University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Center for Environmental Oncology

1. Channel Catfish in the Pittsburgh Aquatic System as a Sentinel for Human Exposure to Mercury and Xenoestrogens Conrad Volz, Myron Arnowitt, Sean Brady, Devra Davis, Maryann Donovan, Pat Eagon, Nancy Sussman, Frank Houghton and Yan Liu • University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Center for Environmental Oncology • Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Graduate School of Public Health • Venture Outdoors and Clean Water Action

2. The Basis for Biomonitoring Ecological Receptors as Sentinels for Human Exposure • Contaminants in sediments and water bioaccumulate in aquatic food chains and concentration levels can be magnified over 100X in higher trophic level feeders. • Lipophylic (hydrophobic) chemicals are more rapidly exchanged between the water and organism than they are excreted or biodegraded by the organism. • The channel catfish is a high fat, high trophic level, piscivirous fish. • Fish classically bioaccumulate methylmercury and lipophylic estrogen mimicking chemicals such as DDT and PCB’s. These are also stored in human adipose tissue.

3. Objective A: To determine if the mercury concentrations or MCF-7 proliferative response in catfish vary by locations of catch. Objective B: To use catfish as sentinels to help identify the sources of mercury or xenoestrogen pollution.

4. Objective C: To establish the safety of catfish as a food for semi-subsistence and recreational fishers. Objective D: To engage individual anglers and fishing groups in a community based participatory research project.

5. Locations of Catfish Catch in Southwestern Pennsylvania Highland Park Monongahela River near the U. S. Steel Edger Thompson Works Point State Park

6. Local Store Bought Median: 0.010 ppm Mercury Concentration Low P < .0001 95%CI of median ratio: 3.72~10.2 Tukey Post Hoc Comparison 1 Pittsburgh Pool Median: 0.060 ppm P < .0001 95%CI of median ratio: 1.91~4.95 Tukey Post Hoc Comparison 2 Kittanning Dam Median: 0.180 ppm High

7. Mean MCF-7 Proliferative Response for Various Catfish Extract Dilutions by River Location The proliferative response is based on the ratio of the response of the extract to the estradiol response.

8. 95% Confidence Intervals of the MCF-7 Proliferative Index for the Pittsburgh Pool vs Store-bought and Kittanning Catfish at 1/200 Dilution

9. Conclusions • Mercury concentrations in catfish in Southwestern Pennsylvania do vary significantly by location. • Catfish may serve as biomonitors for mercury pollution as the Kittanning area is a modeled deposition point for a local coal fired power plant. • Kittanning fishers and their families are at high risk for health endpoints associated with consumption of fish over the EPA flesh standard of .3 ppm of mercury. • MCF-7 proliferative responses vary by location and higher estrogenic responses are associated with locations with large concentrations of combined sewer overflows and numerous TRI sites.

10. Acknowledgements • The project is funded by the DSF Charitable Trust and the Heinz Endowments through the Center for Environmental Oncology of the UPCI. • Program partners including Venture Outdoors and Clean Water Action