Center for Environmental Oncology

Water Pollution
Nitrates in water
- Are there water problems in the Southwestern PA region related to unsafe levels of nitrates in water?
- Are there particular problems for babies & small children associated with drinking water high in nitrates?
Land Development
- Is there any evidence that development has an effect on the level of contaminants in water or environmental public health?
- What forms of pollution increase because of unsustainable commercial or residential development?
Radon in water
- Is the gas radon 222 a problem for residents of Pennsylvania?
- Have there been any very high levels of radon in water reported in the area that could increase lung cancer risk?
Arsenic
- Is arsenic a problem in drinking water?
- What does exposure to arsenic in water cause?
Fish & Water Contaminants / Eating Contaminated Fish
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Water Pollution

What is the most serious water pollution problem in the Southwestern Pennsylvania area?

Overflow of outdated combined sewers & sanitary sewers directly into our streams & rivers is the most serious water pollution problem.

(Anderson and others 2000; Committee on Water Quality Improvement for the Pittsburgh Region 2005; Fulton and Buckwalter 2004)

What environmental public health threat does sewer overflows present?

Sewer overflows threaten public health through endemic or epidemic infection from human pathogens such as the bacteria E. coli or the parasites Cryptosporidium & Giardia.

(Lee and others 2002; Robertson, Campbell, Smith 1992)

Are there Cryptosporidium or Giardia oocystes in western PA water?

Yes.
Alarmingly, studies at and downstream from sewage outfalls in main stem rivers & tributaries near Pittsburgh, PA have shown elevated levels of the human parasites Cryptosporidium & even higher levels of Giardia. This poses a risk to drinking water & to those who come in contact with the water while fishing or during other recreational activities.

(Gibson, CJ III and others 1998; Hedberg and Osterholm 1993)

Isn't epidemic waterborne bacterial infection a thing of the past in the United States?

No.
In 1993, there was a massive epidemic of Cryptosporidiosis in Milwaukee that sickened over 400,000 people & killed at least 40 people who had weakened immune systems.

(Mac Kenzie, WR and others 1994)

Who is most at risk for contracting a waterborne infectious disease?

Anglers & other water recreationalists are at most risk due to their fish consumption & direct contact with contaminants.

(Biello 2007; Volz and Christen 2007)

Have there been any reports of water enthusiasts in the Pittsburgh area getting ill from water contact?

Yes.
Fisherman have reported gastro-intestinal disturbances following water contact subsequent to seeing sewage gates open during wet weather events.

(Volz and Christen 2007)

Why does storm & water runoff from parking lots cause pollution of our receiving streams & main rivers?

It carries with it parking lot surface materials that are carcinogens, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene & creosote. Runoff also carries oils, grease & gasoline, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), & animal & pet feces.

(Anderson and others 2000; USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program; Volz 2007)
Nitrates in water

Are there water problems in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region related to unsafe levels of nitrates in water?

Yes.
Unsafe levels of nitrates have been reported in the Connoquenessing Creek affecting the water supply of Zelienople & in rural areas & main stem rivers.

(Anderson and others 2000; Borough Of Zelienople, PA 2004)

Are there particular problems for babies & small children associated with drinking water high in nitrates?

Yes.
Children are particularly susceptible, the development of methemoglobinemia, which affects the ability to deliver oxygen to tissue as well as developmental & neurological problems.

(Fan and Steinberg 1996)
Land Development

Is there any evidence that development has an effect on the level of contaminants in water or environmental public health?

Yes.
In a modeling exercise based on actual green space & development data it was determined that there was a substantial increase in 14 water pollutants in receiving waters under both an 8 & 2 unit per acre development schemes.

(Greenberg and others 2003; Greenberg and others 1994)

What forms of pollution increase because of unsustainable commercial or residential development?

The forms that increase are biological oxygen demand (BOD—a proxy measure for human and/or pet waste); chemical oxygen demand (COD—a proxy measure for the amount of organic chemicals in the water); total nitrogen (fertilizers), phosphates & suspended solids; & the metals- lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, chromium; nickel.

(Greenberg and others 2003; Greenberg and others 1994)
Radon in water

Is the gas radon 222 a problem for residents of PA?

