Are causes knowable? Some consequences of successional versus toxicological interpretations of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

Volumn 54, Issue 2, 1997, Pages 483-495

  Gilbertson, Michael ^a  

^a International Joint Commission   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY; GLWQA; GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT; LAKE WATER QUALITY; POLLUTION; TOXIC SUBSTANCE; TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACT; TRANSBOUNDARY POLLUTION; WATER QUALITY;

NORTH AMERICA, GREAT LAKES;

EID: 85047677207     PISSN: 0706652X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1139/f96-296     Document Type: Review

References (77)

1. Anderson, D., and Hickey, J.J. 1972. Eggshell changes in certain North American birds. In Proceedings of the XVth International Ornithological Congress. Edited by K.H. Voous. E.J. Brill, Leiden, pp. 514-540.
2. Ankley, G.T., Tillitt, D.E., Giesy, J.P., Jones, P.D., and Verbrugge, D.A. 1991. Bioassay-derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachIorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in PCB-containing extracts from flesh and eggs of Lake Michigan chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and possible implications for reproduction. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 48: 1685-1690.
3. Aulerich, R.J., Ringer, R.K., and Iwamoto, S. 1973. Reproductive failure and mortality in mink fed on Great Lakes fish. J. Reprod. Fertil. 19(Suppl.): 365-376.
4. Bannister, R.D., Davis, D., Zacharewski, T., Tizard, I., and Safe, S. 1987. Aroclor 1254 as a 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin antagonist: effects on enzyme induction and immunotoxicity. Toxicology, 46: 29-42.
5. Béland, P., DeGuise, S., Girard, C., Lagace, A., Martineau, D., Michaud, R., Muir, D.C.G., Norstrom, R., Pelletier, E., Ray, S., and Shugart, L.R. 1993. Toxic compounds and health and reproductive effects in St. Lawrence beluga whales. J. Great Lakes Res. 19: 766-775.
6. Bishop, C.A., Brooks, R.J., Carey, J.H., Ng, P., Norstrom, R.J., and Lean, D.R.S. 1991. The case for a cause-effect linkage between environmental contamination and development in eggs of the common snapping turtle (Chelydras s. serpentina) from Ontario, Canada. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 33: 521-547.
7. Bourne, C.B. 1986. International law on shared fresh water resources. Queen's Law J. pp. 342-369.
8. Burkhard, L.P., Armstrong, D.E., and Andren, A.W. 1985. Partitioning behaviour of polychlorinated biphenyls. Chemosphere, 14: 1703-1716.
9. Caldwell, L.K. (Editor). 1988. Perspectives on ecosystem management for the Great Lakes: a reader. State University of New York Press, Albany, N.Y.
10. Carpenter, S.R., Jackson, L.J., Kitchell, J.F., and Stow, C.A. 1996. Organochlorine contaminants in the Great Lakes. Ecol. Appl. 6: 971-974.
11. Christie, W.J. 1995. The ecosystem approach to managing the Great Lakes: the new ideas and problems associated with implementing them. Univ. Toledo Law Rev. 26: 279-304.
12. Christie, W.J., Spangler, G.R., Loftus, K.H., Hartman, W.L., Colby, P.J., Ross, M.A., and Talhelm, D.R. 1987. A perspective on Great Lakes fish community rehabilitation. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 44(Suppl. 2): 486-499.
13. Colborn, T., and Clement, C. (Editors). 1992. Chemically-induced alterations in sexual and functional development: the wildlife-human connection. Princeton Scientific Publishing Co., Inc., Princeton, N.J.
14. Cooper, W.E. 1995. Risks of Organochlorine contaminants to Great Lakes ecosystems are overstated. Ecol. Appl. 5: 293-298.
15. Daly, H.B. 1993. Laboratory rat experiments show consumption of Lake Ontario salmon causes behavioral changes: support for wildlife and human research results. J. Great Lakes Res. 19: 784-788.
16. Dar, E., Kanarek, M.S., Anderson, H.A., and Sonzogni, W.C. 1992. Fish consumption and reproductive outcomes in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Environ. Res. 59: 189-201.
