticide concentration (ppm)
Species
Alewife
Chubs
Smelt
Perch
Lake trout
3-5"
6-9"
10-13"
16-20"
Coho salmon
10-22"
25-30"
Number
of fish
663
38U
239
200
10
61
HO
19
15
It
Dieldrin
0.11
0.2l*
0.08
0.06
0.02
0.11
0.13
0.21
Q.lU
0.15
Total DDT
(DDT, DDD, DDE)
3.93
10.11
3.01
3.28
1.07
2.99
U. 31
6.61;
3.H5
12.59
* Bureau of Commercial Fisheries data
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18
In the past few years, the Ontario Water Resources
Commission has analyzed fish from Lakes Erie and Ontario
and other waters.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts the soil
monitoring portion of the National Pesticide Monitoring
Program, including the Lake Michigan watershed. Sampling
began on July 1, 1963, and no results are yet available.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is
studying the sources, seasonal variation, and residues in
fish of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, in the
Milwaukee River and its tributaries. The department is also
investigating insecticide residues in invertebrate organisms
in streams tributary to Lake Michigan.
At the Michigan State University, studies are in
progress on the effects of insecticides on populations of
salmonids in Lake Michigan, on the nature and metabolic
activity of lipids associated with insecticides residues
in fish eggs, and on environmental and physiological factors
affecting the toxicity of accumulated insecticide residues.
The literature contains recent reports on insecticides
in the Lake Michigan drainage, including the Green Bay area.
Reports have also been published on herring gull reproduction,
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19
occurrence of insecticides in the Lake Michigan ecosystem,
and DDT and dieldrin levels in Great Lakes fish. Mo known
programs exist that will indicate the contribution of
airborne insecticides to the lake.
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20
RECOMMENDED MONITORING PROGRAM
A monitoring program would provide up-to-date
information on the pesticide contamination within the
aquatic ecosystem of Lake Michigan and its drainage basin.
Such information would be used in the management and
protection of the water resources and specifically for
the protection of sport and commercial fish.
To stay within practical limits of time, money, and
manpower, the Committee recommends a four-point approach
to the monitoring program: changes in insecticide levels
should be measured in 1) major tributaries; 2) minor
tributaries; 3) Lake Michigan water; and 4) fish of
Lake Michigan.
Monitoring
To be of greatest value, the monitoring program must
include those insecticides of currently acknowledged
significance to human health and to growth and reproduction
of aquatic life. It must measure quantities at reproducible
levels to establish current concentrations and to trace
future trends. The Committee has selected seven contaminants
(Table 2) and their levels of detection for routine analysis
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21
Table 2
Insecticides and the Lower Values of Quantitative Reporting
Recommended for Various Types of Monitoring.
Insecticide and
priority order
of analysis
DDT
Dieldrin
DDD
DDE
Methoxychlor*
Chlordane*
Endrin
Tributary vater
yg/i
.020
.020
.020
.020
____
Lake vater
ug/l
.001
.001
.001
.001
w___
Fish tissue
yg/g
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.01
Clam tissue
Mg/g
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
* If detected in fish tissue at concentrations greater than
0.1 yg/g, quantitative reporting should "be changed to a 0.01 yg/g limit.
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22
by gas chromatograph, to provide the information necessary
to meet the objectives.
Major Tributaries Recommnded for Sampling
The Committee recommends nine major tributaries of
Lake Michigan to be sampled continuously for three days
(Table 3), once each month. The purpose is to determine
the poundage of insecticides supplied by the major trib-
utaries to Lake Michigan. Sampling stations should be
located as close to the lake as practical. Two stations
are recommended on the Milwaukee River, one near the mouth
and one above the industrial area, to differentiate between
agricultural and urban contamination. Water samples for
pesticides are to be analyzed without filtration; sub-
samples are to be analyzed for suspended solids and turbidity,
The three-day continuous sampling method is recommended
to detect fluctuations in turbidity and pesticide loads.
Although the sample volume will not be proportional to
stream flow, it can be related to discharge rate to secure
quantitative information.
The apparatus for continuous flow sampling can be a
pump with a capacity to deliver about 200cc of stream water
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23
Table 3
Recommended Water Quality Monitoring Stations
for Insecticides on Major Tributaries.
River
Fox*
Grand**
Calumet
Grand
Kalamazoo
Manistee
Menominee
Milwaukee
***
Milwaukee
Muskegon
St . Joseph
Proposed
station
location
Main St. Bridge,
Green Bay, Wis.
Dickey Road,
East Chicago, Ind.
Corps of Engineers,
Grand Haven, Mich.
