Distribution patterns of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in water, sediment and biota from Midway Atoll

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:458341

Titus, E ^[1]; Scatolini, S; Cotter, J ^[2]; Hope, B ^[3]

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1. Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, San Francisco, CA (United States)
2. Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, Honolulu, HI (United States)
3. Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR (United States)

There are large gaps in the understanding of critical pathways of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) transfer from abiotic media into lower trophic level marine organisms and, subsequently to higher marine consumers, particularly for the North Pacific Ocean. In this study, twenty PCB congeners were quantified in surface water, sediment and tissues of marine biota taken from near-shore waters at Midway Atoll. PCB 138, 153, 180, and 187 were the most abundant congeners in all samples analyzed. Bioaccumulation was shifted in favor of higher chlorinated congeners in all species; only aquatic macrophytes displayed significant accumulation of lower chlorinated congeners. Non-ortho substituted congeners with toxic potency were below detection levels in the majority of species. Certain mono-ortho congeners, implicated in marine mammal toxicity, comprised only 4.5% of total congener load in potential forage species.

• OSTI ID: 458341
• Report Number(s): CONF-961149--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ISLANDS
MONITORING
PACIFIC OCEAN
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION