 United
States Department of Agriculture -
Forest Service |
 Southern Research Station200 Weaver Boulevard P.O. Box 2680 Asheville, NC 28802 |
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Seven Steps to Protect Wildlife from Selenium Toxicity
To improve water quality at the watershed level, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed an approach that sets a limit on the total maximum daily load (TMDL) of each contaminant entering an aquatic system. Although selenium is known to affect reproduction in fish and aquatic birds, the EPA has not yet developed technical guidance or procedures specifically for this element. In a recent issue of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, SRS researcher Dennis Lemly (Blacksburg, VA unit) provides a step-by-step procedure for developing TMDLs for selenium.
Intended for field
biologists, environmental contaminant specialists,
and natural resource managers, Lemly's procedure is designed to keep
selenium concentrations below the levels that threaten the
reproductive health of fish and aquatic birds. Using biological
criteria, Lemly structures the method to address two basic
issues-whether selenium is impairing the water body under study, and if
so, how much must the amount of selenium entering the system be
reduced to correct the problem. The seven steps can be read in detail
in the article, available in full text at
/pubs/viewpub.jsp?index=4479.
For more on Lemly's research on selenium toxicity see previous SRS
news releases.
August 13, 2002:
/about/newsrelease/nr_2002-08-13-lemly.htm
April 23, 2002:
/about/newsrelease/nr_2002-04-23-selenium.htm
For more information: Dennis Lemly at (540-231-6663) or dlemly@vt.edu
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