United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Research
Laboratory
Gulf Breeze FL 32561
Volume 1
Number 1
September 1978
ŁEPA NEWSLETTER
Gulf Breeze
Laboratory
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FROM THE DIRECTOR
This newsletter is the first issue of a publication that will
be produced periodically to acquaint the reader with current
investigations and developments at the Gulf Breeze Laboratory
and its Bears Bluff Field Station on Johns Island, SC. The
format of the newsletter reflects a new design established
by EPA to distinguish reports by its laboratories and offices
from those of other environmental agencies on State and local
levels.
Because the newsletter contains current and newsworthy
information that may be incomplete or preliminary, readers
are asked to consider all data and conclusions as provisional.
The names of scientists associated with ongoing experiments
are included in each article describing a project. We suggest
that these staff members be contacted before any use is made
of this report, either at (904) 932-5311 or 686-9011 for the
Gulf Breeze Laboratory, or (803) 559-0371 for the Bears Bluff
Field Station.
We welcome your suggestions of names of persons who would be
interested in receiving this newsletter. We hope the publica-
tion will receive wide dissemination in order to communicate
our laboratory's contributions toward fulfilling EPA's commit-
ments to the protection of human health and the environment.
Director, Environmental Research Laboratory
Gulf Breeze, Florida
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Research and Development
ŁEPA NEWSLETTER
FIELD TESTS
CONDUCTED ON
STAGE I
An offshore laboratory, established on a Navy research plat-
form in the Gulf of Mexico, has been used by EKL,GB for the
second consecutive summer to investigate effects of offshore
oil drilling on the marine environment.
In the 1978 experiments, a multidisciplinary scientific team
from Florida State University, the University of West
Florida, Texas ASM University, and ERL,GB ptudied effects
of drilling fluids and their components in tests using
marine life indigenous to Gulf oil and gas drilling sites.
As in 1977, Stage I,a platform leased from the U.S. Navy,
served as a base for researchers and as a site for labora-
tory experiments.
Stage I serves as site for studies of effects of oil drilling.
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Approximately 3000 pounds of sand were collected from 105 feet
of water near Stage I for concurrent studies of benthic com-
munities at Stage I and at ERL,GB. Planktonic larvae in flow-
ing seawater were allowed to colonize sand in control or con-
taminated aquaria. Comparisons will be made of the number and
types of individuals settling in control and contaminated
aquaria and of the results of community studies conducted on
the platform and at ERL,GB. In addition, investigators anal-
yzed toxicity of drilling fluids and their effects on develop-
ment and behavior of blennies (Blennius marmoreus and Hypleuro-
chilus geninatus), red-winged oysters (Pteria colymbus), and
coral collected near the platform. Test findings will be
reported after data are analyzed.
Test specimens and approximately 3000 pounds of sand for
community studies were collected from waters near Stage I by
a diving team under the direction of ERL,GB Project Officer
Jim Patrick. Divers contracted from the Okaloosa Marine
Service worked with divers from ERL,GB and Florida State
University. (N. L. Richards, ext. 213, Stage I Project
Director; M. E. Tagatz, ext. 277, estuarine community
studies)
DIMILIN EFFECTS ERL,GB tests with Dimilin , a newly developed insecticide that
ON MYSIDS interferes with the formation of an insect's exoskeleton,
showed that reproduction in mysid shrimp is affected by expo-
sure to small amounts (tenths-of-parts-per-billion). Mysid
females exposed to low concentrations of Dimilin (difluben-
zuron) produced fewer young in proportion to the concentration
in exposure tanks. In addition, the length of exposure and
the life stage of this small crustacean were critical to
effects observed in the experiments.
When mysid shrimp matured in sublethal concentrations of the
insecticide and produced another generation, the latter genera-
tion generally produced fewer juveniles. These juveniles
died sooner than those of unexposed shrimp. This pattern was
also observed in second generation juveniles even though they
were not exposed to Dimilin. The cause of this effect has not
been determined, but test results suggest that enough Dimilin
is carried over to the next generation to affect development.
The third generation, which was not exposed, was not found to
be severely affected.
Mysid shrimp, a food source for commercially important species
of fish and crustaceans, are related to lobsters, crabs, shrimp,
and crawfish. Further studies are required to determine if
tests using these organisms are predictive of harmful effects
in commercial marine species.
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Dimilin has been registered by EPA for use in control of the
gypsy moth, a pest destructive to hardwood forests along the
eastern U.S. coast. Registration requests are pending for
other uses.
Current tests at ERL,GB will address the persistence of
Dimilin in the environment, its ultimate fate, and its
degradation compounds. Its toxicity to other marine species
is also under investigation. (D. R. Nimmo or T. L. Hamaker,
ext. 270)
MODEL DEVELOPED A nonlinear statistical model that describes accumulation of
TO DESCRIBE
PESTICIDE
ACCUMULATION
pesticides in estuarine animals has been developed at ERL,GB.