Yes.
In a study of the Allegheny-Monongahela basin, over half of the groundwater samples tested were above the EPA-proposed maximum contamination level (MCL) for radon in drinking water. And, although radon sampling is required for municipal sources, there are no requirements to test for or remediate high radon in water levels in private wells.

(Anderson and others 2000)

Have there been any very high levels of radon in water reported in the area that could increase lung cancer risk?

Yes.
Two area groundwater samples exceeded the 4,000 pCi/L limit requiring the local drinking water authority to initiate programs to reduce radon in indoor air & in drinking water.

(Anderson and others 2000)
Arsenic

Is arsenic a problem in drinking water?

Yes.
Arsenic is present in drinking water from geological deposits in many areas of the U.S. & Western PA. It also comes from confined animal feeding lots & legacy iron & steel production. Arsenic is carcinogenic.

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2000; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001a; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001b; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001c)

What does exposure to arsenic in water cause?

Exposure to arsenic in drinking water has been associated with many adverse health effects, including lung, bladder, liver & skin cancers. Other adverse health effects include death, kidney/liver/gall bladder disease, nausea, developmental & reproductive effects, & skin keratosis & hyperpigmentation.

(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 2005)
Fish & Water Contaminants / Eating Contaminated Fish

Should we be concerned about contaminants in water if they are filtered out before we drink them?

Yes.
We should be concerned because fish bioaccumulate some metals like methylmercury & old industrial contaminants like PCB’s in their fat & these are also bioaccumulated in humans & can increase risk for neurological disease, birth defects & cancer.

(Eto 2006; Hemond and Fechner-Levy 2000; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007)

Have there been epidemics of poisoning from eating contaminated fish?

Yes.
In Minamata, Japan mothers who ate fish contaminated with methylmercury inadvertently caused their children, exposed when fetuses, to be born with birth defects & mental retardation. Other people exposed developed neurological problems.

(Eto 2006)

How many newborns are at risk from neurodevelopmental disease because their mothers ate fish contaminated with methylmercury in the U.S.?

More than 300,000 newborns are exposed to unacceptable levels of methylmercury during fetal development.

Large amounts of mercury harm the nervous system. Young children, developing fetuses & breast-fed babies are at most risk, because small amounts of mercury can damage a brain that is just starting to form or grow. Too much mercury may affect a child’s behavior & lead to learning problems later in life.

(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 2004)

Are any specific sub-groups of the population more at risk for exposure to methylmercury?

Yes.
Asians, Native Americans, & Pacific Islanders are the most likely to be exposed to methylmercury because they eat more fish or are subsistence fishers.

(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 2004)

Are there subsistence fishers in Southwestern PA who can be exposed to contaminants in fish?

Yes.
Many African Americans, Asians & Amish people use river & lake caught fish for their main protein source.

(Volz and Christen 2007)

Have there been any reports of consumption of freshwater fish in the United States causing health problems?

Yes.
Quite a few studies by different research groups suggest health impacts may be profound. Problems associated with changes in the sex ratio of children, men fathering more male children than female children, & women bearing more girls than boys have been reported.

(Fields 2005)

Does the level of methylmercury in fish vary by species?

Yes.
The level of mercury in fish & shellfish meals varies greatly depending on the type of fish consumed & the volume of fish in proportion to the rest of the meal.

(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 2004)

What are the health risks of eating contaminated fish?

PCBs, methylmercury, PFCs & dioxins build up in your body over time. It may take months or years of regularly eating contaminated fish to accumulate levels which are a health concern. PCB exposure has an effect on thyroid function, which is critical for development in children & also causes cancer. The consumption advice for PCBs is intended to protect children from developmental problems. PCBs also cause changes in human blood, liver, & immune functions of adults. In addition, PCBs cause cancer in laboratory animals & may cause cancer in humans. The EPA has determined that the most carcinogenic forms of PCB’s accumulate in fish.

