| Virginia
Journal of Science.
2005. Vol 56 (3) : 141-154 |
| Assessment
of Human Health Risks from Chemically Contaminated Lake Fishes In Greece Eugene G. Maurakis1,2,3, David V. Grimes4, Dimitra Bobori5, Rob Hale6, and Jennifer Jones7, 1Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 24542, 2School of Continuing Studies, University of Richmond, VA 23173, 3Department of Environmental Science & Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, 4Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 4949 A Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, 5Department of Biology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece 54006, 6Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, 7Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Richmond, VA 23219 ABSTRACT
Objectives were to conduct screening level surveys
of locally consumed fish tissues in vicinities of two lakes (Kastoria
and Pamvotis) in Greece to determine the presence of halogenated
organic compounds and determine carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human
health risks associated with the consumption of sampled fish
tissues. Results estimate the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risks
(ILCR) and Hazard Index (HI) values for the two local populations using
site-specific population data. These results were compared to
analyses conducted using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency default
values in an effort to determine the applicability of USEPA default
values to assessments of risks in non U.S. populations. Using
site specific data, 87 % of the mean ILCRs calculated for total
populations and sub-populations (i.e. female adult, female youth, male
adult and male youth) consuming fishes from the two lakes we studied
were above USEPA’s acceptable cancer risk of 1.0E-06; 53 % of the mean
HIs were greater than 1.0. The USEPA default value (0.054 kg/d)
for ingestion rate (IR) is considerably lower than the mean site
specific IRs derived from populations in vicinity of Lake Kastoria
(0.20; min.=0.09; max.=0.29 kg/d) and Lake Pamvotis (0.10; min.=0.01;
max.=0.21 kg/d). These differences point to the need for the
development of default values specific to the regions and population
consumption patterns within Greece. Keywords: human health risk assessment, PCB, pesticides, Greece, European Union |