The model describes biological data as a single equation,
thus allowing variations due to many physical, chemical,
biological, and random error factors to be analyzed simul-
taneously. It permits comparisons with field data and can
be used in larger ecosystem models to predict movement of
pesticides in estuarine biota.
Results indicate that the model developed was able to
sufficiently describe the uptake, equilibrium, and depuration
of Kepone and endrin by grass shrimp, and Kepone by fish,
fiddler crabs, and blue crabs. The model has been used to
describe the laboratory depuration of Kepone from grass
shrimp collected from the Lafayette River, near Norfolk, VA.
(L. H. Banner, ext. 249)
PERSONNEL A. J. Wilson, Jr., an employee at the Gulf Breeze Laboratory
CHANGES since 1955, has retired as supervisory research chemist for
the analytical chemistry section. Part of his duties have
been assumed by Dr. R. L. Garnas, a research chemist formerly
assigned to the Processes and Effects Branch.
Wilson, who plans extensive travel in Colorado and other
western states, was initially involved with the analysis of
seawater for chlorophyl, nutrients, and other organics when
the laboratory was under jurisdiction of the U.S. Department
of Interior, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.
After studies on the effects of pesticides were initiated at
the laboratory in 1959, his preliminary- investigation of Car-
bon-14-labeled DDT provided insight into the usefulness of the
oyster for monitoring pesticide pollution. He also developed
methodology for the analyses of pesticide residues. A native
of Larchmont, NY, Wilson studied at New York University and
received a bachelor of science degree from the University of
New Hampshire.
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Dr. Garnas came to tiKL/GB in 1975 from Auburn University
AL, as a researcher for a grant awarded by the Department of
Botanv and Microbiology. Since joining the Processes and
Effects Branch in 1976, he has investigated the fate of
pollutants in saltwater environments and has worked on the
development of microcosms for pollutant exposure assessment.
A native of Minot, ND, he holds a Ph.D. from the University
of California at Davis.
Dr. Garnas presented a paper, "The Fate of 14-C Kepone in
Estuarine Microcosms," at the 175th American Chemical Society
National Meeting, March 13-17, in Anaheim, CA. He has papers
in preparation on "Systems for the Estimation of Pesticide
Fate in Aquatic Environments" and "A Bioanalytical Fractiona-
tion of Toxicants in Industrial Effluent Streams." He was
coauthor of "Fate and Degradation of Kepone in Estuarine
Microcosms," which appears in proceedings of Kepone Seminar
II, published in 1977 by the U.S. EPA, Region III. (R. L.
Garnas, ext. 230)
ECOLOGIST JOINS Dr. P. H. Pritchard, a native of Evanston, IL, has been
STAFF named a microbial ecologist assigned to the Processes and
Effects Branch. He came to ERL,GB in September 1976 under
an IPA agreement with State University of New York at Brockport,
where he taught general microbiology and microbial biochemis-
try. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University.
He is currently involved in a coordinated study of the micro-
bial degradation of pesticides in aquatic environments. He has
worked on development of laboratory models that can assess the
ecology of physical, chemical, and biological fate processes
of organic pollutants. His research specialities include:
microcosm methodology; theory, hydraulics, and application
of flowing system technology; mathematical modeling of
physical transport of pollutants from nonpoint sources (such
as agricultural land); and the chemistry and ecology of
environmental biodegradation mechanisms.
Dr. Pritchard served as cochairman for the International
Workshop on Microbial Degradation of Pollutants in the
Marine Development hosted by ERL,GB and has served on the
program planning committee for the 1978 Gordon Research
Conference on Microbiological Degradation. He presented two
papers at the annual meeting of the American Society of
microbiology in 1977/ "Degradation of Methyl Parathion in
Laboratory Simulations of Salt-Marsh Environments" and "Degra-
dation of Methyl Parathion in Seawater Using Continuous
Culture." He has papers in preparation on "Fate of Methyl
Parathion in Flow-Through Microcosms" and "Characteristics
of Autocothonous Bacteria in Lake Ontario." (P. H. Pritchard,
ext. 268)
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TOXICITY TEST
DEVELOPED FOR
DREDGE SPOILS
A dredge-spoil toxicity test has been developed at ERL,GB to
determine biological effects of disposed (whole) sediments on
representative estuarine organisms.