U. S. 31 Bridge,
Saugatuck, Mich.
Maple St. Bridge,
Manistee, Mich.
Ogden St. Bridge,
Marinette, Wis.
Menominee, Mich.
Machinery Bay,
Milwaukee
Above urban area
Coast Guard,
Muskegon, Mich.
Ches. & Ohio RR Bridge
Est. mean
annual
flow
(cfs)
U.15U
86U
U,000
1,722
2,312
3,382
385
Currently
2,176
2,312
Est . mean
annual
high flow
(cfs)
12,983
23,820
5,812
5,937
15,150
U.6UO
unavailable
7,750
5,937
Est . mean
annual
low flow
(cfs)
1,207
92U
512
1,322
99^
28
698
1,322
Watershed
(sq.mi. )
6,150
37
5,570
2,060
2,130
It, 070
686
2,660 .
2,130
Percentage
of
basin
gaged
—
—
88
78
93
93
—
88
93
St. Joseph, Mich.
* Data from Wrightstown, Wis.
** Data from Gary, Ind. stage-flow relationship plus industrial and
municipal discharges.
*** Data from six miles above mouth.
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24
per hour into a 5-gallon covered bottle. Larger pumps can
be used if a bleeder is provided to deliver the indicated
amount. (Suitable pumps are commercially available for
approximately $50 each'.) The water should be drawn through
metal tubing from a section of stream with a visible current.
Studies at Michigan State University have demonstrated
that the majority of phosphorus is carried by a stream
during relatively few days of each year. Insecticides are
likely to behave similarly and, because data on the total
tributary contribution are desired, grab samples are not
adequate.
Biological Sampling of Tributaries
The Committee recommends a one-year program of
biological monitoring in most tributaries during the ice-
free season (Table 4). The main purpose of the monitoring
is to identify sources of insecticides from tributaries
other than the nine named in the major tributary water
sampling program. Living clams will be used to sample water.
Clams siphon and filter large volumes of water and
concentrate insecticides to levels many times greater than
that of the water. Insecticide levels found in clams reflect
concentrations which existed in the water two to three weeks
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25
TABLE 4
Tributary Streams Recommended
for Biological Monitoring
Tributary
Michigan
Galien River
Drain
St. Joseph River*
Paw Paw River
Black River
Kalamazoo River*
Black River
Pigeon River
Grand River*
Muskegon River*
White River
Pentwater River
Pere Marquette River
Manistee River*
Betsie River
Platte River
Location
LaPort Road, New Buffalo, Michigan
Sawyer, Michigan
U.S. 31 Bridge, St. Joseph, Michigan
Above St. Joseph, Michigan
U.S. 31 Bridge, South Haven, Michigan
U.S. 31 Bridge, Saugatuck, Michigan
Ottawa Beach, Michigan
Lake Shore Ave., Port Sheldon, Mich.
Corps of Engineers, Grand Haven, Mich.
Coast Guard, Muskegon, Michigan
S. Channel wall, Whitehall, Michigan
Coast Guard, Pentwater, Michigan
Channel area, Ludington, Michigan
Maple St. Bridge, Manistee, Michigan
Coast Guard, Frankfort, Michigan
M-22, Benzie State Park, Michigan
* Water monitoring station for pesticide analysis.
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26
Table 4 cont'd.
(Michigan)
Crystal River
Leelanau Lake outlet
Boardman River
Elk River
Lake Charlevoix outlet
Bear River
Millecoquins Creek
Manistique River
Sturgeon River
Whitefish River
Escanaba River
Ford River
Menominee River*
Indiana
Grand Calumet River*
Burns Ditch
Trail Creek
Bay Lane, Glen Arbor, Michigan
Leiand, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Elk Rapids, Michigan
Charlevoix, Michigan
Petoskey, Michigan
Naubinway, Michigan
Manistique, Michigan
Nahma, Michigan
U.S. Bridge, Rapid River, Michigan
Wells, Michigan
M-35 Bridge, Ford River, Michigan
Breakwater, Menominee, Michigan
East Chicago, Indiana
Midwest Steel Catwalk,
Burn Harbor, Indiana
Franklin St. Bridge,
Michigan City, Indiana
* Water monitoring station for pesticide analysis.
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Table A cont'd.
