EPA Research Partner Support Story: Evaluating risk of aquatic contaminants

Partner: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Challenge: Evaluating risk of aquatic contaminants with minimal toxicity data
Resource: Extrapolation of species sensitivity and bioaccumulation to estimate potential impacts for contaminants of concern
Project Period: 2015 – Present

EPA ORD scientists support ongoing efforts in Minnesota to characterize potential effects for a wide variety of contaminants for which there exists limited information. MPCA uses a suite of EPA tools ‒ Estimation Programs Interface (EPI) Suite, ECOTOX, Web-ICE ‒ to prioritize chemicals based on toxicity effects and hazard characterization. Using these tools, MPCA develops toxicity profiles to screen contaminants that have been detected in the state, and then uses those profiles to prioritize chemicals for further monitoring or pollution prevention opportunities. The profiles are also used as a communication tool that the public or agency decision makers can access to get an overview of the potential hazards associated with individual contaminants detected in Minnesota. Specific recommendations are made to ensure the appropriate considerations are factored into future monitoring efforts (e.g., some contaminants have greater seasonal or geographical inputs, and some contaminants are more likely to partition to sediment or biota, and those matrices are important to sample in addition to water). By assessing the characteristics of the contaminants, future monitoring can be more strategic and less costly, yielding the most relevant data for those contaminants of highest concern.

“EPA’s variety of tools have been critical in developing aquatic toxicity profiles (ATPs) for contaminants detected across Minnesota. The MPCA uses EPA’s estimation tools and databases to quickly obtain relevant information about contaminants that have only recently been detected in an aquatic environment. Prior to the development of these tools, information about contaminants has been limited or time-consuming to find. The profiles combine contaminant information such as fate in the environment, aquatic life toxicity, and endocrine activity to screen contaminants detected in Minnesota. The MPCA uses this information to communicate potential effects of the contaminants found in Minnesota and to identify pollution prevention opportunities for contaminants of highest concern.” – MPCA John Linc Stine (former Commissioner)

As an example, during the development of an aquatic toxicity profile for triclocarban (an antibacterial agent common in personal care products like soaps and lotions), MPCA used EPISUITE to demonstrate a high potential for bioaccumulation and environmental persistence. They then used ECOTOX to obtain available toxicity information, which was used as input into Web-ICE to determine that the compound had high acute toxicity to a diversity of taxa. The toxicity profile resulted in the designation of triclocarban as a high priority contaminant for monitoring in systems with effluent input, with focus on sediment monitoring due to the potential to accumulate, persist and cause toxicity in sediment. The use of ORD tools allows MPCA to prioritize chemicals for monitoring to ensure resources address the contaminants of greatest environmental concern.