The test examines: (1) acute toxicity to sensitive water-
column organisms; (2) sublethal responses of epibenthic and
infaunal organisms; and (3) resiliency of a benthic communi-
ty exposed to spoil material. Organisms selected for the
study represent three environmental compartments affected by
dredging and spoil disposal: mysids (sensitive water-column
crustaceans); oysters (commercially important mollusks); and
lugworms (infaunal polychaetes responsible for substrate bio-
turbations to depths as great as 40 cm). Test criteria
included: (1) 96-hr acute toxicity of test sediments to
mysids; (2) shell growth, bioaccumulation, and mortality of
oysters exposed to sediments for 28 days; (3) substrate
activity, bioaccumulation, and mortality of lugworms; and (4)
analyses of the macrobenthic community that developed from
planktonic larvae.
Tests completed to date with Kepone-contaminated sediments
from the James River and Houston Ship Channel sediments sug-
gested that certain contaminants in marine sediments have
relatively little impact on water-column and epibenthic-
suspension organisms. However, deposit-feeding organisms
that directly ingest contaminated sediments are more severely
affected.
Test results also indicate that the technique can demonstrate
sublethal responses of estuarine organisms and aid assessment
of the hazards of toxic sediments. (F. G. Wilkes, ext. 223;
N. I. Rubinstein or C. N. D'Asaro, 932-3145)
BIODEGRADATION
WORKSHOP HELD
AT ERL,GB
Proceedings of a workshop on Microbial Degradation of Pollutants
in Marine Environments, hosted April 14-18 by ERL,GB, will be
in press by the end of the year.
The workshop was sponsored by the EPA Office of Research and
Development (ORD), Office of Toxic Substances, and Office of
Pesticide Programs, and Georgia State University to evaluate
the need for biodegradation studies in aquatic environments, to
develop protocols for methodology, and to define needs of
researchers and experimental limitations in this field.
The participants, representing scientists, professors, and
industrialists, contributed to a workshop consensus report
that will serve as a guide for individuals involved in fate
studies, regulation, or production of potential aquatic
pollutants. ERL,GB Microbiologists A, VI. Bourquin and P. H.
Pritchard were cochairmen of the workshop.
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In the opening session of the workshop, Dr. Arthur Stein,
director of the Environmental Review Division, EPA Office of
Toxic Substances, discussed implications of the 1976 Toxic
Substances Control Act that charged EPA with responsibility
for evaluations of new chemicals to be marketed for uses
other than pesticides, foods, drugs, or cosmetics.
Dr. Stein explained that the Act required development of test
standards, protocols, and guidelines for use by industry.
These guidelines will be used to generate data for risk
assessments by EPA. He expressed hope that enough
flexibility will be incorporated into the testing requirements
to compensate for large variations in the structure, proper-
ties, end-uses, and distribution of commercial chemicals.
(A. W. Bourquin, ext. 260; H. P. Pritchard, ext. 212)
SYMPOSIUM
Carcinogenic Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Marine
EXAMINES EFFECT Environment was the subject of an international symposium
OF CHEMICALS
ON MARINE
ENVIRONMENT
convened by ERL,GB, August 14-18, as a sequel to a conference
held two and a half years ago to evaluate research on environ-
mentally induced diseases or birth defects.
The conference was sponsored by the EPA Office of Research
and Development and the Office of Energy, Minerals, and
Industry. Participants discussed: (1) the physical, chemical,
and biological fate of carcinogens released into the marine
environment; (2) the metabolism, accumulation, and elimina-
tion of these carcinogens; and (3) the current state-of-the-
art for their detection and identification.
ERL,GB Associate Director N. L. Richards was coordinator of
the conference that focused on a systems approach to investi-
gations of carcinogens, teratogens, and mutagens in marine
species. Among the speakers were scientists who have been
awarded EPA grants to study the prolonged effects of pollutants,
such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons,, on marine life and
human health. Papers presented at the symposium will be
published in early 1979. (N. L. Richards, ext. 213)
PATHWAYS OF
PESTICIDES
Food chain experiments have been conducted at ERL,GB to deter-
mine and measure variables that might affect final pesticide
concentrations in predatory fish.
The experiments investigated three variables that affect
pesticide transfer: (1) pesticide concentration; (2) preda-
tor feeding rates; (3) types of food consumed as a regular
diet.
In the first experiment, 23,400 amphipods (Melita setosa) were
contaminated with replicate concentrations of 14-C Kepone and
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fed to 75 spot (Leistomus xanthurus) that were maintained in
both Kepone-free and Kepone-contaminated water.
In the second experiment, 36 spot were fed 720, 2,160, or
3,600 amphipods that contained the same constant residues of
Kepone fed to the predatory fish.
In the third experiment, mysids, amphipods, and sheepshead
minnows (C. variegatus) containing similar concentrations of
Kepone were fed to spot. All experiments lasted for 21 days.
