Technical Services Section
Fish Tissue Contaminant Monitoring Program
The Fish Tissue Contaminant Monitoring Program provides information on contaminant levels in
fish inhabiting streams and lakes in Kansas. Fillet samples are obtained from selected water bodies
and analyzed by KDHE and EPA laboratories for contaminants of potential human health significance.
In consultation with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the resulting analytical data are
used to determine the need for issuing, maintaining, or rescinding fish consumption advisories at
the monitored locations. Whole-fish samples are obtained from several long-term montioring sites,
transferred to the EPA laboratory in Kansas City, and analyzed for selected organochlorine pesticides,
toxic metals, and other contaminants. Whole-fish data are used to track the occurrence of bioaccumulative
agents within the ecological food web and to ascertain long-term trends in environmental condition.
Currently, the KDHE fish tissue database comprises about 15,100 analytical records, representing more
than 145 sites and 200 different contaminant parameters.
Fish tissue samples normally are obtained each year from 20-40 water bodies across the state. Sampling
efforts focus primarily on streams and lakes with known water quality problems and existing fish
consumption advisories. Although chlordane traditionally has been viewed as the contaminant of greatest
concern, chlordane concentrations in fish have declined dramatically in recent years and attention has
shifted gradually to mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and a few other persistent contaminants. The
agency recently has devoted a greater proportion of its monitoring resources and laboratory sample
allocation to the collection and analysis of predatory fish from recreational reservoirs. This initiative
acknowledges national trends in mercury levels in freshwater fish and the potential for mercury-related
health problems, especially in more vulnerable segments of the human population (e.g., children
and women of child bearing age). Click here to see an
EPA factsheet on mercury contamination in fish.
Program Manager:
, Environmental Scientist, 785-296-5571
Program Staff:
, Environmental Scientist, 785-291-3676
|