Ohio Surface Water Quality Criteria - Human Health (Fish Consumption)
Ohio water quality standards for the protection of human health from fish consumption. OAC 3745-1-34, Table 34-1.
Overview
These are Ohio’s water quality criteria for the protection of human health through the fish consumption exposure pathway, as established in OAC 3745-1-34, Table 34-1. These criteria apply to all surface waters of the state where fish consumption is a designated use.
Unlike the water supply criteria in Table 33-1, these values protect against exposure from eating fish caught in the water body - not from drinking the water directly. They account for bioaccumulation of contaminants through the aquatic food chain.
The criteria are expressed as Outside Mixing Zone Average (OMZA) concentrations. Ohio maintains separate criteria for the Ohio River basin and the Lake Erie basin. Where a Lake Erie basin value shows ”—”, only the Ohio River basin value applies in that basin. The Lake Erie basin criteria account for the bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCC) provisions specific to the Great Lakes system.
Fish consumption criteria are generally less restrictive than water supply criteria for the same chemical because the exposure pathway (eating fish) involves less total intake than drinking the water. However, for bioaccumulative compounds like mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and chlorinated pesticides, the fish consumption pathway can drive the most restrictive criteria because these chemicals concentrate in fish tissue.
Reading This Table
Form indicates how the chemical is measured: T = total, TR = total recoverable, free = free (un-complexed) form.
Units are micrograms per liter (ug/l) unless noted otherwise. pg/l = picograms per liter (dioxin only).
”—” indicates no separate Lake Erie basin criterion exists. The Ohio River basin value applies statewide for these chemicals.
Table 34-1: Human Health Criteria - Fish Consumption
| Chemical | Form | Units | Ohio River Basin | Lake Erie Basin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acenaphthene | T | µg/l | 90 | -- |
| Acrolein | T | µg/l | 400 | -- |
| Acrylonitrile | T | µg/l | 70 | -- |
| Aldrin | T | µg/l | 7.7*10-6 | -- |
| Anthracene | T | µg/l | 400 | -- |
| Antimony | TR | µg/l | 640 | -- |
| Benzene | T | µg/l | 160 | 160 |
| Benzidine | T | µg/l | 0.11 | -- |
| Benzo(a)anthracene | T | µg/l | 0.013 | -- |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | T | µg/l | 0.0013 | -- |
| Benzo(b)fluoranthene | T | µg/l | 0.013 | -- |
| Benzo(k)fluoranthene | T | µg/l | 0.13 | -- |
| Beryllium | TR | µg/l | 280 | -- |
| Bromoform | T | µg/l | 1,200 | -- |
| Butylbenzyl phthalate | T | µg/l | 1.0 | -- |
| Carbon tetrachloride | T | µg/l | 50 | -- |
| Chlordane | T | µg/l | 0.0032 | 0.00025 |
| Chlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 800 | 800 |
| Chlorodibromomethane | T | µg/l | 210 | -- |
| Bis(2-Chloro-1-methylethyl)ether | T | µg/l | 4,000 | NL |
| Bis(2-Chloroethyl)ether | T | µg/l | 22 | -- |
| Chloroform | T | µg/l | 20,000 | -- |
| bis(2-Chloromethyl)ether | T | µg/l | 0.17 | -- |
| 2-Chloronaphthalene | T | µg/l | 1,000 | -- |
| 2-Chlorophenol | T | µg/l | 800 | -- |
| Chrysene | T | µg/l | 1.3 | -- |
| Cyanide | free | µg/l | 400 | 400 |
| 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxy-acetic | T | µg/l | 12,000 | NL |
| acid) | NL | NL | NL | NL |
| 4,4'-DDD | T | µg/l | 0.0012 | -- |
| 4,4'-DDE | T | µg/l | 0.00018 | -- |
| 4,4'-DDT | T | µg/l | 0.0003 | 0.00015 |
| Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene | T | µg/l | 0.0013 | -- |
| Di-n-butyl phthalate | T | µg/l | 30 | -- |
| 1,2-Dichlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 3,000 | -- |
| 1,3-Dichlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 10 | -- |
| 1,4-Dichlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 900 | -- |
| 3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine | T | µg/l | 1.5 | -- |
| Dichlorobromomethane | T | µg/l | 270 | -- |
| 1,2-Dichloroethane | T | µg/l | 6,500 | -- |