Results of the first study indicate that the pathways of uptake
of Kepone from water and food by spot are independent and
additive. A pesticide uptake/depuration model developed at
ERL,GB determined that Kepone uptake by spot from food was not
affected by previous or simultaneous exposure to Kepone in
water. Bioaccumulation factors for spot that consumed 14-C
Kepone-dosed amphipods ranged from 0.42 to 0.47. Analysis of
the second and third experiments has not been completed, but
results should enable investigators to predict mathematically
the uptake and depuration of Kepone by spot from water or food
organisms in the James River, VA. Thus far, ERL,GB food chain
experiments suggest that: (1) field tests can be closely
simulated in the laboratory if all main variables are tested
(water, sediment, food); (2) fate of pesticides in micro-
animals can be predicted mathematically if certain key rates
are known; (3) key rates can be derived from three or four
laboratory experiments. (L. H. Banner, ext. 249)
MICROCOSM USED The Ecocore, an artificial microcosm developed at EKL,GB to
IN U.S.S.R. study microbial interactions, was used recently in a coopera-
tive American-Soviet scientific investigation at the Center
for Biology of Inland Waters in Borok, u.S.S.R.
Dr. A. W. Bourquin, ERL,GB research microbiologist, was a
member of the American team that joined Soviet scientists in
a. study of the ecological impact of selected chemicals on
invertebrates, algae, and bacteria. The Ecocore, designed
to monitor changes in microbial populations exposed to toxi-
cants, was used initially in Borok in studies with Bromocil,
a C-labelled compound.
Dr. Bourquin participated from June 15-July 22 in the coopera-
tive project that focused on the fate and effects of chemicals
on freshwater ecology. Field surveys were conducted on the
Volga River and the Rabinsky Reservoir.
Prior to returning to ERL,GB, Dr. Bourquin presented a paper,
"Some Factors Affecting Biodegradation in Model Ecosystems,"
at the Fourth International Biodeterioration Symposium in
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West Berlin and attended the International Congress for
Microbiology in Munich, West Germany. (A. W. Bourquin, ext.
260)
COMMUNITY TEST
DEVELOPED
A laboratory test capable of assessing the impact of toxicants
that alter the structure of settling benthic estuarine com-
munities has been developed at ERL,GB.
An initial evaluation indicates that the test may be particu-
larly useful for evaluating chemicals that affect the structure
of benthic communities by altering sediment granulometry and
for detecting effects of substances in water. Scientists at
ERL,GB were able to cultivate laboratory communities that
were generally similar to those found in nature, an indica-
tion that effects observed in the test would be predictive
of environmental effects.
Communities that developed in the ERL,GB test averaged more
than 4,000 individuals, 50 species, and 8 phyla. The test
was used to evaluate effects of AroclorR 1254, toxaphene,
pentachlorophenol, DowicideR G-ST, barite, or a lingosul-
fonate drilling mud by comparing the numbers, species, and
phyla of benthic animals that grew from planktonic larvae
in a control (uncontaminated) and contaminated apparatus.
The test has also provided insight into the relative sensiti-
vities of species not previously tested, and thus may aid in
selection of sensitive species for additional toxicity tests.
(D. J. Hansen, ext. 207; M. E. Tagatz, ext. 277).
U.S.-EGYPriAN
RESEARCH
DISCUSSED
Dr. A. F. A. Latif, secretary general of the Academy of
Scientific Research and Technology in Egypt, visited ERL,GB
in September to discuss an Egyptian-Americ'an cooperative
research program with U.S. Project Officer G. E. Walsh. The
four-year project is titled, "Investigations of Level and
Effects of Pollutants in Saline Lakes and Littoral Marine
Environments."
Earlier this year, Dr. Walsh, Dr. R. L. Garnas, and D. J.
Hansen of ERL,GB traveled to Egypt to review the status of
the program coordinated by the Egyptian government's Institute
of Oceanography and Fisheries of the Academy of Scientific
Research and Technology. They conferred with government
officials and scientific personnel concerning laboratory and
field studies in Cairo, Alexandria, Al Ghardaqa, and the
Fayum, where a large saline lake supports marine flora and
fauna.
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During his visit to EKL,GB, Dr. Latif discussed plans with
Dr. Walsh for training Egyptian scientists in methods for
analyzing toxicity of pesticides and complex wastes. Plans
were also made to conduct a symposium on "Biology, Chemistry,
and Geology of the Red Sea."
After scientists identify pollutants and their effects on
saline waters, control technology will be applied to abate
the pollution, particularly that resulting from complex
industrial wastes. (G. E. Walsh, ext. 235)
STAFF AWARDED
MEDALS
Eleven members of the EKL,GB staff were awarded the EPA bronze
medal "for helping conduct an emergency investigation of the
ecological effects of the insecticide, Kepone, on the James
River estuary."
