Elements in fish of Malibu Creek and Malibu Lagoon near Los Angeles, California

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2003-04, Vol.46 (4), p.424-429
• Main Authors: Moeller, Anthony, MacNeil, Spencer D., Ambrose, Richard F., Que Hee, Shane S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Ameiurus melas; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Astacoidea; Biological and medical sciences; Body Constitution; California; Cambaridae; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Environmental Monitoring; Fish; Fishes; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundulus parvipinnis; Gambusia affinis; Gila orcutti; Metals; Pacifastacus leniusculus; USA, California, Los Angeles; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; Water Movements; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - pharmacokinetics; Wetlands
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/S0025-326X(02)00466-6

Our aim was to assess whether past discharges from a wastewater treatment plant increased metal pollutant loads in stream mobile species in a one-day baseline sampling study that included a coastal wetland. Mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis) of two sizes, black bullhead ( Ameiurus melas), and crayfish ( Pacifastacus leniusculus) were collected from Malibu Creek, and California killifish ( Fundulus parvipinnis) of three sizes, as well as arroyo chub ( Gila orcutti) were sampled from Malibu Lagoon near Los Angeles, California. Species from each locality were pooled by length, homogenized, digested by microwave wet ashing, and analyzed by simultaneous inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy for 27 elements. Lagoon killifish 2.0–3.5 cm long contained levels of arsenic and lead above the levels for 95% of California fish, the EDL95. Black bullhead upstream of the discharge contained elevated levels of As, Cr and Se. Young mosquitofish