Final report of the Housatonic River area PCB exposure assessment study

226 Pages·1997·8.4 MB·English

by  Massachusetts. Bureau of Environmental Health Assessment. Environmental Toxicology Unit

^^f"^ University of
COtl Massachusetts
^la^ Amherst
Library
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2014
in
https://archive.org/details/finalreportofhouOOmass

Final Report
of
The Housatonic River Area
PCB Exposure Assessment Study
Massachusetts Department ofPublic Health
Bureau ofEnvironmental Health Assessment
Environmental Toxicology Unit
250 Washington Street
Boston, Massachusetts
September, 1997
This report was supported in part by the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) trust fund provided to the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Additional support was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection through an Interagency Service Agreement.
i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Massachusetts Department ofPublic Health gratefully acknowledges the participation
and support from the residents ofLanesborough, Dalton, Pittsfield, Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge, Great
Barrington, and Sheffield. Local Boards ofHealth or Health Departments, Town or City Clerks, and
citizens' groups in these communities provided support and help forthis project. We want also to
extend ourthanks to the Housatonic River Initiative and its Steering Committee members and
members ofthe Housatonic RiverAdvisory Committee for Health Studies fortheir support.
The funding forthis project was provided by the Massachusetts Department ofPublic Health,
the Massachusetts Department ofEnvironmental Protection and the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry ofthe U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services.
ii

CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES v
LIST OF FIGURES vi
LIST OF APPENDICES vii
ABSTRACT
1
INTRODUCTION
3
BACKGROUND
3
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION 4
Sediment 4
Floodplain Soil 4
Freshwater Fish 5
Aquatic Plants 5
AmbientAir 6
EXPOSURE OPPORTUNITIES FORLOCAL RESIDENTS 6
COMMUNITY HEALTH CONCERNS/INVOLVEMENT 7
METHODS
8
STUDY DESIGN 8
STUDY POPULATION
8
SAMPLE SELECTION 9
SURVEY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT 9
RECRUITMENT OF SUBJECTS 10
SCORING SCENARIO USED TO SELECT INDIVIDUALS FOR BLOOD TESTING 12
PHLEBOTOMY
13
LABORATORY ANALYSIS
14
Specimen Collection & Shipping 14
Serum PCB Analysis 14
DATA MANAGEMENT
14
DATA ANALYSIS
15
QUALITY ASSURANCE & QUALITY CONTROL
15
RESULTS
16
EXPOSURE PREVALENCE STUDY - PARTONE: HOUSEHOLD INTERVIEWS 16
Response Rate and Background Characteristics 16
Fish Consumption 17
iii
Recreational Activities along the Housatonic Riverand its Floodplain 18
Other Exposure Opportunities 19
EXPOSURE PREVALENCE STUDY - PARTTWO: BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING 19
Participation Rate and Background Characteristics 19
Total Serum PCB Concentration 20
Correlation ofTotal Serum PCB and Study Variables 20
VOLUNTEER STUDY - PARTONE: HOUSEHOLD INTERVIEWS 22
Background Characteristics 22
Fish Consumption 22
Recreational Activities alongthe Housatonic Riverand its Floodplain 23
OtherExposure Opportunities 23
VOLUNTEER STUDY - PARTTWO: BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING 23
Participation Rate and Background Characteristics 23
Total Serum PCB Concentration 24
Correlation ofTotal Serum PCB and Study Variables 24
DISCUSSION 26
HOUSEHOLD INTERVIEW 26
BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING 27
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 28
LIMITATIONS 30
CONCLUSIONS
31
RECOMMENDATIONS
32
BIBLIOGRAPHY
33
TABLES
36
-.
FIGURES
61
APPENDICES 76
iv