Dr. Stephen J. Gage, assistant EPA administrator for the
Office of Research and Development (ORD), presented the
awards during a ceremony conducted at a senior ORD management
conference held at ERL,GB.
Recipients included: L. H. Banner, T. T. Davies, J. Forester,
L. R. Goodman, D. J. Hansen, J. I. Lowe, D. R. Nimmo, J. M.
Patrick, S. C. Schimmel, G. E. Walsh, and A. J. Wilson, Jr.
The bronze medal is the third highest employee award conferred
by EPA.
CHLORINATION
CONFERENCE
Health and environmental implications of chlorination are
analyzed in the proceedings of the Second Conference on Water
Chlorination recently released by Ann Arbor Science Publishers,
Inc.
The conference, sponsored by EPA, the Oak Ridge Laboratory,
and the Department of Energy, October 31-Nov 4, 1977, in
Gatlinburg, TN, focused on pertinent research and develop-
ments related to water chlorination since the first conference
in 1975. The proceedings, titled "Water Chlorination: Environ-
mental Impact and Health Effects, Vol 2," was edited by Robert
L. Jolley, Hend Gorchev, and Heyward Hamilton.
Participants in the conference included staff from ERL,GB
and Bears Bluff Field Station and investigators whose
research is supported by EPA Office of Energy, Minerals,
and Industry grants administered by the Bears Bluff Field
Station. Their papers dealt with effects of chlorine on
marine waters and biota, potential degradation pathways, and
effects of by-products of chlorination.
9
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The published proceedings should serve as a useful reference
for scientists and administrators concerned with water quality
standards. A third conference on water chlorination research
is planned for 1979. (W. P. Davis, 803 559-0371)
^ECTIVE The pathobiology unit of ERL,GB needs specimens of estuarine
SPECIMENS and marine fish found with any visible defects in waters of
SOUGHT the Santa Rosa Sound and the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola
Beach, FL.
Individuals who find any indigenous coastal fish with
abnormal growths are asked to contact Dr. J. A. Couch, EKL/GB,
ext. 271. If possible, fish should be kept alive until
delivered to the laboratory; otherwise, specimens should be
refrigerated, but not frozen. The fish will be used in
continuing studies of tumor-causing agents in the aquatic
environment.
JHROMATOGRAPHY A method developed to measure pentachlorophenol (PCP) in
USED TO MEASURE samples from the marine environment was described by ERL,GB
PCP Chemist Linda F. Faas September 14 at the annual meeting of
the National American Chemical Society in Miami Beach.
The method uses gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) to determine
PCP residues in tissues as low as 0.01 ppm by the formation
of the ethyl derivative, followed by Florisil cleanup.
Seawater concentrations as low as 0.002 ppb can be detected
by the formation of the amyl derivative. Formation of the
amyl derivatives of PCP and several related compounds gave
GLC separation not possible with methyl or ethyl derivatives.
Tests using the method indicated that the fish (Mugil
cephalus), shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), and oysters (Crassos-
trea virginica) accumulate PCP. Detection limits for PCP
by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) are 5.0 ppm in
tissues and 2.0 ppb in seawater.
The method is described in a manuscript titled, "Determination
of PCP in Marine Biota and Seawater by GLC and HPLC," co-
authored by Faas and J. C. Moore. (Faas or Moore, ext. 236)
PROCEDURE
DEVELOPED TO
STUDY FATE OF
COMPOUNDS
The Center for Bioorganic Studies, University of New Orleans,
has developed an analytical technique under an EPA grant to
determine the photochemical fate of compounds with carcino-
genic and precarcinogenic properties in the marine environment.
10
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Test compounds used in the procedure are exposed to simulated
sunlight, and reaction products are isolated, characterized,
and confirmed by synthesis.
Arene oxides are considered important metabolic intermediates
in the bioactivation of certain classes of cancer-causing
compounds. A model compound, 9,10-epoxy-9, 10-dihydrophen-
anthrene, was tested in the system and products were
identified by comparing retention times and mass spectral
fragmentation patterns by a gas chromatograph coupled to a
mass spectrometer-computer system. Investigators were able
to detect highly thermolabile arene oxides in complex
reaction mixtures by using the procedure. (N. L. Richards,
ext. 213)
SPECTROMETER
USERS MEETING
PLANNED
The EPA Mass Spectrometer Users Group will meet Nov. 14-15 at
ERL,GB to exchange information on the use of computerized gas
chromatography-mass spectrometry to characterize organic
environmental pollutants.
Topics scheduled for discussion include: methodology to
analyze priority pollutants, applications of new software,
mass spectral search systems, and equipment maintenance.
Approximately 30 to 40 participants representing EPA head-
quarters and laboratories and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) are expected to attend the group's first meeting to be
hosted by the Gulf Breeze Laboratory. Sessions will be held
at the Casino on Pensacola Beach and the laboratory. (J. C.
Moore, ext. 236)
OIL SPILL
Dr. W. P. Davis, chief of the Bears Bluff Field Station, served
on a joint EPA/NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration) team that assisted the Center for Oceanography Brest
in assessing the environmental impact of some 225,000 tons of
oil spilled by the supertanker Amoco Cadiz, March 17, near
the fishing village of Portsall, France.
Following a two-week field survey, the team prepared a report
titled "The Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill," which has been published
by the U.S. General Printing Office (GPO). A joint French-
U.S. Commission has initiated research related to the mixing
and subsurface transport of oil along the Brittany coast, the
uptake of oil by marine organisms including commercial species,
and the degradation of oil in certain marine habitats.
Investigators hope that their research data will contribute to
improved technology for monitoring and treating environmental
pollution.
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Prior to his participation in the Brittany survey, Dr. Davis
was named by Dr. S. J. Gage, EPA assistant administrator for
ORD, and Dr. T. W. Duke, ERL,GB director, as research coor-
dinator for spills of oil or hazardous substances for EPA
Regions IV and VI (Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and
the Caribbean. (W. P. Davis, 803 559-0371)
LABORATORY
MICROCOSMS
DESCRIBED AT
INTERNATIONAL
MEETING
A paper titled "Laboratory Microcosms for Use in Determining
Pollutant Stress," summarizing studies conducted by ERL,GB's
Processes and Effects Branch, has been published in
"Aquatic Pollutants: Transformation and Biological Effects"
by Pergamon Press.
The paper was presented by Dr. F. G. Wilkes of ERL,GB at the
Second International Symposium on Aquatic Pollutants held
September 26-28, 1977 in the Netherlands. The symposium,
organized by the National Institute for Water Supply of the
Netherlands and the University of Amsterdam, followed a sym-
posium held in April 1974 in Athens, GA, on the same topic.
Financial assistance for the symposium was provided by the
European Economic Community, the U.S. Cancer Institute, and
the Netherlands National Institute for Water Supply. Purpose
of the program was to strengthen international collaboration
in the control of pollution of the aquatic environment by
hazardous chemical compounds. (F. G. Wilkes, ext. 223)
TESTS ANALYZE
BIOCONCENTRA-
TIONS OF EPN,
LEPHOTHOS
Acute (96-h) flowing-water toxicity tests, chronic (life
cycle) tests, and bioconcentration studies were conducted at
ERL,GB on selected estuarine animals exposed to the insec-
ticides, EPN and Leptophos.
EPN and Leptophos were found acutely toxic" to both inverte-
brates and fish. The commercial pink shrimp was the most
sensitive; its LC50 values (concentration estimated to cause
mortality in 50 percent of test organisms) were 0.29 yg/S.
for EPN and 1.88 yg/Ł for Leptophos.
In chronic studies, the mysid shrimp exhibited adverse effects
to both EPN and Leptophos at concentrations of 0.3 times the
96-hr LC50, indicating that chronic toxicity is a relatively
close estimate of acute toxicity.
Bioconcentration studies showed that EPN and Leptophos are
taken up rapidly by two estuarine fish (pinfish and spot) until
equilibrium is reached in two to four days. Bioconcentration
factors were 707 times for EPN and 68 times for Leptophos.
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(Bioconcentration factors, the chemical concentration found in
tissues of organisms divided by the exposure concentration
measured in seawater, are useful in predicting the potential
of a compound to accumulate in marine food webs.)
After eight days in EPN-free seawater, no EPN was measured in
pinfish tissue; no Lepthophos was measured in spot tissues
after four days in Leptophos-free seawater.
Data from ERL,GB tests indicate that if EPN- or Leptophos-
contaminated estuarine environments in concentrations XL.O
the most deleterious effect on fish and invertebrates would
result from acute toxicity, not chronic toxicity or biocon-
centration of the insecticides. (S. C. Schimmel, ext. 238;
T. L. Hamaker, ext. 270; J. Forester, ext. 269) .
COMPUTER SYSTEM EPALOG, a comprehensive laboratory data base management
UNDER DEVELOP- system developed at ERL,GB, provides file control, edits,
MENT and evaluates data with a PDP11/45 computer.
Data provided by the system is used for: (1) FACT, a
financial management system; (2) an ACUTE CHRONIC BIOCON-
CENTRATION FOOD CHAIN CHEM LAB experimental data base; (3)
POND, an effluent reporting system; (4) mail distribution
system; and (5) EPALIT, a comprehensive library information
system.
Software for statistical and graphical analyses of experi-
mental data are also in use or under development at ERL,GB.
