SEPA 2022 National Lakes Assessment Human Health Fish Tissue Study John Healey1, Katie Davis1, Blaine Snyder2, Harry McCarty3, and Tara Cohen2 Background Obtaining statistically representative data on contaminants in fish is a priority area of interest for EPA. In the early 2000s, EPA's Office of Science and Technology (OST), within the Office of Water (OW), conducted the first national probability-based study of chemical contamination in fish from U.S. lakes, ponds, and reservoirs (hereafter referred to as lakes), known as the National Lake Fish Tissue Study. Mercury and PCBs were detected in all fish samples collected from 500 sampling locations in the lower 48 states, and it was estimated that 49% of U.S. lakes, at the time, contained fish with mercury levels that exceeded the human health screening level of 300 parts per billion (i.e., EPA's fish tissue-based water quality criterion for methylmercury). Twenty years later, the 2022 National Lakes Assessment (NLA), one of EPA's National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS), has provided an opportunity to conduct a contemporary national-scale assessment of chemical contaminants in fish from U.S. lakes. The NLA is a probability- based national survey that includes collection and analysis of physical, chemical, and biological indicator data to allow a statistically valid characterization of the condition of the Nation's lakes. OST is collaborating with the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds and with the Office of Research and Development to complete the 2022 National Lakes Assessment Human Health Fish Tissue Study, which will compare current chemical concentrations of certain chemicals in lake fish to results from the National Lake Fish Tissue Study, and will evaluate lake fish fillet contaminant changes over time. Study Design The NLA Human Health Fish Tissue Study involves: ¦ Attempting to collect whole fish samples from 636 randomly selected lakes in the coterminous U.S. ¦ Obtaining one fish composite sample from each lake (optimally, five similarly sized adult fish of the same species that are commonly consumed by humans] ¦ Shipping whole fish samples to sample repository freezers in Baltimore, Maryland for interim storage ¦ Transferring the frozen whole fish samples to the sample preparation laboratory in Owings Mills, MD ¦ Preparing fillet tissue samples by scaling and filleting each fish in the composite sample, homogenizing the fillets from all the fish in the sample, and dividing homogenates into aliquots for chemical analyses ¦ Analyzing the fillet samples for mercury, 40 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and 209 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB] congeners Author Affiliation XU.S. Environmental Protection Agency OW/Office of Science and Technology 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 2Tetra Tech Center for Ecological Sciences 10711 Red Run Boulevard, Suite 105 Owings Mills, MD 21117 3 General Dynamics Information Technology 3170 Fair view Park Drive Falls Church, VA 22042 Target Chemicals National Lakes Assessment Human Health Fish Tissue Study • Second statistically based assessment of contaminants in fish from inland lakes of the conterminous United States, mirroring EPA's National Lake Fish Tissue Study of 2000-2003 to assess change over time • Fish successfully collected from 413 of the 636 randomly selected sampling locations. Sample Collection Sample Preparation Analysis 1 1 1 The target population consisted of all lakes and reservoirs in the lower 48 states with a surface area >1 hectare and that contain 1,000 square meters of open, unvegetated space and a permanent population of predator fish species. • A total of 636 randomly selected lakes were targeted for fish sampling. • Sampling procedures for collection of whole fish samples are detailed in EPA's National Lakes Assessment 2022 Quality Assurance Project Plan and National Lakes Assessment 2022 Field Operations Manual. • Procedures included a list of 12 primary target predator fish species and 10 secondary predator fish species (all commonly consumed by humans). • Most fish samples were collected by hook and line or electrofishing. • A total 1,512 fish were collected, which yielded 413 valid whole fish composite samples from the 636 sites targeted for fish sampling. • A total of 21 species were collected, and the majority of samples (66%) were Largemouth Bass. Whole fish samples were stored in freezers at < -20° Celsius (C). • The sample preparation laboratory is scaling and filleting each fish, homogenizing the fillet tissue, and preparing the required number offish fillet tissue aliquots for analysis. > Sample preparation quality control procedures include analysis of lipids in ground fillet tissue samples for homogeneity testing and analysis of mercury, PCBs, and PFAS in equipment rinsates to test the adequacy of equipment cleaning. • The filleting process involves