## Public Health Assessments & Health Consultations

Page last reviewed: October 15, 2009 Page last updated: October 15, 2009 Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Agency for Toxic Substances and Dise ase Registry, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341 Contact CDC: 800-232-46 36 / TTY: 888-232-6348 HEALTH CONSULTATION

BRANDY BRANCH RESERVOIR MARSHALL, HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS

Se ptembe r 30, 1998

Pre p ared b y Texas Department of Health Under Cooperative Agreement with the Ag enc y

for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF ISSUES

DISCUSSION

A

TSDR'S CHILD HEALTH INITIATIVE

CONCLUSIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES

PREPARERS OF THE REPORT

CERTIFICATION

FIGURES AND TABLES

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## Public Health Assessments & Health Consultations

Page last reviewed: October 15, 2009 HEALTH CONSULTATION

BRANDY BRANCH RESERVOIR MARSHALL, HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF ISSUES
The Texas Department of Health Seafood Safety Division (SSD) reques ted that the Health Risk Assessment and Toxicology Program re evaluate the current advisory limiting consumption of fish taken from Brandy Branch Reservoir, a 1,200 acre cooling reservoir for Pirkey Power Plant and operated by South western Electric Power Company (SWEPCO). Brandy Branch Reservoir is located 10 miles southwest of Marshall in Harrison County, Texas. During the late 1970's , several power plant cooling re servoirs in Te xas received discharges from ash ponds cont aining elevated selenium le vels, resulting in increased selenium concentrations in fish. An investigation of a series of fish kills in waterbodies near power plants in the early 1980's implicated elevated levels of selenium in fish tissue and water. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Departme nt (TPWD) reported elevated levels of selenium in Brandy Branch fish during this time. From 1986-1989, TPWD reported that average selenium concentrations in Brandy Branch fish increa sed from 0.81 to 2.29 ppm. The reasons for this increase are unknown b ut may include sampling variations, seasonal variations in selenium concentrations, or con tinued input of seleni um into the reservoir during this period.

Since the fish kills, the Te xas Department of Health (T DH), TPWD, and SWEPCO have worked cooperatively to monitor selenium levels in fish ti ssue. In 1992, TDH issued a fish consumption advisory for the rese rvoir after it was dete rmined that the levels of selenium in fish could pose a potential he alth risk. The advisory recomm ended that adults consume no more than one eight-ounce meal each week and children seven ye ars of age and older consume no more than one four -ounce meal each week. Childr en six and under, pregnant women, or women who may soon become pregna nt were advised not to consume the fish. Additionally, persons consumin g fish from the re servoir were advised not to consume mineral dietary supplements with selenium exceedin g 50 micrograms per day.

In 1996 and 1997, TDH collecte d 17 fish (13 larg emouth bass, 1 white bass, and 3 white crappie) for a re-evaluation of the present fish consumption advisory. The concentration of selenium in the fish ranged fr om 0.46 to 1.79 ppm with an overall average concentration of 0.87 ppm (Table 1).

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## Public Health Assessments & Health Consultations

HEALTH CONSULTATION

BRANDY BRANCH RESERVOIR MARSHALL, HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS

DISCUSSION Selenium
Selenium is a naturally occurring substance that is widely, but unevenly distributed in rocks and soils of the earth's crust. It is rarely found in pure form in the environment. When rocks decompose into soils, selenium often combines with sodium and oxygen to form sodium selenate, or with water to form sodium selenite, both of whic h are water soluble. Plants easily take up inorganic selenium compounds from water and change them to organic selenium compounds such as selenometh ionine. The major ma n-made source of selenium in the environment is coal burning, es pecially the fly ash that resu lts from burning coal. Persons living near industrial sites may be exposed thro ugh ingesting the soil or water, breathing the dust, eating plants that may ha ve taken up selenium from soil , or ingesting fish that may have taken up selenium fr om high concentrations in water [1]. The estimated bioaccumulation factor for selenium in fish ranges from 485 to 1,746, depending on the species [2]. In general the more soluble and mobile forms of se lenium (selenite and selenate) dominate under aerobic (high oxygen concentrati ons) and alkaline (hig h pH) conditions [1].
Humans and animals are both capable of absorb ing and utilizing both organic or inorganic forms of selenium from food or water sources. Most of the sele nium that enters the body is excreted in the urine within 24 hours. Selenium can build up in the body if exposure is high and occurs over a long period of time. Body burdens of selenium primarily occur in the liver, kidneys, hair, and nails. Sele nium is an essential dietar y element for both human and animals in either the inorganic or organic form . Selenium has antioxid ant effects which help prevent damage to tissue s caused by oxygen. A selenium defi cient diet can result in Keshan disease, the signs and sympto ms of which may include mu scle pain, cardiomyopathy, enlargement of the heart, increased red blood cell fragility, and pancreatic degeneration.