17. DeRosa, C., Johnson, B., and Gilbertson, M. 1995. Human health research to respond to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Great Lakes Res. Rev. 2: 45-48.
18. Dunbar, M.J. 1980. The blunting of Occam's razor, or to hell with parsimony. Can. J. Zool. 58: 123-128.
19. Egerton, F.N. 1985. Overfishing or pollution? Case history of a controversy on the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Fish. Comm. Tech. Rep. No. 41.
20. Eshenroder, R.L., Poe, T.P., and Olver, C.H. 1984. Strategies for Rehabilitation of Lake Trout in the Great Lakes: Proceedings of a Conference on Lake Trout Research. Great Lakes Fish. Comm. Tech. Rep. No. 40.
21. Fein, G.G., Jacobson, J.L., Jacobson, S.W., Schwartz, P.M., and Dowler, J.K. 1984. Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls: effects on birth size and gestational age. J. Pediatr. 105: 315-320.
22. Fox, G.A. 1991. Practical causal inference for ecoepidemiologists. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 33: 359-373.
23. Fox, G.A., Collins, B., Hayakawa, E., Weseloh, D.V., Ludwig, J.P., Kubiak, T.J., and Erdman, T.C. 1991. Reproductive outcomes in colonial fish-eating birds: a biomarker for developmental toxicants in Great Lakes food chains. II. Spatial variation in the occurrence and prevalence of bill defects in young double-crested cormorants in the Great Lakes, 1979-1987. J. Great Lakes Res. 17: 158-167.
24. Francis, G.R., and Regier, H.A. 1995. Barriers and bridges to the restoration of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. In Barriers and bridges for the renewal of ecosystems and institutions. Edited by L.H. Gunderson, C.S. Holling, and S.S. Light. Columbia University Press, New York. pp. 239-291.
25. Gilbertson, M. (Editor). 1996. Special section on cause-effect linkages. J. Great Lakes Res. 22: 128-212.
26. Gilbertson, M., and Fox, G.A. 1977. Pollutant-associated embryonic mortality of Great Lakes herring gulls. Environ. Pollut. 12: 211-216.
27. Gilbertson, M., and Schneider, R.S. (Editors). 1991. Special issue: International Joint Commission Workshop on Cause-Effect Linkages. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 33: 359-639.
28. Gilbertson, M., and Schneider, R.S. (Editors). 1993. Special section on cause-effect linkages. J. Great Lakes Res. 19: 720-807.
29. Gilbertson, M., Morris, R.D., and Hunter, R.A. 1976. Abnormal chicks and PCB residue levels in eggs of colonial birds on the lower Great Lakes (1971-1973). Auk, 93: 434-442.
30. Gilbertson, M., Kubiak, T., Ludwig, J.P., and Fox, G.A. 1991. Great Lakes embryo mortality, edema, and deformities syndrome (GLEMEDS) in colonial fish-eating birds: similarity to chickedema disease. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 33: 455-520.
31. Great Lakes Water Quality Board. 1993. Legislative and regulatory considerations for virtual elimination of persistent toxic substances. International Joint Commission, Windsor, Ont.
32. Harris, G.E., Metcalfe, T.L., Metcalfe, C.D., and Huestis, S.Y. 1994. Embryotoxicity of extracts from Lake Ontario rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 13: 1393-1403.
33. Holling, C.S. 1992. Cross-scale morphology, geometry, and dynamics of ecosystems. Ecol. Monogr. 62: 447-502.
34. Holling, C.S., and Meffe, G.K. 1996. Command and control and the pathology of natural resource management. Conserv. Biol. 10: 328-337.
35. Howdeshell, M.J., and Hites, R.A. 1996. Is the Hyde Park dump, near the Niagara River, still affecting the sediment of Lake Ontario? Environ. SCi. Technol. 30: 969-974.
36. Humphrey, H.E.B. 1983. Population studies of PCBs in Michigan residents. In PCBs: human and environmental hazards. Edited by M. D'Itri and M.A. Kamrin. Butterworth, Boston, Mass. pp. 299-310.
37. International Joint Commission. 1969. Report to the International Joint Commission on the pollution of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the international section of the St. Lawrence River. Vol. 1. Summary. International Joint Commission, Windsor, Ont.
38. International Joint Commission. 1978. The ecosystem approach. Report of the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board to the International Joint Commission, Windsor, Ont.
