HEALTH CONSULTATION
TEX-TIN CORPORATION
TEXAS CITY, GALVESTON COUNTY, TEXAS
BACKGROUND
In response to a request from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) the Texas Department of Health (TDH) reviewed analytical fish tissue data collected by Roy F. Weston (WESTON) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically TNRCC asked TDH to review the fish data from two off-site ponds (Ponds 22 and 24) near the Tex-Tin Corporation National Priorities List (NPL) site to determine whether a fish consumption advisory was warranted. Pond 22 has approximately 6.7 acres of surface area and Pond 24 has approximately 7.9 acres of surface area. Recreational fishing is believed to occur in these ponds and possibly in a third pond down stream from Tex-Tin (Pond 25). Cyprinodon variegatus (sheepshead minnow) were collected from Pond 25; however, these data were not available for review.
WESTON collected two bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) from each pond during an ecological sampling investigation in November 1996. Chemical analysis was performed using the whole body of the fish. Samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile compounds (ie., Polychlorinated Biphenyls [PCBs]), and metals. The analytical results are presented in Table 1.
| Chemical | Concentration (mg/kg) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pond 22 | Pond 24 | |||
| Fish 1 | Fish 2 | Fish 1 | Fish 2 | |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls: Aroclor-1260 | 4.9 | 7.2 | Not analyzed | Not analyzed |
| Inorganics: Aluminum Arsenic Barium Copper Lead Manganese Mercury(1) Selenium Zinc | 17 0.65 U 13 2.0 0.65 U 43 0.14 1.9 89 | 29 0.73 U 13 2.8 1.0 48 0.21 2.2 180 | 150 0.74 U 4.9 5.1 1.3 91 1.4 1.1 140 | 95 0.75 3.9 4.0 1.4 110 1.8 1.1 140 |
(1) Total mercury - 100% assumed to be in the organic methylmercury form.
U = Constituent was not detected at or above the detection limit.
