ABSTRACT
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) for cyanide were developed in 1984 [1] and have been used extensively to develop local water quality standards for protection of aquatic life. New knowledge on the relative toxicity of bioavailable cyanide species, and the measurement of cyanide species [2] have prompted a reevaluation of the aquatic toxicity data that serve as the basis of the current national criteria [3; see also Chapter 14]. However, AWQC for protection of aquatic life do not necessarily represent concentrations that would be protective of the entire aquatic ecosystem. Consideration also should be given to the sensitivity of wildlife species whose primary habitats are aquatic or are dependent on aquatic life as a food source. Aquatic-dependent wildlife is comprised of waterfowl, shorebirds (e.g., sandpipers), and aquatic mammals (e.g., otter, beaver).