39. International Law Association. 1967. Report of the Fifty-Second Conference held at Helsinki, August 14 to 20, 1966. International Law Association, London, U.K.
40. International Law Association. 1983. Report of the Sixtieth Conference held at Montreal, August 29 to September 4, 1982. International Law Association, London, U.K.
41. Jacobson, J. 1994. Children of Great Lakes fish consumers. In Applying Weight of Evidence: Issues and Practice; Proceedings of a Workshop of the International Joint Commission. Edited by M. Gilbertson and S. Cole-Misch. International Joint Commission, Windsor, Ont. pp. 9-15.
42. Jacobson, J.J., and Jacobson, S.W. 1996. Intellectual impairment in children exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls in utero. N. Engl. J. Med. 335: 783-789.
43. Jones, P.D., Ankley, G.T., Best, D.A., Crawford, R., DeGalan, N., Giesy, J.P., Kubiak, T.J., Ludwig, J.P., Newsted, J.L., Tillitt, D.E., and Verbrugge, D.A. 1993. Biomagnification of bioassay derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents. Chemosphere, 26: 1203-1212.
44. Kay, J.J., and Schneider, E. 1994. Embracing complexity: the challenge of the ecosystem approach. In Alternatives. Vol. 20. No. 3. Faculty of Environmental Studies, Waterloo, Ont. pp. 32-39.
45. Keith, J.A. 1966. Reproduction in a population of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) contaminated by DDT. J. Appl. Ecol. 3(Suppl.): 57-70.
46. Kitchell, J.F. 1995. Toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes: a polythetic view of the issues and evidence. Ecol. Appl. 5: 304-307.
47. Koonce, J.F. 1995. Challenges to ecosystem management in the Great Lakes. Forum, 1: 4-5.
48. Kubiak, T.J., Harris, H.J., Smith, L.M., Schwartz, T.R., Stalling, D.L., Trick, J.A., Sileo, L., Docherty, D.E., and Erdman, T.C. 1989. Microcontaminants and reproductive impairment of the Forster's tern on Green Bay, Lake Michigan: 1983. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 18: 706-727.
49. Kuhn, T.S. 1962. The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill.
50. Leonardelli, S. 1995. Industrial releases within the Great Lakes basin: an evaluation of NPRI and TRI data. Environment Canada, Ontario Region, Toronto, Ont.
51. Loftus, K.H., and Regier, H.A. 1972. Introduction to the Proceedings of the 1971 Symposium on Salmonid Communities in Oligotrophic Lakes. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 29: 613-616.
52. Lonky, E., Reihman, J., Darvill, T., Mather, J., Sr., and Daly, H. 1996. Neonatal behavioral assessment scale performance in humans influenced by maternal consumption of environmentally contaminated Lake Ontario fish. J. Great Lakes Res. 22: 198-212.
53. Ludwig, J.P. 1996. Contaminants effected widespread changes of Great Lakes populations and communities. Ecol. Appl. 6: 962-965.
54. Ludwig, J.P., and Tomoff, C.S. 1966. Reproductive success and insecticide residues in Lake Michigan herring gulls. Jack-Pine' Warbler, 44: 77-84.
55. Ludwig, J.P., Giesy, J.P., Summer, C.L., Bowerman, W.W., Heaton, S., Aulerich, R., Bursian, S., Auman, H.J., Jones, P.D., Williams, L.L., Tillitt, D.E., and Gilbertson, M. 1993. A comparison of water quality criteria for the Great Lakes based on human and wildlife health. J. Great Lakes Res. 19: 789-807.
56. Ludwig, J.P., Kurita-Matsuba, H., Auman, H.J., Ludwig, M.E., Summer, C.L., Giesy, J.P., Tillitt, D.E., and Jones, P.D. 1996. Deformities, PCBs and TCDD-equivalents in double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) of the upper Great Lakes 1986-1991: testing a cause-effect hypothesis. J. Great Lakes Res. 22: 172-197.
57. Mac, M.J., and Edsall, C.C. 1991. Environmental contaminants and the reproductive success of lake trout in the Great Lakes: an epidemiological approach. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 33: 375-394.
58. National Research Council of the United States and the Royal Society of Canada. 1985. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement: an evolving instrument for ecosystem management. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
