Dioxins & Furans 
Dioxins , and the closely related furans, are some of the most toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-producing) substances ever tested. Dioxins and furans are really a family of 210 individual members. In addition to causing cancer, they act like a hormone in the body that can cause endocrine system disruption and immune suppression. They have been linked to birth defects and miscarriages. In a study done on the Baltic Sea, dioxins were shown to cause total reproductive failure in coho salmon.
Dioxins and furans have been identified as a major problem in the Columbia River Basin. They were found in every sediment sample tested in the 1991 Reconnaissance Study. Most samples exceeded the safe levels that are listed in the New York State guidelines for the protection of wildlife. New York remains one of the few states with sediment guidelines.
Dioxin has also been detected by the EPA in Columbia River fish at levels considered unsafe for human consumption.The River is rated 'water quality impaired ' for dioxins..According to many scientific studies, all of us already carry high amounts of dioxins in our bodies. Many researchers believe there is no safe level of additional exposure. Most dioxins in the River, and their similarly poisonous furans, come from the chlorine bleaching of paper at thirteen pulp and paper mills along the River's shores. There have been recent decreases in dioxin emissions from pulp and paper mills along the River, resulting from processing changes demanded by the EPA and conservation groups like Columbia Riverkeeper. More pressure is needed, however, to convert all pulp and paper mills along the River, and nationwide, to chlorine-free bleaching technologies.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals include pollutants like arsenic and lead. Heavy metals have been linked to increased cancers and other serious health concerns like birth defects. Some researchers believe that arsenic will be one of the leading causes of human cancer in the future. Arsenic also causes lung and heart disease. Lead is especially toxic to young children, acting as a poison to the central nervous system that causes learning disabilities and mental retardation. It can also cause loss of appetite, stomach upset, headache, joint and muscle pain, sleep disturbances, and it has been linked to birth defects and death of fetuses in rodents. Mercury , another heavy metal, is highly toxic in small amounts, with symptoms that include irritability, tremors, inflammation of the gums, slurred speech, numbness and memory loss. Cadmium can cause lung and kidney disease, and there is evidence that it causes prostate, lung and kidney cancer in humans.
Contamination of the River by heavy metals showed up in water column, sediment and tissue testing. A study to identify sources of pollutants indicated that most of the heavy metals have entered the River from sources upstream of the Bonneville Dam. The metals that exceeded federal and state allowable limits in the water-column testing included aluminum, iron, copper, lead, selenium and silver. In addition, problems with mercury are evident even though water detection levels were low, as mercury is toxic in extremely small concentrations. Sediment testing showed safe reference levels were exceeded
for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, mercury, nickel, silver and zinc. Fish tissue testing showed the presence of barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc. Arsenic and mercury are a serious concern in human fish consumption from the River. (See the section, 'Should I Eat the River's Fish?' on Page 12.) It is not known at what level many heavy metals are a threat to fish populations, but chromium is known to adversely affect juvenile salmon.
Overall, the most problematic metals are arsenic, lead, mercury, aluminum, copper, cadmium, chromium, iron, nickel, silver and zinc. Just how much of a health threat they pose, and their sources, have not been determined, although industry dumped tons of heavy metal tailings in the River for years on a daily basis. Mercury was routinely dumped into the River as well. Recent estimates from governmental sources indicate that a possible 281,600 pounds of mercury were dumped into the Columbia from the 1940s to the 1980s. Arsenic concentrations in tests exceeded water quality criteria for the protection of human health in 38 percent of the samples collected for the Reconnaissance Study. One of the most significant recent findings regarding heavy metals in the River was the discovery of high levels of chromium in areas of the Hanford Reach. This is the last remaining free-flowing section of the River and is an important salmon-spawning ground. Chromium plumes in the Hanford Reach are at levels above those known to adversely affect salmon.
Bacteria
According to the final Reconnaissance Report, "Bacterial conditions in the lower Columbia River during the survey period exceeded state and federal standards that are designed to protect from fecal contamination both water contact recreationists and shellfish destined forhuman consumption.These results indicate that there may be concern for the health of contact recreationists and safety concerns about shellfish harvestedfor human consumption."
Testing in the Hood River area in 1995 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality over a 3-month period showed no exceedances. A water-testing program sponsored by CRK and the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association found periodic bacteria exceedances, usually after storm conditions. What is needed is expressed in one of the Bi-State Committee's final priority recommendations: "The frequency of bacterial monitoring should be increased during times of concern and in heavily used areas, and the process of reporting by the appropriate agencies of spills, combined sewer overflows, and potential high levels of bacteria should be reviewed and, if necessary, improved. In addition, the agencies should report these events to the public immediately."
Pesticides
Pesticides are a significant concern to the entire Columbia Basin. Non-organic farming practices use many chemicals that are lethal to fish, wildlife and people. Many of these chemicals end up in our streams and rivers. Some pesticides used in the past were not only toxic but are persistent in the environment. Today’s most serious pesticide problems in the Columbia are the result of the use of DDT more than 20 years ago. A breakdown product of DDT, DDE has been commonly detected in fish and wildlife tissue, and bald-eagle eggs. This is a good example of how what we do today may have unforseen effects far into the future.
Overall, 20 of the 47 pesticides tested for were detected at least once in the River. Pesticides were detected at 7 of the 10 stations sampled. Atrazine , a triazine herbicide, was the most frequently detected compound, followed by metolachlor and simazine . Exceedances were noted for aldrin,alpha BHC,delta- BHC,dieldrin,endrin,and DDT and its metabolites. As noted earlier, DDT seems to be the most troublesome contaminant, continuing to bioaccumulate, often as DDE, at toxic levels in fish and wildlife. (See section, "Are Pollutants Affecting Fish and Wildlife?" on Page 13.)
The pesticides in the Columbia are largely coming from what is called "nonpoint" sources of pollution. This means they are not from a direct discharge point, like a pipe into the River. These are, for the most part, unregulated by state or federal environmental agencies and very difficult to control. One of the Bi-State Committee's final recommendations asks state and local governments to "...define and implement effective control programs (for nonpoint or hazardous sites) that could include permits, technical assistance, hazardous waste collection site cleanup or economic incentives." CRK believes that the federal government must continue to expand its role in pesticide testing and regulation, both at the farming site and in the grocery store. Furthermore, organic farming that will produce cleaner rivers and safer foods, revitalize our rural areas, and support small family farms must be encouraged.
PCBs
Polychlorinated Biphenyls or PCBs are a group of chemicals whose production is now banned. However, these chemicals remain persistent in the environment and are a strong bioaccumulator up the food chain. PCBs were used as insulators and lubricants in power transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment. They continue to enter the environment via transformers and equipment that was manufactured prior to the ban. These chemicals have proved to be particularly hazardous to wildlife species including the bald-eagle populations on the River.
Although PCBs were not detected frequently, all detected concentrations exceeded the levels considered safe for protection of wildlife. These compounds, like the dioxins, have estrogen-mimicking characteristics, associated with endocrine abnormalities found in river mink and otter. The toxic effects of these chemicals in humans include skin rash, fatigue, loss of appetite, birth defects, immune suppression, endocrine disruption and increased incidence of "pre-cancerous" tumors. Their common presence in fish tissue samples raises serious health concerns for humans and wildlife.
Organic Chemicals
Generally speaking, relatively few organic chemicals of concern were detected in recent water column studies, with the exception of bis(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate . It was reported at two stations in the Portland/Vancouver and the Kalama area. Both samples exceeded the freshwater safe level for this chemical.
The concentration of 4- methylphenol in the Camas Slough exceeded the safe levels for protection of benthic communities (extremely small aquatic organisms). Many other toxic organics were found in fish tissue including benzene.
A broad range of halogenated organic compounds was reported below the bleached kraft pulp and paper mills. These compounds include PAHs and AOX and have toxic and bio-accumulative implications for the environment. Butyltins are compounds that have been used historically as anti-fouling paints on boats and ships. They were detected in sediment studies relatively frequently throughout the River. They also were detected in large scale sucker and carp. The use of organotins in anti-fouling paints was controlled by legislation in 1988, but it appears that sediments in the River are harboring these compounds, and serving as a reservoir for continued release and bioaccumulation. There are no reference levels or guidelines to evaluate the environmental significance of these contaminants.
Radiation
Minimal studies were included with the Bi-State work and really don't provide much new information. Fish tissue showed eight long-lived radionuclides, including plutonium and cesium. Fifteen of 18 fish tested contained plutonium. No reference levels for radionuclide concentrations in fish have ever been established, so adverse effects on fish or wildlife are unknown. See the CRK booklet Hanford and the River for additional information about radiation and the river.
Dams
The Columbia River Basin has 211 major dams, 34 of which are on the main stem of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The earliest dams were built for irrigation purposes. The construction of the Grand Coulee and the Bonneville dams in the 1930s began a new era of hydroelectric power. Dam construction has been a major source of habitat destruction and these dams have fundamentally changed the natural aquatic ecosystems of the Columbia River. More than 25 percent of all juvenile salmon die inside the turbines of a dam, and dams are widely recognized as one of the most significant threats to salmon on the Columbia. Dams slow the flow of water, increasing water temperature and delaying the movement of salmon smolts back to the sea in the spring. Supersaturation of nitrogen gas in the water going over the dams causes "gas bubble disease" in fish. So far, the Northwest Power Planning Council has been unable to significantly rebuild endangered and threatened salmon runs. Some of the dams need to be retrofitted so they can be operated in an environmentally friendly manner. Others, such as the four Snake River dams, need to be considered for removal. Individuals must weigh the value of the electricity that the dams produce and work for alternative energy sources and increased power conservation.
Temperature
In the summer months, the Columbia routinely exceeds the 20 ° Celsius ((68 °F)temperature that is considered maximum for the protection of fish.The lethal temperature limit for eggs of sockeye salmon is 13.5°C. Spawning coho and steelhead are intolerant of temperatures that exceed 10°C. The River's temperature has been steadily increasing over the last decade. High river temperatures are caused by alterations to natural flow regimes caused by dams, habitat destruction along Columbia River tributaries, and the release of billions of gallons of heated industrial and municipal effluent into the Columbia each year. In order to reverse the continued warming of the Columbia, dam operations need to be changed to increase river flows, the four Snake River dams need to be removed, and a significant initiative to restore habitat along the Columbia River and its tributaries must be pursued. Additionally, industrial dischargers must be required to modify their operations so as to cool the temperatures of their effluent and protect native cold-water species.
Dissolved Oxygen
Dissolved oxygen levels are critical to protecting native cold-water species such as salmon, lamprey and sturgeon. The Columbia River is formally listed as water quality limited for dissolved oxygen. Discharges from agricultural, industrial, and municipal pollution sources continue to exacerbate low dissolved oxygen levels. While state and federal agencies are aware of the problems with dissolved oxygen in the Columbia, these agencies need to take aggressive action to require reductions in the release of pollutants that decrease dissolved oxygen levels in the River.
Habitat Destruction
Habitat destruction from logging, urbanization, and agriculture has seriously affected water quality and aquatic species habitat in the Columbia River basin. A comprehensive and well-funded federal and state restoration plan is needed to restore conditions necessary to recover native Columbia River species, including salmon, lamprey, sturgeon, and the wide diversity of amphibians, and insect species that historically have lived on the Columbia River.
Columbia Riverkeeper
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Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 387-3030
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