Toxics source reduction and sewage upgrades eliminated winter flounder liver neoplasia (1984-2017) from Boston Harbor, MA, USA

Chemical carcinogen biomarkers can validate public investment in environmental remediation. A major factor driving the clean-up of Boston Harbor, MA, USA, induced by the federal Clean Water Act legislation of 1972, was the high prevalence of petroleum and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon contaminant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diseases of aquatic organisms 2018-11, Vol.131 (3), p.239-243
Main Authors: Moore, Michael, Pembroke, Ann, Nestler, Eric, Hall, Maurice, Lefkovitz, Lisa, Lambert, Mark, Keay, Kenneth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Aromatic hydrocarbons
Background levels
Baseline studies
Biomarkers
Carcinogens
Clean Water Act-US
Contaminants
Environmental cleanup
Environmental quality
Epithelial cells
Federal legislation
Federal regulation
Fish
Halogenated hydrocarbons
Harbors
Histopathology
Investment
Legislation
Liver
Municipal wastewater
Organic chemistry
Petroleum hydrocarbons
Reduction
Relocation
Sewage disposal
Sewage rate
Sewage treatment
Sludge
Sludge treatment
Solid suspensions
Suspended solids
Waste management
Waste streams
Waste treatment
Wastewater disposal
Wastewater treatment
Water pollution
Winter
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Summary:Chemical carcinogen biomarkers can validate public investment in environmental remediation. A major factor driving the clean-up of Boston Harbor, MA, USA, induced by the federal Clean Water Act legislation of 1972, was the high prevalence of petroleum and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon contaminant-associated liver neoplasia in winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus in the harbor in the 1980s. In the present study, we examined the spatial and temporal relationships between the suspended solids and contaminants in the municipal sewage discharge, and liver neoplasia and histopathology in flounder, from 1987 to 2017. Toxics source reduction, sewage treatment, and sludge removal in the 1990s and outfall relocation offshore in 2000 enabled a decreasing prevalence of persistent toxic chemicals in flounder, effluent, and sediment, and consequent disappearance of liver neoplasia and reduction of neoplasm-associated, hydropically vacuolated biliary epithelial cells to background levels. This supports long-term investment in elimination and treatment of anthropogenic waste streams and the value of federal regulatory mandates to maintain and improve regional environmental quality.
ISSN:0177-5103
1616-1580
DOI:10.3354/dao03299