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Waste to Watershed: How contaminants of emerging concern impact mussels

Principal Investigators

Jared Goldston, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Helen Poynton, University of Massachusetts Boston

Photo courtesy of NOAA
Photo courtesy of NOAA

Abstract

Contaminants of Emerging Concerns (CECs) are a diverse class of compounds with widely varying toxicological and chemical properties, commonly associated with municipal wastewater, urban stormwater, agricultural run-off, and other non-point sources, which makes them difficult to monitor and
regulate. Important classes of CECs are pharmaceuticals, detected in more than 80% of streams across 30 states and in coastal waters, and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) including alkylphenol ethoxylates found in shampoos and household cleaners. Septic system effluents are a suspected source of CECs to freshwater ponds, aquifers and drinking water supplies, and to coastal waters, because typical septic system designs do not provide much removal efficiency for most CECs. Innovative and alternative (IA) septic system systems designed for nitrogen remediation may provide significant co-benefit removal of CECs, particularly pharmaceuticals and EDCs. As there is significant community apprehension regarding the use of IA systems, additional demonstration of environmental co-benefits in combination with effective scientific communication may help to increase the acceptance of IA technologies, and the costs associated with septic upgrades.

Both blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) are foundation species in the New England intertidal, and their persistence may be threatened by direct and indirect human activities. These foundation species establish and maintain the key habitats that provide essential ecosystem services along the North Atlantic coast. However, there is an observed decline of both species in New England (>60% loss of blue mussels since 1970). Several factors including climate change, contaminants, and disease have been implicated in the population declines. CECs and EDCs can have biological effects at very low exposure concentrations, have been detected in coastal waters and animal tissue, and may be impacting populations of coastal species. Sessile bivalve filter feeders such as blue and ribbed mussels are both useful biomonitoring organisms as demonstrated in the NOAA Musselwatch program, and are also impacted by pollution exposures. Our work has shown that M. edulis is highly sensitive to pharmaceutical exposures, particularly steroid-like EDCs, and we suggest that these effects extend to closely related Mytilidae species such as G. demissa. The proposed research will examine the effects of septic effluent and septic field leachate on M. edulis and G. demissa sex ratios, and directly test the ability of IA systems to reduce compounds that affect sex gene expression. Our research goal of understanding the impact of CECs from septic tank effluents on keystone species fits well within Sea Grant’s themes of Resilient Communities and Economies, Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture. Our proposed research will test a biological assay that predicts the endocrine disruption potential of septic tank effluents to commercially and ecologically important bivalve species. The results from this work will provide a risk assessment of different septic system effluents to marine ecosystems and an evaluation of the co-benefits of IA septic technologies. Our outreach activities will educate the public about IA systems, and highlight the potential for significant ecosystem benefits from adopting new technologies.

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Publications

Project Information

Funded 2024 to 2025, under NOAA Sea Grant biennial call for proposals

Sea Grant Focus Areas

Healthy Coastal Ecosystems

 

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