Document Type
Article
DOI
10.25778/16ey-qk29
Abstract
Objectives were to conduct screening level surveys of locally consumed fish tissues in vicinities of two lakes (Kastoria and Pamvotis) in Greece to determine the presence of halogenated organic compounds and determine carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks associated with the consumption of sampled fish tissues. Results estimate the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risks (ILCR) and Hazard Index (HI) values for the two local populations using site-specific population data. These results were compared to analyses conducted using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency default values in an effort to determine the applicability of USEPA default values to assessments of risks in non U.S. populations. Using site specific data, 87 % of the mean ILCRs calculated for total populations and sub-populations (i.e. female adult, female youth, male adult and male youth) consuming fishes from the two lakes we studied were above USEPA’s acceptable cancer risk of 1.0E-06; 53 % of the mean HIs were greater than 1.0. The USEPA default value (0.054 kg/d) for ingestion rate (IR) is considerably lower than the mean site specific IRs derived from populations in vicinity of Lake Kastoria (0.20; min.=0.09; max.=0.29 kg/d) and Lake Pamvotis (0.10; min.=0.01; max.=0.21 kg/d). These differences point to the need for the development of default values specific to the regions and population consumption patterns within Greece.
Recommended Citation
Maurakis, E. G., D. V. Grimes, D. Bobori, R. Hale and J. Jones. 2005. Assessment of Human Health Risks from Chemically Contaminated Lake Fishes in Greece. Virginia Journal of Science 56 (3): 141-154.