# State Water Resources Control Board

Office of Information Management and Analysis

1001 I Street • Sacramento, California 95814 • (916 ) 327-9848 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 100 • Sacramento, Califor nia • 95812-0100 FAX (916) 341-5463 • http://www.waterboards.ca.gov Linda S. Adams
Secretary for

Environmental P rotection Arnold Schwarzenegger

Governor

19 July 2010

Darrin Polhemus, Deputy Director Division of Water Quality 1001 I Street, 15 th Floor Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Mr. Polhemus:

EFFECTS ON WATER QUALITY OF ALKYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATE SURFACTANTS

Per your request in a letter to me dated 24 June 20 10, below I have summarized a review of the alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE) surfacta nt data available from the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP).

SWAMP Data

Table 1 summarizes the data available from the SWAM P database. The North Coast Regional Water Board analyzed 226 water samples fro m eight different water bodies for the APE surfactants nonylphenol and nonylphenol eth oxylate between 2003 and 2008. Samples were collected two to three times per year during that period. Nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylate were detected in 19 and 7% o f the samples, respectively. Nonylphenol was detected at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 8.7 μg/L, with the highest concentration detected in the Russian River . Nonylphenol ethoxylate was detected at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 3.9 μg/L with the highest concentration

detected in the Klamath River.

Table 1. Summary of available SWAMP data for surfac tants.

Nonylphenol (

μg/L ) Nonylphenol ethoxylate

( μg/L ) Local Watershed

Date Min Max Average Min Max Average

Smith River 2003-2008 0.62 3.70 1.77 1.22 2.13 1.68

Klamath River 2003-2008 0.62 3.70 1.77 1.92 3.85 2. 89 Trinity River 2003-2005 0.56 0.59 0.57 1.07 1.26 1. 17

Redwood Creek 2003-2005 0.73 0.83 0.78 0.54*

Mad River 2008 0.602*

Eel River 2003-2005 0.66 3.60 2.03

Gualala River 2006 2.32* Big Sulphur Creek 2005 6.84*

Russian River 2003-2008 0.85 8.72 2.86 0.55 1.23 0. 77

No. Samples Analyzed 226 226

No. Detections 44 16 *Only one record not an average valueDarrin Polhemus - 2 - 19 July 2010

Ecotoxicity Toxicology studies summarized in US EPA’s ECOTOX da tabase indicate that nonylphenol is toxic to some early life stages of f ish at concentrations below 1 μg/L (Kelly and Guilio, 2000) suggesting that the concen trations reported by the North Coast Regional Water Board SWAMP could be toxic to fish s pecies. While nonylphenol ethoxylate appears to be much less toxic than nonyl phenol, a few studies indicate that some invertebrate species (i.e., Hyalella azteca and fairy shrimp) are more sensitive with LC50 concentrations as low as 1.0 to 4.8 μg/L (Collyard et al., 1994; Brausch and Smith, 2007). Concentrations detected in North Coas t surface waters could be toxic to these more sensitive species.

Toxicity to algae, attributable to surfactants, als o was detected in studies of urban and agricultural runoff conducted by the Central Valley Water Board in the mid-1990s. The algae cells in the toxic samples tended to collect along the sides of the test container at the water line, a phenomenon also observed in surfa ctant dosing studies.

In addition to acute toxicity, the endocrine disrup ting effects of the APE surfactants are of concern (as noted in the San Francisco Estuary I nstitute’s memorandum attached to your 24 June letter).

Recommendations The available SWAMP data, previous toxicity monitor ing studies, and the toxicological literature demonstrate the potential for APE surfac tants to impact aquatic life in California surface waters. As such, I recommend tha t toxicity tests be conducted to more fully evaluate the toxicity of these chemicals to multiple species (including algae) at environmentally relevant concentrations and expo sure scenarios. Due to the surfactants’ tendency to adsorb to particles and te st containers, the toxicity tests should be conducted as flow-through exposures. In addition , analytical methods should be

refined to ensure that these chemicals can be detec ted at concentrations lower than the effect levels for the most sensitive species.

Literature Cited Kelly, S.A., and R.T. Di Giulio. 2000. Developmenta l Toxicity of Estrogenic Alkylphenols in Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus). Environ Toxicol Chem 19(10):2564-2570.

Brausch, J.M., and P.N. Smith. 2007. Toxicity of Th ree Polyethoxylated Tallowamine Surfactant Formulations to Laboratory and Field Col lected Fairy Shrimp, Thamnocephalus platyurus . Arch.Environ.Contam.Toxicol. 52(2):217-221.

Collyard, S.A., G.T. Ankley, R.A. Hoke, and T. Gold enstein. 1994. Influence of Age on the Relative Sensitivity of Hyalella azteca to Diaz inon, Alkylphenol Ethoxylates, Copper, Cadmium, and Zinc. Arch.Environ.Contam.Toxicol. 26( 1):110-113.Darrin Polhemus - 3 - 19 July 2010

If you have any questions regarding this informatio n, please contact Karen Larsen at (916) 319-9769 or klarsen@waterboards.ca.gov

.

Sincerely,

Valerie M. Connor, Ph.D. Deputy Director, Office of Information Management a nd AnalysisDarrin Polhemus - 4 - 19 July 2010