What are the Sources of Contaminants?
How Much Contamination
are we Talking About?
How do These Contaminants Affect
Fish and Wildlife?
What is the difference between the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service's Environmental Contaminants Program activities and
the EPA's activities?
What are the Sources of Contaminants?
Contaminants enter the environment in many different ways; disposal of municipal wastes, factory
discharges, and oil or chemical spills are a few examples. These examples are
considered forms of "point source" (or "end of the pipe") pollution because their
origin is easily recognized.
In many cases, the origin of pollution may
not be as clear. For example, agricultural pesticides can be carried by runoff,
or enter an aquifer, and end up contaminating a stream dozens of miles away. Pollutants
can also be carried for long distances through the air and deposited on land and
in water by rain. Such examples are called "non-point source" pollution. Pollution
from non-point sources can contaminate areas that may appear to be relatively
untouched. For example, 41 of our nation's Fish and Wildlife Service management
units (national wildlife refuges, waterfowl production areas, etc.) have advisories
against consumption of fish, shellfish, or other wildlife, and a number of our
national wildlife refuges have either known or suspected contaminant problems.
We are still learning what happens to contaminants once they enter the
environment and the effects they have not only on fish, wildlife, and their habitat,
but also on human health. It is often years, if not decades, before we may become
aware that a chemical is having a harmful effect on our natural resources and,
even if its use is banned, it may continue to persist in the environment for a
very long time.
How Much Contamination are we Talking About?
- In 2000, facilities reported releasing close to 6.16 billion
pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, land, water and underground.
2001Toxics Release Inventory: Public Data Release Report Executive
Summary http://www.epa.gov/triinter/tridata/tri01/press/executivesummarystandalone.pdf
[pdf file].
- During 2001, 34,360 chemical and oil spills were reported. National
Response Center: Incidents by type Per Year. US Dept. of Transportation,
US Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/incident.htm
- As of March 15, 2004 there were 1240 Superfund sites. EPA Superfund:
National Priorities List (NPL) Sites http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/queryhtm/nplfin1.htm
- There are an estimated 450,000 contaminated commercial and industrial
sites across the country. The Facts Speak for Themselves: A Fundamentally
Different Superfund Program. U.S. EPA. November 1996. http://www.epa.gov/superfund/whatissf/sf_fact4.pdf
[pdf file]
- In 1999, the most current year available, pesticide use was
estimated to be 4.997 billion pounds. Pesticide Industry Sales
and Usage: 1998 and 1999 Market Estimates. U.S. EPA, Office of
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. August 1997. http://www.epa.gov/oppbead1/pestsales/99pestsales/usage1999.html#3_3
[pdf file]
- In 2002, 48 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S Territory
of American Somoa, had fish consumption advisories; of those,
28 were STATEWIDE fish consumption advisories for certain types
of waterbodies (e.g., lakes, rivers, and/or coastal waters).
EPA
Fact Sheet. Update: National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories.
U.S. EPA, Office of Water. May 2003. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advisories/factsheet.pdf
[pdf file]
- 100% of the Great Lakes waters and their connecting waters and
71% of the Nation's coastal waters are also under fish consumption
advisories. EPA Fact Sheet. Update: National Listing of Fish and
Wildlife Advisories. U.S. EPA, Office of Water. May 2003. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advisories/factsheet.pdf
[pdf file] (Note:
the Great Lakes contain 1/5 of the World's fresh surface water.
The Quality of Our Nations Waters: 1998: A Summary of National
Water Quality Inventory: 1998 Report to Congress. http://www.epa.gov/305b/98report/98brochure.pdf
[pdf file])
How do These Contaminants Affect Fish and Wildlife?
- Each year hundreds of fish kills are reported
- Approximately 67 million birds die each year from pesticide
poisoning. Deinlein, Mary. When
it Comes to Pesticides, Birds are Sitting Ducks. Fact Sheet.
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
- In 1995, 20,000 Swainson's hawks (5% of the world's population) were killed
from pesticide poisoning in the agricultural pampas region of Argentina.
- Effects on fish and wildlife that have been noted with some chemicals currently
registered for use in the United States include: death due to acute poisoning,
reproductive, developmental, and behavioral problems; immune system dysfunction;
and premature death.
What is the difference between the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Environmental Contaminants Program activities
and the EPA's activities? Maintaining a healthy environment is
an immense responsibility. As the world's human population grows and contaminants
accumulate in the environment, the responsibility looms even larger. In fact,
it often takes both the EPA and the Service to detect the problems and begin to
solve them. The responsibilities of these two agencies are often complementary;
providing for the protection of both human health and safety and fish and wildlife
resources. Here's how the agencies differ:
EPA:
- The EPA's emphasis is on human health and safety; Any benefits to fish and wildlife
are indirect.
- The EPA often does not address off-site contamination of natural
resources, such as wetland sediments.
- The Service focuses on the protection of fish, wildlife, and their habitats.
- The FWS is
concerned with both on and off-site contaminant impacts.
- FWS contaminants specialists provide technical support to the EPA on natural resource issues.
Updated: March 15, 2004
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