27
Wisconsin
Peshtigo River
Oconto River
Pensaukee River
Little Suamico River
East River
Suamico River
Mink River
Unnamed Streams (7)
Annapee River
Kewaunee River
East Twin River
West Twin River
Manitowoc River
Silver Creek
Calvin Creek
Pine Creek
Point Creek
Fisher Creek
Centerville Creek
Seven Mile Creek
Pigeon River
Marinette County
Oconto County
Oconto County
Oconto County
Brown County
Brown County
Door County
Door County
Kewaunee County
Kewaunee County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Manitowoc County
Sheboygan County
Sheboygan County
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28
Table 4 cont'd.
(Wisconsin)
Sheboygan River Sheboygan County
Black Creek Sheboygan County
Sauk Creek Ozaukee County
Menomonie River Milwaukee County
Kinnickinnic River Milwaukee County
Oak Creek Milwaukee County
Root Creek Racine County
Pike River Kenosha County
Barnes Creek Kenosha County
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29
before the sampling time.
Only high insecticide concentrations are of interest
on the smaller streams; lower concentrations would not
contribute significantly to the total concentration in the
lake.
This program should begin in early spring before the
insecticide spraying season, and extend into the fall. Clams
should be placed in wire baskets suspended a short distance
above the stream bottom. The concentration of insecticide
in the clams will reach equilibrium in two to three weeks.
If exposure ceases, accumulations are lost in approximately
the same period. Sufficient numbers of clams should be used
so that sub-samples of three each can be removed every four
to six weeks and at times such as following heavy runoff
during peak insecticide application periods.
The single composite sample of three clams may be
placed in formalin or frozen before analysis. Lampsilis
siliquoidea, a widely distributed clam found in moving and
still water, is the most desirable species. Fusconaia is
also suitable, but because concentration rates may vary
among species, the same species should be used for all
sampling.
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30
The presence of the crystalline style in the
esophagus of the clam indicates feeding activity and that
the animal has been filtering normally, accumulating extant
insecticides. The examination for this structure is rapid
and simple and will provide useful information.
Lake Water Sampling
The Committee recommends two sampling areas be
established in the central portion of the lake, one in the
northern basin and one in the southern basin. Three
samples of surface water should be collected three times
each year at each station. Horizontal and vertical
distribution of insecticide concentrations are not justified
for inclusion in this monitoring program since meaningful
values would require large numbers of samples and the data
would be difficult to interpret.
It is recommended that the water intake of the Chicago
Central District Filtration Plant be sampled weekly for
insecticide analysis. Information furnished by FWPCA's
Great Lakes-Illinois River Basin Project indicates that
this intake water is representative of open lake water on
most days of the year. Unusual weather conditions and
wastes and storm runoff entering the lake may alter the
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quality of this intake water but such effects will be
apparent in the routine water quality analyses. The
principal purpose of this sampling point is to provide a
source of reproducible samples to furnish data on long-
term trends. Such information is necessary to evaluate
the effectiveness of the insecticide control program.
Fish Sampling
Fish accumulate insecticides to concentrations many
times the levels of their surroundings. Analyses of tissue
from Lake Michigan fish by Federal and State agencies
indicate insecticide levels approaching limits currently
suggested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The
levels are three to five times higher than those in the
same species of fish from the other Great Lakes.
The Committee recommends that four species of fish be
collected in April and October at four sampling stations
on Lake Michigan. Two samples of 10 fish (5 of each sex)
are to be examined in accordance with the schedule in
Table 5.
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TABLE 5
Recommended Insecticide Analysis for Fish
to be Collected in April and October
Number
Composition
Station*
Green Bay
Waukegan,
Saugatuck,
and Charlevoix
Species of Samples
Alewives 2
2
Yellow perch 2
2
Alewives 2
2
Yellow perch 2
2
Chubs 2
2
2
2
Coho salmon 2
2
of samples
5 males, whole body
5 females, whole body
5 males, muscle only
5 females, muscle only
5 males, whole body
5 females, whole body
5 males, muscle only
5 females, muscle only
5 males, muscle only
5 males, whole body
5 females, muscle only
5 females, whole body
5 males, muscle only
5 females, muscle only
*Station choice based on location of commercial fisherman
and not requiring special collecting.
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Assignment of Insecticide Analyses
The Committee has been advised that the City of Chicago
will undertake routine insecticide analyses on Lake Michigan
water withdrawn at their intake. We therefore recommend
that the city be requested to perform analyses for insec-
ticides on open water and intake water samples in accordance
with the schedules described above.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Commercial Fisheries' Biological Laboratory in Ann Arbor,
Michigan is already measuring insecticide levels in Great
Lakes fish, especially those from Lake Michigan. The
Committee recommends that this laboratory assume respon-
sibility for collecting and analytical work on the Lake
Michigan fish monitoring program. The Committee recommends
that Indiana tributary water and clam samples be analyzed
by the cooperating laboratory nearest to the sampling
site.
i
Since several laboratories are likely to be involved,
a rigid system of quality control is mandatory for
comparable data.
