Legacy and current-use toxic contaminants in Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) from Puget Sound, Washington

Forage fish are primary prey for seabirds, fish and marine mammals. Elevated levels of pollutants in Puget Sound, Washington salmon and killer whale tissues potentially could be sufficiently high to elicit adverse effects and hamper population recovery efforts. Contaminant transfer and biomagnification of the toxic compounds measured in this study likely contribute to those elevated concentrations. Pacific sand lance tissues from nine locations were analyzed for a suite of legacy and emerging contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, chlorinated pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkylphenols, and chlorinated paraffins. Chemicals were detected at all sites generally below available health effect levels for the host. However, sub-lethal effects are known to occur and additive effects from exposure to multiple compounds, like this study’s mixture, are not well understood. Biomagnification calculations suggest that, in some locations, concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in forage fish could result in predator tissue concentrations that exceed effect levels.