Example 10: Establishing an Appropriate and Relevant Measurement End Point

For PCBs, body burdens in flounder are a reasonable measurement end point. The flounder feed directly

on benthic, sediment dwelling organisms which can bioaccumulate PCBs. Note that for other COCs this

may not be a good end point. For example, the COCs, also include lead which does not biomagnify.

Flounder Body Burdens of PCBs

Attribute

Closeness of correspondence to the assessment

Moderate - the measurement of body burdens is not a

endpoint

direct measure of fish health or reproductive

capacity.

Site specificity

Strong - the fish probably acquire body burdens

due to exposure to site-related contaminants.

Correlation of stressor to response

Moderate - there is evidence in the literature

indicating relationships between body burdens of

COCs and changes in fish physiology, reproduction,

and growth.

Availability of an objective measure for judging

Moderate - there are no promulgated standards for

environmental harm

protection of ecological receptors based on body

burdens. However, the USACE assembled a "residue

effects" data based for various contaminants.

Sensitivity of the measurement end point for

Moderate - the literature indicates a wide range in

detecting changes

tolerance among fish species for body burdens of

various COCs.

Quantitative

Strong - the measurement is quantitative.

Use of a standard method

Strong - there are accepted methods for analysis of

COCs in tissue.

Chapter 2 Problem Formulation