59. Paneth, N. 1991. Human reproduction after eating PCB-contaminated fish. Health Environ. Dig. 5(8): 4-6.
60. Popper, K.R. 1962. Conjectures and refutations: the growth of scientific knowledge. Basic Books, Inc., New York.
61. Popper, K.R. 1968. The logic of scientific discovery. Harper and Row, New York.
62. Regier, H.A. 1979. Changes in species composition of Great Lakes fish communities caused by man. In Transactions of the 44th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, Toronto, Ont., March 24-28, 1979. Edited by K. Sabol. Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D.C. pp. 558-566.
63. Regier, H.A., and Loftus, K.H. 1972. Effects of fisheries exploitation on salmonid communities in oligotrophic lakes. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 29: 959-968.
64. Silkworm, J.B., Cutler, D.S., Keefe, P.W.O., and Lipinskas, T. 1993. Potentiation and antagonism of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin effects in a complex mixture. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 119: 236-247.
65. Simonien, S.L., and Kites, R.A. 1995. Global distribution of persistent organochlorine compounds. Science (Washington, D.C.), 269: 1851-1854.
66. Smith, D.W. 1995. Are PCBs in the Great Lakes approaching a "new equilibrium"? Environ. SCi. Technol. 29: 42A-46A.
67. Smith, S.H. 1972. Factors of ecological succession in oligotrophic fish communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 29: 717-730.
68. Smith, I.R., Marchant, B., Van den Heuvel, M.R., Clemons, J.H., and Frimeth, J. 1994. Embryonic mortality, bioassay derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents, and organochlorine contaminants in Pacific salmon from Lake Ontario. J. Great Lakes Res. 20: 497-509.
69. Smith, L.M., Schwartz, T.R., Feltz, K., and Kubiak, T.J. 1990. Determination and occurrence of AHH-active polychlorinated biphenyls, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran in Lake Michigan sediment and the question of their significance. Chemosphere, 21: 1063-1085.
70. Spangler, G.R., Loftus, K.H., and Christie, W.J. 1987. Introduction to the International Symposium on Stock Assessment and Yield Prediction (ASPY). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 44(Suppl. 2): 7-9.
71. Sprunt, A., Robertson, W.B., Jr., Postupalsky, S., Hensel, R.J., Knoder, C.E., and Ligas, RJ. 1973. Comparative productivity of six bald eagle populations. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. Nat. Resour. Conf. 38: 96-108.
72. Stow, C.A., Carpenter, S.R., Eby, L.A., Amrhein, J.F., and Hesselberg, R.J. 1995. Evidence that PCBs are approaching stable concentrations in Lake Michigan fishes. Ecol. Appl. 5: 248-260.
73. Susser, M. 1986. The logic of Sir Karl Popper and the practice of epidemiology. Am. J. Epidemiol. 12: 711-718.
74. Tillitt, D.E., Ankley, G.T., Giesy, J.P., Ludwig, J.P., Kurita Matsuba, H., Weseloh, D.V., Ross, P.S., Bishop, C.A., Sileo, L., Stromberg, K., Larson, J., and Kubiak, T.J. 1992. Polychlorinated biphenyl residues and egg mortality in double-crested cormorants from the Great Lakes. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 11: 1281-1288.
75. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1995. Final water quality guidance for the Great Lakes system; final rule. Fed. Reg. 60(56): 15366-15425. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
76. vom Saal, F.S., Nagel, S.C., Palanza, P., Boechler, M., Parmigiani, S., and Welshons, W.V. 1995. Estrogenic pesticides: binding relative to estradiol in MCF-7 cells and effects of exposure during fetal life on subsequent territorial behaviour in male mice. Toxicol. Lett. 77: 343-350.
77. Yamashita, N., Tanabe, S., Ludwig, J.P., Kurita, H., Ludwig, M.E., and Tatsukawa, R. 1993. Embryonic abnormalities and organochlorine contamination in double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and Caspian tems (Hydroprogne caspia) from the upper Great Lakes. Environ. Pollut. 79: 163-173.