FREDLAB (ERL,Athens), PROBIT (ERL,Duluth), and NONLIN (ERL,
GB) are employed for interactive and batch processing of
experimental data. EPALOG will be used to build data files
for these programs in the near future.
In addition, WASP, a multidimensional water quality model
that incorporates hydraulics and biotic components, has been
installed at the laboratory to investigate movement of
pesticides in estuarine ecosystems. (L. H. Banner, ext. 249)
PESTICIDE STUDY Recommendations for effective use of EPA research and
COMPLETED development resources for investigations of pesticides are
included in a final report prepared by the EPA Pesticide
Research Committee under chairmanship of ERL,GB Director
T. W. Duke.
The committee study provides EPA with a research strategy
that relates program objectives and priorities to research
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activities and seeks to improve communication between
researchers and program managers.
In preparing the report, committee members reviewed and
evaluated results of pesticide research instituted by EPA.
The committee was one of several research study groups
established by EPA Assistant Administrator for Research
and Development, S. J. Gage, to recommend long-term antici-
patory research goals within a framework of available
resources. (T. W. Duke, ext. 210)
ERL,GB HOSTS Two delegations of Russian scientists visited ERL,GB in
RUSSIAN DELEGA- September to discuss scientific cooperation in the field of
TIONS environmental research.
In the first visit, ERL,GB Director T. W. Duke hosted a
working group meeting in the field of marine environmental
research. The meeting was attended by: Dr. A. I. Simonov,
State Oceanographic Institute, U.S.S.R.; Dr. K. S. Burdin,
Moscow State University; Dr. S. C. Snedaker, University of
Miami; Dr. Robert Livingston, Florida State University;
Elaine Fitzback, ORD, Washington; and Dr. D. J. Baumgartner,
ERL, Corvallis, who will succeed Dr. Duke as chairman.
Afterwards, the Soviet delegation visited the Moss Landing
Laboratory in California, and ERL,Corvallis.
In the second visit, ERL,GB Deputy Director T. T. Davies was
host for a meeting of participants in the project, "Protec-
tion and Management of the Water Quality in Lakes and
Estuaries." Dr. W. R. Swain, Director, ERL,Grosse lie, has
been named as successor to Dr. Davies for future programs
related to the project. The Soviet delegation, including
Dr. G. A. Sukhorukov and Dr. N. I. Selyuk, Ail-Union
Research Institute of Water Protection; Dr. A. Nikanorov,
Hydrochemical Institute; and Dr. N. V. Butorin and Dr. V. I.
Kozlovsky, Institute of Biology of Interior Watersheds, and
Dr. L. A. Lesnikov, Laboratory on Watershed Toxicology, also
visited Washington, DC; Boston, ERL,Duluth, and the U.S.
Fisheries Laboratory in Columbia, MO.
Proceedings of three symposiums conducted by participants in
both projects are new off the press. The First American-
Soviet Symposium on the Biological Effects of Pollution on
Marine Organisms has been published in the EPA Research
Reporting Series, EPA-600/9-78-007. The proceedings contain
a review of the state-of-the-art for hydrobiological analysis
of basic structural components of marine ecosystems and the
influence of various pollutants on these components. Sympo-
sium participants defined problems related to methods for
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modeling the influence of pollutants on the marine environ-
ment, long-term forecasting and determination of permissible
loads of pollutants, and the unification and intercalibration
of methods for determining production of microorganisms of
ocean bacterioplankton and phytoplankton. Proceedings were
published in English and Russian in compliance with the U.S.-
U.S.S.R. Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environ-
mental Protection. (T. W. Duke, ext. 210)
Proceedings of two symposiums on Use of Mathematical Models
to Optimize Water Quality Management have been published in
the EPA Research Reporting Series, EPA-600/9-78-024. The
symposiums were held December 9-16, 1975, in Kharkov and
Rostov-on-Don, U.S.S»R. Participants examined methodological
questions related to simulation and optimization modeling of
processes that determine water quality of river basins. They
also described the general state of development and quality
management in the U.S. and the Soviet Union. (T. T. Davies,
ext. 248)
KEPONE REDUCES ERL,GB tests with Kepone have shown that the pesticide can
BACTERIA significantly reduce total viable counts of bacteria in water
samples taken from several types of estuarine environments.
Effects of Kepone have been observed at concentrations of 0.2
parts per million (ppm). Bacteria isolated from sediment
were found to grow best at toxic levels when grown anaero-
bically. In addition, oxygen uptake studies conducted in the
presence of readily metabolizable substrates demonstrated
similar toxic responses. These studies have also indicated
that Kepone inhibits some generalized membrane functions in
bacteria.
