Foodchain bioaccumulation patterns of pesticides, PCB isomers and dioxin/furan congeners in the Great Lakes
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Burlington, Ontario (Canada)
Lake Ontario is one of the most contaminated Great Lakes. A detailed analysis of whole body concentrations of organic contaminants was conducted on a simple 4 compartment coldwater foodchain consisting of 7 species including several invertebrate diet items, prey fish species and the top predator lake trout. Sediment samples from the same site were analyzed for a similar suite of contaminants. Analyses were performed using a combination of HRMS/MS and GC/MS. All concentrations were reported on a whole animal wet weight basis and lipid weight concentrations. Total Toxic Equivalent Factors (TEFS) were calculated for both dioxin and furan isomers and coplanar PCBs. PCB 110 (pentachlorobiphenyl) was the dominant congener in sediment samples as well as samples of benthic invertebrates. On the other hand, PCB 138 and 153 (hexachlorobiphenyls) were found at the highest concentration in the top predator lake trout and a prey species that feeds primarily in the water column. Mysis relicta, a zooplankton species that migrates diurnally through the water column, had similar levels of both PCB 110 and PCB 138/153. PCB 77 was consistently the highest coplanar PCB found in all samples. In all biological samples analyzed 2,3,7,8 substituted tetrachlorodioxin and furan isomers were consistently found at the highest levels. Lipid normalization of all whole body data did not significantly change the bioaccumulation factors calculated using wet weight concentrations.
- OSTI ID:
- 40026
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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