Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2002-0202-0014
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2002-08-14T04:00Z

PC
Code:
009001
DP
Code:
D283648
MEMORANDUM
DATE:
June
17,
2002
SUBJECT:
Qualitative
Assessment
of
Long­
range
Transport
and
Atmospheric
Deposition
of
Lindane
to
Great
Lakes
TO:
Betty
Shackleford,
Branch
Chief
M.
Howard,
Team
Leader
Reregistration
Branch
III
Special
Review
and
Reregistration
Division
(7508C)

FROM:
Faruque
A.
Khan,
Ph.
D.,
Environmental
Scientist
Environmental
Fate
and
Effects
Division
(7507C)

THROUGH:
Mah
T.
Shamim,
Ph.
D.,
Chief
Environmental
Risk
Branch
V
Environmental
Fate
and
Effects
Division
(7507C)

This
memo
presents
the
qualitative
assessment
of
long­
range
transport
and
atmospheric
deposition
of
lindane
to
the
Great
Lakes.
The
following
qualitative
assessment
is
based
on
current
literature
available
at
the
present
time.

ASSESSMENT:
LINDANE
IN
THE
GREAT
LAKES
The
ubiquitous
presence
of
lindane
in
atmosphere,
natural
water
bodies,
soils,
and
sediments
of
the
Great
Lakes
regions
implies
redeposition
of
lindane
from
secondary
emissions
and
long­
range
transport
of
lindane
from
agricultural
and
industrial
sites.
There
is
very
limited
information
available
to
link
lindane
loading
from
global,
regional,
or
local
sources
to
Great
Lakes.
Strachan
(1985)
estimated
290
kg/
yr
of
lindane
and
860
kg/
yr
of
 
­HCH
loading
from
precipitation
to
Lake
Superior.
Since
1983,
Environment
Canada
is
measuring
the
deposit
of
toxic
contaminants
from
the
atmosphere
to
the
Canadian
side
of
the
Great
Lakes
basin.
Williams
et
al.
(1998)
reported
that
the
deposition
of
lindane
from
precipitation
has
not
changed
since
1990.
They
also
observed
a
seasonal
pattern
of
increased
lindane
concentrations
during
spring
and
summer,
which
suggests
that
agricultural
activities
during
that
time
may
have
been
causing
2
temporal
increases
of
lindane
concentration.
Reported
concentrations
of
water
samples
from
the
channels
of
Great
Lakes
are
very
similar
throughout
the
Great
Lakes
suggest
that
the
atmosphere
is
the
predominant
source
of
lindane.
Elevated
concentrations
in
Lake
Erie
suggest
that
regional
source
may
have
been
contributing
as
well.

There
are
increasing
national
and
international
efforts
to
assess
the
atmospheric
transport
and
deposition
of
toxic
substances
to
the
Great
Lakes.
The
Integrated
Atmospheric
Deposition
Network
(IADN)
was
established
in
1990
by
the
United
States
and
Canada
for
conducting
air
and
precipitation
monitoring
in
the
Great
Lakes
Basin
to
determine
the
magnitude
and
trends
of
atmospheric
loadings
of
toxic
contaminants.
IADN
maintains
monitoring
stations
on
each
of
the
Great
Lakes
to
monitor
atmospheric
deposition
of
selected
pollutants.
IADN
incorporates
wet
deposition,
dry
deposition,
and
net
gas
exchange
atmospheric
deposition
processes
into
its
loading
estimates.
The
temporal
regional
flows
for
both
 
­HCH
and
lindane
(   
­HCH)
are
presented
in
Figure
1,
which
shows
that
 
­HCH
significantly
decreased
across
the
Great
Lakes
basin
and
has
a
net
volatilization
for
the
first
time
in
1998.
In
contrast,
the
flows
for
lindane
remain
relatively
stable
since
their
decrease
in
1995
due
to
restricted
use
of
lindane
and
the
ban
of
 
­HCH,
which
also
contain
10 
18%
of
 
­HCH
isomer
(USEPA,
1998).

Figure
1.
Total
flows
of
 
­HCH
and
 
­HCH
over
all
Great
Lakes
(Sources:
www.
epa.
gov/
glnpo/
iadn/
resources­
1998)

Considerable
progress
has
been
made
in
monitoring
and
assessing
the
loading
of
lindane
and
many
other
toxic
contaminants
for
the
Great
Lakes
regions.
The
importance
of
long­
range
transport
and
atmospheric
deposition
of
toxic
contaminants
into
the
Great
Lakes
and
their
effects
on
the
chronic
exposer
of
human,
terrestrial,
and
aquatic
organisms
are
only
the
beginning
to
be
understood.
Therefore,
continuing
long­
term
monitoring
programs
and
the
evaluation
of
pertinent
3
data
will
help
the
scientists
and
regulatory
authorities
to
develop
preventive
measures
in
reducing
or
eliminating
the
toxic
contaminants
to
Great
Lakes.

References:

Strachan,
W.
M.
J.
1985.
Organic
substances
in
the
rainfall
of
Lake
Superior:
1983.
J.
Environ.
Toxicol.
Chem.
4:
677­
683.

U.
S.
EPA,
1998.
Atmospheric
deposion
of
toxic
substances
to
the
Great
Lakes:
IADN
Results
through
1998.
Environment
Canada
and
the
United
States
Environmental
Protection
Agency
www.
epa.
gov/
glnpo/
iadn/).

Williams,
D.
J.,
K.
W.
Kuntz,
S.
L'ltalien,
and
V.
Recardson.
1998.
Lake
Ontario
surveillance
program:
spatial
and
temporal
trends
of
selected
parameters
with
emphasis
on
1992­
93
results.
Environment
Canada,
Ecosystem
Health
Division
Report
98­
01/
I.