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Quality Control
Positive identification of all chlorinated hydro-
carbons detected, as well as reproducibility and accuracy
of the procedure, is of greatest importance. Therefore,
the following recommendations are made to assure a reliable
quality control program for water, clam, and fish samples
analyzed during the survey: water samples will be analyzed
by the Provisional FWFCA Interim Official Method for
Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Pesticides in Water and Wastewater
by Gas Chromatography, May, 1968. Additionally, a blank
with the applicable volume of distilled water, as stated
in the procedure, and an actual sample to check percentage
recovery of an added mixture of pesticides found in the
samples must be determined. One blank and one fortified
sample should be interspersed with each nine field samples.
To assist the analyst in identification of suspected
pesticides, two separate gas chroma to.gr a phy columns,
with different retention times, should be employed to check
relative retention time of pesticides in the samples.
Further, infrared spectrometry should be employed on 5%
of the water samples to confirm the routine analyses. If
individual samples do not have sufficient concentration to
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make infrared measurements, the residues from several samples
should be composited, or carbon filters should be used, to
secure sufficient quantities of insecticide for positive
identification.
Fish and clams will be analyzed by the procedure as
outlined in the U.S. Food and Drug! Administration"s
Pesticide Analytical Manual, Volumes I and II, Revised
January 1968. A reagent and procedure blank, using the
method and number as outlined above for water, must be
employed. Similarly, the pesticides used in the recovery
must be a mixture of those expected to be found in the
test organism and at concentrations comparable to the
actual samples. Tissue samples of fish from each sampling
location must be verified by positive identification of
pesticides at least once each year at each location.
Data will be reported in ug/1 for water samples and
,ug/g (wet weight) for the fish and clams.
Research Needs
Although there is ample evidence that insecticides
are a hazard in Lake Michigan, the means of determining
the exact detrimental effects, the levels and kinds of
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insecticides, their distribution in the Lake Michigan
environment, and the way in which they enter the lake are
not sufficiently known. The Committee strongly recommends
that research be immediately initiated to provide the
knowledge needed to control pesticides realistically at
levels not detrimental to the water uses of Lake Michigan.
The specific research needs listed below will provide
knowledge needed immediately on the Lake Michigan watershed
<7
to control the use of insecticides effectively and to
determine what remedial actions are necessary. The
Committee realizes that no one agency is capable of conducting
all of the needed research and is not, therefore, attempting
to recommend who shall do the work.
The significance of research on the following specific
problems is vital .to evaluation of the effect of insec-
ticides in the Lake Michigan watershed:
1. The effect of insecticide residues in the
fish's body, on fish growth and reproduction. Although
considerable evidence has been advanced to show that
insecticide levels in coho salmon, for example, have affected
their reproduction, we do not know the levels that would
have no effect in this species. There .is increasing
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evidence that a residue value that is detrimental in one
body .of water may not be harmful in another aquatic
habitat. The research, therefore, must be done on
Lake Michigan.
2. The mechanism of insecticide transport into
and within the lake. At the present time almost nothing
is known about transport of insecticides into Lake Michigan.
Results of the monitoring program will partially answer
this question, but detailed studie's are needed to determine
the percentage, of insecticides entering from streams (both
dissolved in the water and sorbed on suspended material)
and directly to the lake from the atmosphere (rain or wind-
carried spray).
, 3.,. The effect of bound insecticides (not in
solution) o.n fish. Apparently significant amounts of
insecticides reach the lake sorbed to solid particles.
Whether they have an effect on fish or are simply lost to
the bottom sediments must be known1.
4. History of insecticide uses, including amounts
and kinds in the Lake Michigan watershed. An effective
control program must be based on a knowledge of past
history and current status of uses.
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5. The persistence of insecticides in the Lake
Michigan ecosystem. Knowledge must be gained- concerning
the time required for the breakdown of toxic insecticides
into relatively nontoxic or biologically inactive compounds.
This knowledge is necessary to predict the effectiveness
of any control program.
6. The effects on terrestrial organisms of
insecticides occurring in the aquatic ecosystem. This
knowledge is needed to establish residue levels in fish
and other aquatic organisms to ensure that there will be
no adverse effect on terrestrial organisms such as fish-
eating birds or mammals. This level may be more critical
(i.e., lower) than that needed to protect the food organism
itself.
