Application of a food chain model to polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of the lobster and winter flounder food chains in New Bedford Harbor
- HydroQual, Inc., Mahwah, NJ (United States) Manhattan Coll., Riverdale, NY (United States)
As part of a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study for the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site a model of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the lobster and winter flounder food chains was developed. This model successfully reproduces tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexachlorobiphenyl concentrations observed at all levels of the food chain and across the 2 order of magnitude concentration gradient in the system. The model indicated that PCB concentrations in the flounder and, to a lesser extent, in the lobster are derived from the sediment. Dietary uptake exceeds uptake across the gill for all four homologues and becomes the dominant route at the higher chlorinated homologues. The assimilation efficiency of ingested PCB apparently declines from relatively high values for tri-chlorobiphenyl to relatively low values for hexachlorobiphenyl. Differences in observed lobster and flounder PCB concentrations appear to be due to differences in the importance of the benthic component of the food chains of these animals and differences in whole body lipid content.
- OSTI ID:
- 5149827
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Vol. 25:4; ISSN 0013-936X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MONITORING
UPTAKE
BENTHOS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FISHES
FOOD CHAINS
HARBORS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
LIPIDS
LOBSTERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PHYTOPLANKTON
SEDIMENTS
US SUPERFUND
WATER POLLUTION
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
ARTHROPODS
CRUSTACEANS
DECAPODS
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
INVERTEBRATES
LAWS
MASS TRANSFER
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANKTON
PLANTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION LAWS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
540220* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
540320 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology