Targeted-Organic-Chemical Analysis Concentration Data for Surface-Water Samples Collected from 38 Stream Sites across the USA during 2012-2014

Publication Date

2017-03-22

Start Date

2012

End Date

2014

Bradley, P.M., Journey, C.A., Romanok, K.M., and Reilly, T.J., 2017, Targeted-Organic-Chemical Analysis Concentration Data for Surface-Water Samples Collected from 38 Stream Sites across the USA during 2012-2014: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F70863G5.

Type: Related Primary Publication

Surface-water from 38 streams nation-wide was assessed using 14 target-organic methods (719 compounds). Designed bioactive anthropogenic contaminants (biocides, pharmaceuticals) comprised 57% of 408 organics detected at least once. The 10 most-frequently detected anthropogenic-organics included 8 pesticides (desulfinylfipronil, AMPA, chlorpyrifos, dieldrin, metolachlor, atrazine, CIAT, glyphosate) and 2 pharmaceuticals (caffeine, metformin) with detection frequencies ranging 66-84% of all sites. Detected contaminant concentrations varied from less than 1 ng L-1 to greater than 10 µg L-1, with 77 and 278 having median detected concentrations greater than 100 ng L-1 and 10 ng L-1, respectively. Cumulative detections and concentrations ranged 4-162 compounds (median 70) and 8.5-102,847 ng L-1, respectively, and correlated significantly with wastewater discharge, watershed development, and Toxic Release Inventory metrics. Log10 concentrations of widely-monitored HHCB, triclosan, and carbamazepine explained 71%-82% of the variability in the total number of compounds detected (linear regression; p-values: <0.001-0.012), providing a statistical inference tool for unmonitored contaminants. Due to multiple modes of action, high bioactivity, biorecalcitrance, and direct environment application (pesticides), designed-bioactive organics (median 41 per site at µg L-1 cumulative concentrations) in developed watersheds are aquatic health concerns, given their acknowledged potential for sub-lethal effects to sensitive species and lifecycle stages at low ng L-1.

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