Degradation of the pesticide methyl parathion in sediment-
core microcosms has been similarly inhibited by Kepone at
low concentrations. Kepone has not been found to degrade in
any of these studies conducted at ERL,GB. (A. W. Bourquin or
P. H. Pritchard, ext. 260)
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PUBLICATIONS Recent publications by the ERL,GB and extramural researchers
are listed below. Single copies of these publications can
be obtained from Betty Jackson, Technical Information Coor-
dinator ,ext.202.
JOURNAL ARTICLES BOURQUIN, A. W., P. H. PRITCHARD, AND W. R. MAHAFFEY, 1978.
Effects of kepone on estuarine microorganisms. Develop-
ment in Industrial Microbiology, Vol. 19, pp. 489-497.
COUCH, JOHN A., 1978.
Diseases, parasites, and toxic responses of commercial
Penaeid shrimps of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic
coasts of North America. Fishery Bulletin, Volume 76(1):
1-44. , 1978.
ERICKSON, STANTON J, AND ANNE E. FREEMAN , 1978.
Toxicity screening of fifteen chlorinated and brominated
compounds to four species of marine phytoplankton. In;
Water Chlorination: Environmental Impact and Health Effects,
Volume II,R. L.Jolley et al, editor. Ann Arbor Sci. Publ.,
Inc., Ann Arbor, MI.
MIDDAUGH, DOUGLAS P, AND GENIE FLOYD, 1978.
The effect of prehatch and posthatch cadmium exposure
on salinity tolerance and activity of larval grass shrimp,
Palaemonetes pugio. Estuaries, Volume I, Number 2, June
1978.
NIMMO, DEL WAYNE R., REBEKAH RIGBY, LOWELL H. BAHNER, AND
JAMES SHEPPARD, 1978.
The acute and chronic effects of cadmium on the estua-
rine mysid, Mysidopsis bahia. Bulletin of Environmental
Contamination and Toxicology, Volume 19(1): 80-85, 1978.
SCOTT, GEOFFREY I., AND DOUGLAS P. MIDDAUGH, 1978.
Seasonal chronic toxicity of chlorination to the American
oyster, Crassostrea virginica. In; Water Chlorination:
Environmental Impact and Health Effects, Volume II., R. L.
Jolley, et al., editor, Ann Arbor Sci. Publ., Inc., Ann Arbor,
MI.
RESEARCH ANDERSON, ROBERT S., 1978.
REPORTS Benzo{a}pyrene metabolism in the American oyster
Crassostrea virginica. EPA-600/3-78-009, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office Research and Development, Environ-
mental Research Information Center, Cincinnati, OH, 19 p.
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EVANS, JOHNE., 1978.
Feasibility of using bacterial strains (mutagenesis) to
test for environmental carcinogens. EPA-600/3-78-042, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and
Development, Environmental Research Information Center,
Cincinnati, OH, 118 p.
PARRISH, PATRICK R., ELIZABETH E. DYAR, JOANNA M. ENOS, AND
WILLIAM C. WILSON, 1978.
Chronic toxicity of chlordane, trifluralin and pentach-
lorophenol to sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus).
EPA-600/3-78-010, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Research and Development, Environmental Research
Information Center, Cincinnati, OH, 53 p.
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
LABORATORY GULF BREEZE, 1978.
Symposium on protecting the marine environment. Betty
P. Jackson, editor, EPA-600/9-78-006, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development,
Environmental Research Information Center, Cincinnati, OH,
38 p.
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
LABORATORY GULF BREEZE, 1978.
First American-Soviet symposium on the biological effects
of pollution on marine organisms. Thomas W. Duke et al.,
project leader, EPA-600/9-78-007, U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Gulf Breeze,
FL, 166 p.
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
LABORATORY GULF BREEZE, 1978. Research review 1977. EPA-
600/9-78-014, Environmental Research Laboratory, Gulf Breeze,
FL, 63 p.
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OCEAN DISPOSAL BIOASSAY
WORKING GROUP, 1978.
EPA-600/9-78-010, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Research and Development, Technical Information
Staff, Cincinnati, OH, 121 p.
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RESEARCH LABORATORY
GULF BREEZE, 1978.
American-Soviet Symposium on Use of Mathematical Models
to Optimize Water Quality Management. T. T. Davies and V.
R. Lozanskiy, project leaders, EPA-600/9-78-024, Technical
Information Staff, Cincinnati, OH, 453 p.
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WALKER, WILLIAM W., 1978.
Insecticide persistence in natural seawater as affected
by salinity. EPA-600/3-78-044, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Research and Development, Environmental
Research Information Center, Cincinnati, OH, 25 p.
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NOTE: This report is for informational purposes only. All data and conclusions must be considered
provisional. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement
or recommendation for use.
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Credits: Illustration for cover was prepared by Steve S. Foss
and Terry Miller. Pictured on the cover is P. W. Borthwick, ERL/GB
research biologist.
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