Contaminant Exposure and Associated Biological Effects in Juvenile Chinook Salmon('Oncorhynchus tshawytscha') from Urban and Nonurban Estuaries of Puget Sound

摘要

The report presents and interprets the results of chemical, biochemical, andbiological studies on juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) outmigrating from urban and nonurban estuaries of Puget Sound, Washington. These studies were conducted between 1989 and 1991. The objective of these studies was to determine the degree of chemical exposure to juvenile chinook salmon as they migrate through urban-associated compared to nonurban estuaries and to evaluate the effects of chemical contaminant exposure on these animals. The chemical indicators of contaminant exposure include levels of hepatic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and biliary levels of fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs), which are semiquantitative measures of exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs). Stomach contents of juvenile salmon were also analyzed for selected AHs and chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHs) to assess the importance of diet as a possible route of uptake of xenobiotics from polluted estuaries.