(Minnesota Dept. of Health, Fish Advisory Program 2007; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007)

Sources:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. 2005 10/01/2007. Toxicological Profile for Arsenic. (Draft for Public Comment).
Anderson RM, Beer KM, Buckwalter TF, Clark ME, McAuley SD, Sams JI III, Williams DR. 2000. Water quality in the Allegheny and Monongahela river basins: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and Maryland, 1996-98. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1202.
Biello D. 2007 April 17. Bringing cancer to the dinner table: Breast cancer cells grow under influence of fish flesh. Scientific American: Online Edition.
Borough Of Zelienople, PA. 2004 22 Mar 04. Water Events - a Chronology. Accessed 2007 12 October.
Committee on Water Quality Improvement for the Pittsburgh Region, National Research Council. 2005. Regional cooperation for water quality improvement in southwestern Pennsylvania. Washington, DC : National Academies Press.
Eto K. 2006. [Minamata disease: A neuropathological viewpoint]. Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi 108(1): 10-23.
Fan AM and Steinberg VE. 1996. Health implications of nitrate and nitrite in drinking water: An update on methemoglobinemia occurrence and reproductive and developmental toxicity. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 23(1 Pt 1): 35-43.
Fields S. 2005. Great lakes: Resource at risk. Environmental Health Perspectives 113(3): A164-73.
Fulton JW and Buckwalter TF. 2004. Fecal-Indicator Bacteria in the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July–September 2001. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5009.
Gibson, CJ III, Stadterman KL, States S, Sykora J. 1998. Combined sewer overflows: A source of Cryptosporidium and Giardia? Water Science and Technology 38(12): 67-72.
Greenberg M, Mayer H, Miller KT, Hordon R, Knee D. 2003. Reestablishing public health and land use planning to protect public water supplies. American Journal of Public Health 93(9): 1522-6.
Greenberg M, Popper F, West B, Krueckeberg D. 1994. Linking city planning and public health in the united states. Journal of Planning Literature 8(3): 235-9.
Hedberg CW and Osterholm MT. 1993. Outbreaks of food-borne and waterborne viral gastroenteritis. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 6(3): 199-210.
Hemond HF and Fechner-Levy EJ. 2000. Chemical fate and transport in the environment. 2nd ed. San Diego: Academic Press.
Lee SH, Levy DA, Craun GF, Beach MJ, Calderon RL. 2002. Surveillance for waterborne-disease outbreaks—United States, 1999–2000. Surveillance Summaries 51(SS-8).
Mac Kenzie, WR, Hoxie NJ, Proctor ME, Gradus MS, Blair KA, Peterson DE, Kazmierczak JJ, Addiss DG, Fox KR, Rose JB, Davis JP. 1994. A massive outbreak in Milwaukee of Cryptosporidium infection transmitted through the public water supply. The New England Journal of Medicine 331(3): 161-7.
Minnesota Dept. of Health, Fish Advisory Program. 2007 16-Oct. Fish Consumption: Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed 2007 19-Oct.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2004 April 7. Fish Consumption may Expose More than 300,000 Newborns Per Year to Mercury: Study in Environmental Health Perspectives Finds Number of Newborns Affected May Be Higher than Previously Thought. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences press release. Accessed 2007 October 4.
Robertson LJ, Campbell AT, Smith HV. 1992. Survival of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts under various environmental pressures. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 58(11): 3494-500.
U S Geological Survey, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. 10:33:37 Tue 28 Aug 2007. Parking-Lot Sealcoat: A Major Source of PAHs in Urban and Suburban Environments.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2007 October 10. Health Effects of PCBs. Accessed 2007 Oct. 19.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2001a January. Technical Fact Sheet: Final Rule for Arsenic in Drinking Water. Accessed 2007 Oct. 19.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2001b January. Fact Sheet: Drinking Water Standard for Arsenic. Accessed 2007 Oct. 19.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2001c. National primary drinking water regulations; arsenic and clarifications to compliance and new source contaminants monitoring. 66 Federal Register 6975-7066.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2000. National primary drinking water regulations; arsenic and clarifications to compliance and new source contaminants monitoring; proposed rule. 65 Federal Register 38887-38983.
Volz CD. 2007. How do water, land management, ecologic, and contamination issues interact to produce tertiary public health, medical, social, and economic problems? Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 49(3): 349-52.
Volz CD and Christen C. 2007. Why are river recreationalists most at risk for development of waterborne infectious diseases: How can clinicians improve surveillance? A national problem. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 49(1): 104-5.

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