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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Implications to risk assessment of tissue concentrations and toxicity of PAHs in terrestrial and aquatic plants

Conference ·
OSTI ID:398226
 [1]
  1. EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Lafayette, CA (United States)
The toxicity and bioaccumulation of PAHs are dependent upon their chemical structure, water solubility, lipophilicity, and environmental persistence. The conditions governing their persistence and bioavailability (e.g., oxygen availability, photodegradation) vary widely in aquatic and terrestrial environments. This variation affects the nature and magnitude of toxicity in plant receptors and also the plant tissue concentrations that become part of the trophic transfer exposure pathway in risk assessment. Thus, using the same bioconcentration algorithms to predict PAH uptake and tissue concentration in vegetation may overestimate or underestimate actual effects and bioaccumulations that are then carried through the entire risk assessment process. This paper presents an overview and examples of PAH behavior and toxicity as they apply to wetland and terrestrial plants and explores the implications to the risk assessment process.
OSTI ID:
398226
Report Number(s):
CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English