Appendix C - Passaic River Public Digital Library

Table 5-2. Summary Statistics for Blue Crab Contaminants a .
Analyte Tissue Count
Concentration
(µg/kg wet weight)
Minimum Maximum Average
Hepatopancreas 5 1,668 7,020 3,597
Total PCBs
Muscle 5 48.7 97.3 70.3
Combined 10 48.7 7,020 1,834
Hepatopancreas 5 263 1182 596
Total DDx
Muscle 5 14.5 22.9 18.1
Combined 10 14.5 1,182 307
Hepatopancreas 5 60.0 100 86.0
Total Mercury Muscle 5 150 210 182
Combined 10 60.0 210 134
Hepatopancreas 5 0.175 0.394 0.288
Muscle 4 b 2,3,7,8-TCDD
0.009 0.013 0.011
Combined 9 b 0.009 0.394 0.165
Note: Data are draft and subject to change.
a
Source: NJDEP, 2006d.
b
One result was not detected and the method detection limit (MDL) was not available.
Specific exposure parameter values proposed for estimating intake for the RME and CTE for ingestion of
fish are presented in RAGS Part D tables (USEPA, 2001) in Attachment 4, Tables 4-5 through 4-7 for the
adult, adolescent, and child receptors, respectively. Similarly in Attachment 4, Tables 4-8 through 4-10
present the specific exposure parameter values proposed for estimating intake for the RME and CTE for
ingestion of crab for the adult, adolescent, and child receptors, respectively. The key exposure parameters
and the rationale for their selection are described below.
Self-Caught Ingestion Rates of Fish (IRf)
The ingestion rate is the amount of fish an individual consumes on a daily basis based on averaging the
reported consumption rate in 1 year over 365 days. Ingestion rates for fish have been annualized and are
presented in grams eaten per day (g/day). The ingestion rate assumes the fish are caught while angling
from the Lower Passaic River only. It is expected that ingestion of fish from other sources would add to
the amount an individual ingested annually.
For consumption of fish, ingestion rates based on data collected for recreational freshwater anglers were
obtained from the Exposure Factors Handbook (EFH) (USEPA, 1997b). For the adult angler/sportsman,
25 g/day, which is the 95 th percentile, was used for the RME, whereas the recommended mean of 8 g/day
was used for the CTE. The values in the EFH are based on fish ingestion studies from several different
freshwater locations within the country. The surveys include a 1992 Maine angler survey (Ebert et al.,
1993), a 1992 Lake Ontario diary study (Connelly et al., 1996), and a 1989 Michigan sport angler survey
(West et al., 1989). The ingestion rate for fish and crab identified in a more recent consumption survey
(Burger, 2002) found that 8% to 25% of the population ingested 1,500 g/month, which is equivalent to
50% from fish and 50% from crabs (as discussed below for the crab ingestion rate).
Ingestion rates for the adolescent and child were based on the assumptions that the intake for the
adolescent will be approximately two-thirds that of the adult and the intake for the child will be
approximately one-third that of the adult (USEPA, 1997b). This assumption is based on the fish
consumption rates provided in Table 10-1 of the EFH (USEPA, 1997b) for a child aged 0 to 9 years, an
Draft Focused Feasibility Study Risk Assessment 5-12 June 2007
Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Appendix C