State identifies the most toxic water pollutants in Oregon

That anti-stain coating on your new sofa? Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. Ick. Same goes for the musk scented fragrance that guy sitting next to you on the bus is wearing. Double ick.

This is according to a new report by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). It identifies the highest priority toxic pollutants that may be found in the state’s rivers and streams. The list includes 140 pollutants that have a documented effect on human health or aquatic life, and either persist in the environment or accumulate in the tissues of humans, fish, wildlife or plants. DEQ presented the report to the legislature on Monday, and their next step will be to identify sources of the pollutants and, in late 2009 and early 2010, examine ways to reduce the amount that reaches Oregon’s waters.

Pesticides make up the largest category of pollutants on the list (51). It also includes pharmaceuticals and personal care products, flame retardants, industrial chemicals, and legacy pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that are no longer in use but can still be found in sediments. Check out the list here. All of the pollutants on the list have potential to cause harm to aquatic life if they get into the water. Some are known carcinogens and others affect human development.

DEQ developed the list in order to implement Senate Bill 737, which was passed by the 2007 legislature. The list will help guide pollution prevention efforts, and it should be very helpful for OEC. In addition, Senate Bill 737 requires Oregon’s 52 largest municipal wastewater treatment plants to develop toxic reduction plans by July 2011 to reduce listed pollutants occurring in their effluent at levels above “trigger levels” set by DEQ.

Some pollutants on the list are still under review because DEQ received public comments questioning their inclusion on the list. OEC is working this summer to gather scientific information to help DEQ study those pollutants.