Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Bioaccumulation of organic micropollutants from sediments and suspended particulates by aquatic animals

Bioakkumulation organischer Mikro-Verunreinigungen in Seetieren aus Sedimenten und suspendierten Teilchen

  • Original Papers
  • Movement of Organic Micropollutants Across Interfaces
  • Published:
Fresenius' Zeitschrift für analytische Chemie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Zusammenfassung

Nicht-polare organische Verunreinigungen, wie polycyclische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe, polychlorierte Biphenyle und einige Pesticide, die an Sedimente adsorbiert sind, besitzen eine niedrige Bioverfügbarkeit für Süßwasser- und Seetiere. Die Bioakkumulationsfaktoren aus den Sedimenten (Konzentration im Tier/Konzentration im Sediment) reichen für die untersuchten Verunreinigungen von weniger als 0,1 bis etwa 20, d.h. mehrere Größenordnungen kleiner als die entsprechenden Faktoren aus Wasser. Die Bioverfügbarkeit der an Sediment adsorbierten Verunreinigungen steht im direkten Verhältnis zu der Löslichkeit der Betreffenden Verbindung und der Korngröße des Sediments, und ist umgekehrt proportional zu der Konzentration an organischem Kohlenstoff im Sediment und der Größe des Tieres. Die an Sediment adsorbierten Verunreinigungen sind nur gering bioverfügbar, die Sedimente in kontaminierten Gebieten enthalten aber oft hohe Konzentrationen an Verunreinigungen. Daher stellen die Sedimente eine bedeutende Verunreinigungsquelle für Süßwasser- und Meerestiere dar.

Summary

Non-polar organic micropollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and some pesticides, which are adsorbed to sediments have a low bioavailability to freshwater and marine animals. Bioaccumulation factors from sediments (concentration in animal/concentration in sediment) of the organic pollutants investigated range from less than 0.1 to about 20, several orders of magnitude lower than bioaccumulation factors from the water for the same compounds. Bioavailability of sediment-adsorbed organic micropollutants is directly related to the solubility of the compound and sediment grain size, and inversely related to sediment organic carbon concentration and animal size. Organic micropollutants adsorbed to sediments are only slightly bioavailable, but sediments in contaminated areas often contain high concentrations of adsorbed pollutants; therefore they represent an important source of contamination of freshwater and marine animals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Adams JW, Kimerle RA, Mosher RG (1984) Aquatic safety assessment of chemicals sorbed to sediments. In: Proceedings 7th Ann. Aquatic Toxicology Symposium. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, PA (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Augenfeld JM, Anderson JW, Riley RG, Thomas BL (1982) The fate of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in an intertidal sediment exposure system: bioavailability toMacoma inquinata (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) andAbarenicola pacifica (Annelida: Polychaeta). Mar Environ Res 7:31–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bascom W (1982) The effects of waste disposal on the coastal waters of Southern California. Environ Sci Technol 16:226A-236A

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Boehm PD (1982) Organic pollutant transforms and bioaccumulation of pollutants in the benthos from waste disposalassociated sediments. Tech. Rept. submitted to US Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA Grant No. NA81RAD0020. 78 pp

  5. Boehm PD (1983) Estuarine/continental shelf and benthic/water column coupling of organic pollutants in the New York Bight region. Can J Fish Aquat Sci (in press)

  6. Eadie BJ, Faust W, Gardner WS, Nalepa T (1982) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments and associated benthos in Lake Erie. Chemosphere 11:185–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Eadie BJ, Faust WR, Landrum PF, Moorehead NR, Gardner WS, Nalepa T (1983) Bioconcentrations of PAH by some benthic organisms of the great lakes. In: Cooke M, Dennis AJ (eds) Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons: formation, metabolism and measurement. Battelle Press, Columbus, OH, p 437–449

    Google Scholar 

  8. Eadie BJ, Landrum PF, Faust W (1982) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments, pore water and the amphipodPontoporeia hoyi from Lake Michigan. Chemosphere 11:847–849

