The protectiveness of aquatic life criteria for threatened or endangered aquatic species: Cadmium in California (Supporting Information)

This page includes supporting datasets for analyses presented in an article with the same title. The parent article seeks to establish no-effect or very low-effect thresholds for cadmium (Cd) for freshwater species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act that occur in California, USA.  

Two data files and a reference document are included: The files are referred to as appendix 1 and appendix 2 in the article. The data files are in the Open Office XML "xlsx" spreadsheet format. The dataset was compiled from existing data in the open literature; no primary, original data are presented. Please see the article for context and follow the citations to the primary literature for more information on specific values.

Appendix 1 consists of a single spreadsheet containing lists of taxa used as surrogates for evaluating the sensitivity to Cd of 44 freshwater obligate species listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Cadmium effect concentrations for the surrogate species are summarized and contrasted with relevant aquatic life criteria. 

Appendix 2 is a workbook containing 5 spreadsheets:  

1.Acute (2021) includes 302 records of literature-based acute effects concentrations adversely affecting 50% of test organisms (EC50 values) exposed to Cd in freshwater exposures, matched water hardness values, hardness-normalized values, and associated "final acute values" (FAVs) from criteria documents.

2.Chronic (2021): Similar to sheet 1, but includes  with chronic (long-term) exposures of freshwater organisms to Cd (114 records). Chronic effect concentrations are given for lower effect concentration percentages than the EC50s presented for the acute data: EC20, EC10, and EC0 values are given for the 20%, 10%, and 0% percent effects to different chronic test endpoints.  

3. Acute ranking (2021). A rank ordering of the species mean acute values (SMAVs) to Cd, using the data compiled in spreadsheet 1.

4. Chronic ranking (2021). A rank ordering of the species mean no-effect values to Cd, using the data compiled in spreadsheet 2. Rankings preferentially used EC0 values and secondarily “NOEC” values.

5.FAV (2016+). Includes calculations for different potential FAVs that would provide greater protection for salmonids (Oncorhynchus sp.) than would the 2016 version of the acute aquatic life criterion for Cd(USEPA 2016).

The pdf file is a copy of an influential, grey literature reference that I heavily cite in the associated manuscript and that no longer appears to be available online elsewhere (the "California Toxics Biological opinion," USFWS and NMFS 2000).

References

USEPA. 2016. Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality Criterion for Cadmium – 2016. EPA-820-R-16-002. 721 pp.

USFWS and NMFS. 2000. [Final biological opinion on California Toxics Rule]:  Letter of March 24, 2000 from Michael J. Spear and Mc Innis, Rodney R. to Felicia Marcus, Administrator EPA Region 9, regarding the "Final Rule for the Promulgation of Water Quality Standards: Establishment of Numeric Criteria for Priority Toxic Pollutants for the State of California". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento CA and National Marine Fisheries Service, Long Beach, CA, Reference 1-1-98-F-21. 323 pp.