7. Combined effects of a mixture of insecticide
compounds on organisms. Since many insecticide compounds
occur in Lake Michigan, it is necessary to determine the
effects of combinations of known insecticide residues on
organisms, in addition to the effects of single compounds.
8. Determination of the proper methods of
collection, storage, and analysis of samples. This study
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is essential to the monitoring program recommended by
the Committeej and can be a part of that program.
The Committee recommends that immediate attention
be given to these eight needs, but with full realization
that new research needs will undoubtedly arise as these
studies progress.
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CONTROL RECOMMENDATIONS
The Lake Michigan Technical Committee on Pesticides
recognizes the many and varied uses of pesticides. The
Committee feels that each pesticide developed has poten-
tially legitimate uses which warrant the developmental
effort; therefore, control over usage should be established
with regard to the unique needs for the product, its
potential side effects, accumulation potential in the
environment, and the hazard of accumulations. The
Committee feels that positive action should be taken not
only to prevent the accumulation of persistent pesticides,
but to reduce their concentration in Lake Michigan waters:
Recommendation No. 1.
The concentration of DDT in the fish should
not exceed l.O^ug/g; DDD should not exceed 0.5
jag/g; dieldrin should not exceed O.l^ug/g and all
other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, singly
or combined, should not exceed 0.1 jug/g. Limits
apply to both muscle and whole body and are expressed
on the basis of wet weight of. tissue.
The above values for DDT and DDD are based on evidence
that Lake Michigan fish apparently exceed these levels,
while fish of the other Great Lakes and inland waters do
not. Furthermore, it appears that in cohd salmon, and
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perhaps other fish, reproductive capabilities are
inhibited by levels that exceed these values. The 0.1
ug/g recommendation for dieldrin is based on reducing
the present level of dieldrin in Lake Michigan fish.
The Committee recognizes that other chlorinated
hydrocarbons apparently are not a hazard to Lake Michigan
fish at this time, but a reduction in the use of DDT arid
DDD will result in a shift to other insecticides. It is
further recognized that other insecticides may be even
less tolerable than DDT and DDD and therefore contamination
levels must be established now before such problems
develop. The Committee recognizes that, to achieve the
recommended reduction of DDT plus analogs and dieldrin in
fish, it will be necessary to reduce the concentrations of
each product in Lake Michigan waters possibly to less
than .001 ug/1. Limits of contamination are given for fish
rather than water because the permissible concentration in
the water is not known.
Recommendation No. 2.
Each state should establish a regulatory
authority to control and record type, quantity
and place of insecticide use.
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This regulatory authority should have the power to
evaluate the benefits of particular products and their uses
against the potential damages that might be inherent in
their use. This regulatory body should be composed of at
least one representative each from the disciplines of
agriculture, conservation, water pollution, health, and
administration. The regulatory body would review each
known insecticide use in light of its benefits and hazards
and subsequently approve or disapprove its use. It would
initiate among the representative agencies the necessary
monitoring information required to evaluate insecticide
sources within the state jurisdiction.
The regulatory authority should also be provided with
technical talent capable of reviewing and evaluating the
literature that is continuously becoming available.
Enforcement of this authority's rules should be clearly
identified in the legislation creating the group. Enforce-
ment of policies should be intensive and aggressive to
adequately protect the environment from insecticides
deemed damaging or unwarranted.
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Recommendation No. 3.
A Lake Michigan Interstate Pesticides
. Committee should be created by the conferees
to attain uniformity among the states in
pesticide use controls and establish uniform
pesticide concentration limits in fish, water,
and other aspects of the Lake Michigan ecosystem.
The Committee would review, at least annually, the
monitoring results, evaluate the effectiveness of the
program, and advise the conferees on needed changes in
the monitoring program. This committee, after evaluating
the potential ecological hazards to Lake Michigan,
reviewing the inventory of products used, and evaluating
uses that, contribute significant quantities of insecticides
to Lake Michigan, would recommend further action to sub-
stantially reduce the insecticide hazard to Lake Michigan.
Recommendation No. 4.
The research needs listed in this report
should receive priority equal to that given to
the monitoring program.
Recommendation No. 5.
The monitoring program presented in this
report, and modified as needed, should be
implemented at the earliest possible date and
continue as long as the insecticide hazard
exists.
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Because the insecticides dealt with in this report
are persistent, improvement in lake conditions will not
appear as soon as sources of contamination are controlled.
Only through a continuing monitoring program can the
results of the control measures be evaluated.
Prepared by:
Lake Michigan Enforcement Conference Pesticides Committee,
Donald I, Mount, Ph.D., Chairman
November 15, 1968
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