Letter Health Consultation: Interim Consumption Screen Values for Total Selenium: Goose Lake Selenium, Lansing, Michigan

摘要

In 2002, the lake experienced severe nuisance conditions due to algal blooms as a result of excessive nutrients that likely are caused by human activity. Goose Lake receives water from Partridge Creek that currently follows a manmade path through the storm-water sewers of the city of Negaunee, then flowing through an abandoned iron mine settling basin, and a manmade rock tunnel before emptying into Goose Lake. Partridge Creek also receives water from a second iron mine settling basin that is used by the Empire Iron Mine for storm-water discharge. The severe nuisance conditions are more likely to occur during the late summer (i.e., August) as compared with spring (i.e., May). The previously cited assessment conducted by the DNRE reported elevated selenium concentrations in water, sediment, whole fish, and other aquatic biota several miles downstream of the local iron mining operations. Fish fillet concentrations from Goose Lake were elevated and are the impetus for conducting this MI Department of Community Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Letter Health Consultation.