Goals  Determine which chemicals present (or potentially present) in the Lake Champlain basin would cause detrimental effects  Determine the pathways in which these chemicals come about

Objectives  Identify potentially hazardous substances  Establish links between potentially hazardous substances and the habitats they may impact within the Lake Champlain basin  Determine the degree of impact each substance has upon each habitat type

Subcategories  Hydrocarbons  Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)  Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)  Herbicides  Atrazine  Alachlor  Heavy Metals  Mercury  Cadmium  Lead

Subcategories (cont.)  Pesticides  Dioxins & like compounds  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)  Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs)  Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)  Pthalates

Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds  Form during the incomplete combustion of organic material  Released in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, and are transported to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems by way of atmospheric deposition  Travel via water and sediments, accumulate in soils  Can bioaccumulate in organisms, leading to higher concentrations within the organisms than in the surrounding environment  Have carcinogenic effects, as well as negative effects on reproduction, development, behavior, and longevity

Volatile Organic Compounds  Typically human-derived/isolated solvents with high vapor pressure  Indoor air pollutants which can cause skin irritation and disorientation when inhaled  Enter the environment through volatilization or by dissolving into water, which can have a negative effect on aquatic ecosystems  Have been identified as carcinogens with chronic exposure

Atrazine  A non-selective herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis in plants  Used in commercial agriculture  Risk to aquatic systems based on toxicity and high mobility  Degrades slowly, which allows it to accumulate in animal tissue  Impacts gill function, hematology, metabolism, and behavior in fish species, and sexual determination in frogs

Alachlor  Selective herbicide which controls unwanted grasses and broad-leafed weed species in commercial agriculture  Can travel through both groundwater and surface water, moderately through soils  Chronic exposure increases the likelihood of cancer in fish and mammals  Has toxic effects on the liver, spleen, kidneys, and eyes of rats

 Generated from industrial activities, mainly coal- burning  Transported through the environment in the form of methyl mercury  Affects mostly marine and wetland habitats, but moves to terrestrial habitats through bioaccumulation Mercury

Cadmium  Sources: burning of coal and oil, incineration of municipal waste, smelting of zinc/lead/copper ores, phosphate fertilizers, sewage sludge  Increases the ability of certain plants to resist infection and disease  Wide range of health effects

Lead  Found in most plant and animal tissues, more so than mercury and cadmium  Human sources: paints, dishware glazes, moonshine, gasoline, pipes containing water for a long time  Causes anemia, neurological damage, chronic renal disease  Completely decays Daphnia in 15 days and is toxic to algae in 30 days  Lead air pollution in ecosystems causes loss in biodiversity, change in community composition, and decrease in growth and reproductive rates in animals

Pesticides  Organochlorines have been the most harmful and persistent type of pesticide  Endosulfan is one of the last organochlorines still being used today, and transports quickly throughout the environment due to its volatility, persistence, and ability to bioaccumulate  Known to have additive and synergistic effects with other pesticides, and therefore risk should not be determined solely upon chemical concentrations  Amphibians are affected the most by pesticides, esp. leopard frogs

Dioxins and Like Compounds  Released through the incineration of municipal waste, notably medical waste  Fat soluble, allowing them to move through habitats in animal tissue  Effects of PCBs, PCDDs, and PCDFs can be grouped as endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, and carcinogens  Dioxins function like hormones, having negative effects on the reproductive and immune systems, and can cause tumors

Pthalates  Absorbed by humans and organisms through skin exposure, inhalation, and ingestion  Enter the environment through leaching from plastics and secretion from urine  Affect human (male and female) and aquatic organism reproductive systems

Impact Importance StressorOpen Water DevelopedForestHerbaceousAgricultureWetlands Pesticides Dioxins & the like Pthalates Herbicides Hydrocarbons Heavy metals

Impact Link StressorOpen Water DevelopedForestHerbaceousAgricultureWetlands Pesticides Dioxins & the like Pthalates Herbicides Hydrocarbons Heavy metals

Impact Filter StressorOpen Water DevelopedForestHerbaceousAgricultureWetlands Pesticides Dioxins & the like Pthalates Herbicides Hydrocarbons Heavy metals