Welcome to USGS Contaminant Biology Program
The USGS Contaminant Biology Program investigates the effects and exposure of environmental contaminants to the Nation's living resources, particularly those under the stewardship of the Department of the Interior. This information helps to:
- Establish cleanup levels and restoration goals,
- Assess risk and damage to natural resources,
- Discern the role of contaminants in species declines and mortality, and
- Monitor changes resulting from restoration or natural processes.
Major research components of the program include:Chemistry, Toxicology, Contaminated Habitats, Integration and Assessment of Ecological Stressors
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Research Highlights
Largemouth Bass Bioaccumulate Elevated
Concentrations of Persistent Organic
Contaminants from the Tombigbee River
Concentrations of DDT and most other organochlorine chemicals in fish have generally declined in the U.S. since their ban, but concentrations of DDT in fish from lower Tombigbee River remain elevated and represent a threat to piscivorous wildlife. Persistent organochlorine pesticides and total PCBs were measured in largemouth bass from the Tombigbee River near a former DDT manufacturing facility at McIntosh, AL. Evaluation of DDT concentrations indicated that DDT is moving off-site from the facility and into the Tombigbee River. Total DDT in McIntosh bass exceeded dietary effect concentrations developed for bald eagle and osprey. Hexachlorobenzene, PCBs and toxaphene concentrations in bass from McIntosh also exceeded thresholds to protect fish and piscivorous wildlife. This February article was published in Environmental Pollution and is accessible at: <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2008.08.021>. (Jo Ellen Hinck, Columbia, MO 573-876-1808)
(USGS, Jo Ellen Hinck, Ross J. Norstromb, Carl E. Orazio, Christopher J. Schmitt, and Donald E. Tillitt)
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In the Spotlight
 Intersex Occurrence in Smallmouth Bass from the Potomac River Watershed: The May 2009 issue of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, publication of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, contains a pair of USGS manuscripts relating research findings on endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass from the upper Potomac River watershed. Read More >>
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
