Chemicals of Emerging Concern in the Columbia River
About chemicals of emerging concern
Chemicals of emerging concern (also called contaminants of emerging concern or CECs) can include nanoparticles, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, estrogen-like compounds, flame retardants, detergents, and some industrial chemicals with potential significant impact on human health and aquatic life.
Some examples are:
- PAHs, PCBs, and PBDEs found throughout the lower Columbia River in water, sediment, and juvenile Chinook salmon. These contaminants are moving from river water and sediment into salmon prey and then into salmon tissue.
- 49 different chemicals of emerging concern were detected in sediments in the lower Columbia River main stem and several tributaries. Endocrine-disrupting compounds (contaminants that block or mimic hormones in the body and cause harm to fish and wildlife) were detected at 22 of 23 sites sampled.
- Myriad pharmaceuticals and personal care products were detected in the effluent from wastewater treatment plants discharging to the Columbia River.
Learn more:
- Studies of fish tissue contamination
- Contaminants of emerging concern including pharmaceuticals and personal care products
Research and monitoring
In 2014, the EPA-led Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group (now known as the Columbia River Basin Restoration Working Group) released its Strategy for Measuring, Documenting and Reducing Chemicals of Emerging Concern which provides an outline for a research and monitoring strategy, and a characterization of the biological impacts of chemicals of emerging concern on aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.
Read the report: