Comparison of Concentrations of Selected Metals and Organics in Fish Tissue and Sediment in the Grand River,Ohio, and the Southern Lake Erie Drainage Basin

The purpose of this paper is to develop a database of fish tissue and sediment concentrations of selected chemicals in the southern Lake Erie drainage basin, to compare contaminant concentrations in fish tissue and sediment collected from the Grand River, Ohio, in the vicinity of a former soda ash and chromate plant with that for other waterbodies in the drainage basin, and to evaluate the potential human health risks posed by these chemicals, with special focus on chromium. The results of this study indicate that chemical concentrations in fish tissue and sediment from the Grand River are generally lower than that of other waterbodies in the southern Lake Erie drainage basin. Although arsenic and beryllium concentrations in Grand River sediment are above their respective human health-based concentrations, these concentrations are comparable with local and regional background and are not expected to pose a significant incremental risk to human health. In addition, sediment concentrations do not exceed ecological screening criteria. Although PCB and several pesticides were found to have concentrations in fish tissue from the Grand River in excess of human health based concentrations, these concentrations are among the lowest found in waterbodies in the southern Lake Erie drainage basin.