| 1,1-Dichloroethylene | T | µg/l | 20,000 | -- |
| trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene | T | µg/l | 4,000 | -- |
| 2,4-Dichlorophenol | T | µg/l | 60 | -- |
| 1,2-Dichloropropane | T | µg/l | 310 | -- |
| 1,3-Dichloropropene | T | µg/l | 120 | -- |
| Dieldrin | T | µg/l | 1.2*10-5 | 0.0000065 |
| Diethyl phthalate | T | µg/l | 600 | -- |
| 2,4-Dimethylphenol | T | µg/l | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Dimethyl phthalate | T | µg/l | 2,000 | -- |
| 4,6-Dinitro-o-cresol | T | µg/l | 30 | -- |
| (4,6-Dinitro-2-methylphenol) | NL | NL | NL | NL |
| Dinitrophenols | T | µg/l | 1,000 | NL |
| 2,4-Dinitrophenol | T | µg/l | 300 | 300 |
| 2,4-Dinitrotoluene | T | µg/l | 17 | -- |
| 1,2-Diphenylhydrazine | T | µg/l | 2.0 | -- |
| alpha-Endosulfan | T | µg/l | 30 | -- |
| beta-Endosulfan | T | µg/l | 40 | -- |
| Endosulfan sulfate | T | µg/l | 40 | -- |
| Endrin | T | µg/l | 0.03 | -- |
| Endrin aldehyde | T | µg/l | 1.0 | -- |
| Ethylbenzene | T | µg/l | 130 | -- |
| bis(2-Ethylhexyl)phthalate | T | µg/l | 3.7 | -- |
| Fluoranthene | T | µg/l | 20 | -- |
| Fluorene | T | µg/l | 70 | -- |
| Heptachlor | T | µg/l | 5.9*10-5 | -- |
| Heptachlor epoxide | T | µg/l | 0.00032 | -- |
| Hexachlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 0.00079 | 0.00045 |
| Hexachlorobutadiene | T | µg/l | 0.1 | -- |
| alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane | T | µg/l | 0.0039 | -- |
| beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane | T | µg/l | 0.14 | -- |
| gamma-Hexachlorocyclohexane | T | µg/l | 44 | 0.50 |
| (Lindane) | NL | NL | NL | NL |
| Hexachlorocyclohexane - technical | T | µg/l | 0.1 | -- |
| grade | NL | NL | NL | NL |
| Hexachlorocyclopentadiene | T | µg/l | 4.0 | -- |
| Hexachloroethane | T | µg/l | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene | T | µg/l | 0.013 | -- |
| Isophorone | T | µg/l | 18,000 | -- |
| Methoxychlor | T | µg/l | 0.02 | NL |
| Mercury | TR | µg/l | 0.012 | 0.0031 |
| 3-Methyl-4-Chlorophenol | TR | µg/l | 2,000 | NL |
| Methyl bromide | T | µg/l | 10,000 | -- |
| Methylene chloride | T | µg/l | 10,000 | 2,600 |
| Nickel | TR | µg/l | 4,600 | -- |
| Nitrobenzene | T | µg/l | 600 | -- |
| Nitrosoamines | T | µg/l | 12.4 | -- |
| N-Nitrosodibutylamine | T | µg/l | 2.2 | -- |
| N-Nitrosodiethylamine | T | µg/l | 12.4 | -- |
| N-Nitrosodimethylamine | T | µg/l | 30 | -- |
| N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine | T | µg/l | 5.1 | -- |
| N-Nitrosodiphenylamine | T | µg/l | 60 | -- |
| N-Nitrosodipyrrolidine | T | µg/l | 340 | -- |
| Pentachlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 0.1 | -- |
| Pentachlorophenol | T | µg/l | 0.4 | -- |
| Phenol | T | µg/l | 300,000 | -- |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls | T | µg/l | 0.00064 | 0.000026 |
| Pyrene | T | µg/l | 30 | -- |
| Selenium | TR | µg/l | 4,200 | -- |
| Silvex | T | µg/l | 400 | NL |
| (2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxypropionic acid) | NL | NL | NL | NL |
| 1,2,4,5-Tetrachlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 0.03 | -- |
| 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin | T | pg/l | 0.051 | 0.0086 |
| 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane | T | µg/l | 30 | -- |
| Tetrachloroethylene | T | µg/l | 290 | -- |
| Toluene | T | µg/l | 520 | 520 |
| Toxaphene | T | µg/l | 0.0071 | 0.000068 |
| 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene | T | µg/l | 0.76 | -- |
| 1,1,1-Trichloroethane | T | µg/l | 200,000 | NL |
| 1,1,2-Trichloroethane | T | µg/l | 89 | -- |
| Trichloroethylene | T | µg/l | 70 | 70 |
| 2,4,5-Trichlorophenol | T | µg/l | 600 | -- |
| 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol | T | µg/l | 28 | -- |
| Vinyl chloride | T | µg/l | 16 | -- |
| Zinc | T | µg/l | 26,000 | -- |
No results found.
Source: OAC 3745-1-34, Table 34-1. Most recent revision effective 4/21/2021. Full document: Ohio Water Quality Standards (PDF).
Ohio water quality criteria for human health protection via fish consumption pathway. Source: OAC 3745-1-34, Table 34-1. Effective 4/21/2021.