removing the fillet (with skin on and "belly flap" or ventral muscle attached) from both sides of each fish, combining fillets from all fish in the composite sample, and homogenizing them together using an electric meat grinder. ' Sample preparation procedures are detailed in EPA's Quality Assurance Project Plan for 2022 National Lake Assessment (NLA) Fish Tissue Study Sample Preparation. Fillet tissue homogenates will be prepared and analyzed for mercury using Appendix to Method 1631, Total Mercury in Tissue, Sludge, Sediment and Soil by Acid Digestion and BrCI Oxidation Revision B and Revision E, respectively. » Fillet homogenates will also be analyzed for 40 PFAS and 209 PCB congeners (Analytical method requirements for PFAS and PCB analyses will be described in the Quality Assurance Project Plan for Analysis of the 2022 National Lake Assessment Fish Fillet Samples for Mercury, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls. > Statistical analysis will include an estimation of the number and proportion of lakes in the sampled population, and an estimation of the cumulative distribution and percentile concentrations of the target chemicals in fillets. » The percentage of the sampled population of U.S. lakes containing fish with fillet concentrations that exceed screening levels for human health protection will be estimated by overlaying these screening levels on cumulative distribution plots for the target chemicals. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this poster are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For more information on EPA fish tissue contaminant studies visit: https://www.epa.qov/fish-tech/studies-fish-tissue-contamination Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Target Analyte Full congener analysis providing results for 209 congeners Target Analyte CAS Number Mercury (total) 7439-97-6 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Target Analyte Abbreviation CAS Number Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids Perfluorobutanoic acid PFBA 375-22-4 Perfluoropentanoic acid PFPeA 2706-90-3 Perfluorohexanoic acid PFHxA 307-24-4 Perfluoroheptanoic acid PFHpA 375-85-9 Perfluorooctanoic acid PFOA 335-67-1 Perfluorononanoic acid PFNA 375-95-1 Perfluorodecanoic acid PFDA 335-76-2 Perfiuoroundecanoic acid PFUnA 2058-94-8 Perfluorododecanoic acid PFDoA 307-55-1 Perfluorotridecanoic acid PFTrDA 72629-94-8 Perfluorotetradecanoic acid PFTeDA 376-06-7 Perfluroalkyl sulfonic acids Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid PFBS 375-73-5 Perfluoropentansulfonic acid PFPeS 2706-91-4 Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid PFHxS 355-46-4 Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid PFHpS 375-92-8 Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid PF0S 1763-23-1 Perfluorononanesulfonic acid PFNS 68259-12-1 Perfluorodecanesulfonic acid PFDS 335-77-3 Perfluorododecanesulfonic acid PFDoS 79780-39-5 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acids 1H,1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid 4:2FTS 757124-72-4 1H,1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid 6:2FTS 27619-97-2 1H/IH, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecane sulfonic acid 8:2FTS 39108-34-4 Perfluorooctane sulfonamides Perfluorooctanesulfonamide PF0SA 754-91-6 N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide NMeFOSA 31506-32-8 N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide NEtFOSA 4151-50-2 Perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acids N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid NMeFOSAA 2355-31-9 N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid NEtFOSAA 2991-50-6 Perfluorooctane sulfonamide ethanols N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoethanol NMeFOSE 24448-09-7 N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoethanol NEtFOSE 1691-99-2 Per- and Polyfluoroether carboxylic acids Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid HFPO-DA 13252-13-6 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid ADONA 919005-14-4 Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid PFMPA 377-73-1 Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid PFMBA 863090-89-5 Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid NFDHA 151772-58-6 Ether sulfonic acids 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonic acid 9CI-PF30NS 756426-58-1 11-Chloroeicosaf!uoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid 11CI-PF30UdS 763051-92-9 Perf)uoro(2-ethoxyethane)sulfonic acid PFEESA 113507-82-7 Fluorotelomer carboxylic acids 3-Perfluoropropyl propanoic acid 3:3FTCA 356-02-5 2H,2H,3H,3H-Perfluorooctanoic acid 5:3FTCA 914637-49-3 3-Perfluoroheptyl propanoic acid 7:3FTCA 812-70-4 Sample Collection Ending Fish Preparation Completed Data Analysis Completed Anticipated Study Milestones J 2022 2023 2024 Sample Collection Beginning Fish Fillet Analysis Completed 2025 Reporting Completed ------- |