The human recommended daily allowance (RDA) of seleni um for maintenance of good health is 55 micrograms per day (ug/day) fo r women and 70 micrograms per day for men. Estimates of the average intake of selenium from food for the U.S. population range from 71 to 152 micrograms of selenium per person per day [1]. Welsh et al. reported that about three percent of Maryland residents consumed diets which contained over 200 Âμg of selenium per day [3]. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council has estimated the safe and adequate daily diet ary intake of selenium in adul ts to be 50 to 200 Âμg [4]. However, when eaten in amounts that are not mu ch higher than required for good nutrition, selenium becomes harmful to humans and animals [1] (Figur e 2). Signs and symptoms of sub-acute and chronic toxicity in humans include brittleness and loss of hair and nails; blisters, eruptions and skin mottling; pitting and excessive decay of the te eth; a garlic or sour -milk breath odor; periodic episodes of na usea and vomiting; and increasing fatigue. Pa g e 1 of 1 ATSD R -PHA-HC-Brand y Branch Reservoi r -p2

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## Public Health Assessments & Health Consultations

HEALTH CONSULTATION

BRANDY BRANCH RESERVOIR MARSHALL, HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS

CONCLUSIONS 1. Based on the 1996 and 1997 sampling data, le vels of selenium in Brandy Branch Reservoir fish are lower than they we re during the late 1980s. 2. Depending on body weight (1 0-30 kg), children could consu me approximately one to five (four ounce) meals of Brandy Branch fish per week before exceeding th e MRL. Adults (70 kg) consuming five to six (eight ounce) meals of Brandy Branch fish per week would not be expected to exceed the MRL. Approximately th ree times these amounts would be required to exceed the lowest levels reasonably expected to result in signs and symptoms of toxicity, therefore, ingestion of fish at these amounts pose no appa rent public health hazard.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The fish consumption advisory issued for Brandy Branch Re servoir in 1992 should be re- evaluated based on the current recommended li mitations on long-term fish consumption. 1.

REFERENCES
ATSDR, 1996. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological Profile for Selenium. Atlanta: ATSDR, Aug. 1996. 1.

Lemly, 1985. Toxicology of se lenium in a freshwater re servoir: Implications for environmental hazard evaluati on and safety. Ecotoxicol. En viron. Safety 10:314-338. 2.

Welsh, et al., 1981. Selenium in self-selecte d diets of Maryland re sidents. J. Am. Diet Assoc. 79-277-85. 3.

FNB, NRC, 1980. Food an d Nutrition Board, Nation al Research Council: Recommended dietary allowances, 9th ed. Washington, D.C: National Academy of Sciences. 4.

Longnecker, et.al., 1991. Selenium in diet, blood, and toenails in relation to human health in a seleniferous area. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 53:1288-94. 5. Pa g e 1 of 3 ATSD R -PHA-HC-Brand y Branch Reservoi r -p3

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an g

, et.al., 1983. Endemic selenium intoxication of humans in China. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 37:872-81. 6.

PREPARERS OF THE REPORT

Lisa R. Williams, M.S. Toxicologist Health Risk Assessment and Toxicology Program John F. Villanacci, Ph.D. Director Health Risk Assessment and Toxicology Program

A TSDR REGIONA L REPRESENTATIVE George Pettigrew, P.E. Senior Regional Representative A

TSDR - Region 6

A TSDR TECHNICAL PROJECT OFFICER William Greim Environmental He alth Scientist Division of Health Asse ssment and Co nsultation Superfund Site Assessment Branch

CERTIFICATION

The Brandy Branch Reservoi r Health Consultation was p re p ared b y

the Texas De p artment of Health under a cooperative agr eement with the Agency for To xic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). It is in accordance with approved methodology and procedures existing at the time the Health Cons ultation was initiated.

Technical Project Officer, SPS, SSAB, DHAC

The Division of Health Assess ment and Consultation, ATSDR, has reviewed this Health Consultation and concurs with its findings.

Chief, SPS, SSAB, DHAC, ATSDR

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