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Elder DL, Fowler SW, Polikarpov GG (1979) Remobilization of sediment-associated PCBs by the wormNereis diversicolor. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 21:448–452

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fowler SW, Polycarpov GG, Elder DL, Parsi P, Villeneuve JP (1978) Polychlorinated biphenyls: accumulation from contaminated sediments and water by the polychaeteNereis diversicolor. Mar Biol 48:303–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Gearing PJ, Gearing JN, Pruell RJ, Wade TL, Quinn JG (1980) Partitioning of No. 2 fuel oil in controlled estuarine ecosystems. Sediments and suspended particulate matter. Environ Sci Technol 14:1129–1136

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Herrmann R, Hubner D (1982) Behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Exe Estuary, Devon Neth J Sea Res. 15:362–390

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Lee RF (1981) Mixed function oxygenases (MFO) in marine invertebrates. Mar Biol Letters 2:87–105

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Lyes MC (1979) Bioavailability of hydrocarbon from water and sediment to the marine wormArenicola marina. Mar Biol 55:121–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. McLeese DW, Metcalfe CD, Pezzack DS (1980) Uptake of PCBs from sediment byNereis virens andCrangon septemspinosa. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 9:507–518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Morales-Alamo R, Haven DS (1983) Uptake of kepone from sediment suspensions and subsequent loss by the oysterCrassostrea virginica. Mar Biol 75:187–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Neff JM (1979) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. Sources, fates and biological effects. Applied Science Publishers, Barking, Essex, England, pp 1–266

    Google Scholar 

  18. Nimmo DR, Wilson PD, Blackman RR, Wilson AJ Jr (1971) Polychlorinated biphenyl adsorbed from sediments by fiddler crabs and pink shrimp. Nature 231:50–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Olsen CR, Cutshall NH, Larsen JL (1982) Pollutant-particle associations and dynamics in coastal marine environments: a review. Mar Chem 11:501–533

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Paris DF, Steen WC, Baughman GL (1978) Role of physicochemical properties of Aroclors 1016 and 1242 in determining their fate and transport in aquatic environments. Chemosphere 4:319–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Pavlou SP, Dexter RN (1979) Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in estuarine ecosystems. Testing the concept of equilibrium partitioning in the marine environment. Environ Sci Technol 13:65–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Roesijadi G, Anderson JW, Blaylock JW (1978) Uptake of hydrocarbons from marine sediments contaminated with Prudhoe Bay crude oil: Influence of feeding type of test species and availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. J Fish Res Bd Can 35:604–614

    Google Scholar 

  23. Rosijadi G, Woodruff DL, Anderson JW (1978) Bioavailability of naphthalenes from marine sediments artificially contaminated with Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Environ Pollut 15:223–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Rossi SS (1977) Bioavailability of petroleum hydrocarbons from water, sediments and detritus to the marine annelidNeanthes arenaceodentata. In: Proceedings 1977 Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC, pp 621–626

    Google Scholar 

  25. Rubinstein NI, Lores E, Gregory NR (1983) Accumulation of PCBs, mercury and cadmium byNereis virens, Mercenaria mercenaria andPalaemonetes pugio from contaminated harbor sediments. Aquat Toxicol 3:249–260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Seelye JG, Hesselberg RJ, Mac MJ (1982) Accumulation by fish of contaminants from dredged sediments. Environ Sci Technol 16:459–464

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Wyman KD, O'Connors HB Jr (1980) Implications of shortterm PCB uptake by small estuarine copepods (genusAcartia) from PCB-contaminated water, inorganic sediments and phytoplankton. Cstl Estuar Mar Sci 11:121–131

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Battelle, New England Marine Research Laboratory, 392 Washington Street, 02332, Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA

    Jerry M. Neff

Authors
  1. Jerry M. Neff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Neff, J.M. Bioaccumulation of organic micropollutants from sediments and suspended particulates by aquatic animals. Z. Anal. Chem. 319, 132–136 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584674

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584674

Keywords

Search

Navigation