Effect of sediment oil contamination on the bioaccumulation and excretion of PCBs in chironomid larvae
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) have received considerable public awareness over the past 10 years. Studies have shown that PCB's are readily taken up either through bioconcentration and/or bioaccumulation to alarmingly high levels. To elucidate the dynamics between oil-PCB contaminated sediments and the resulting uptake in midges, a confounded experimental design was employed. This consisted of exposing over a 30 day period second larval instars of Glypotendipes barbipes to two types of sediments, each contaminated with three levels of oil (0.0, 0.25, and 1.0%) and PCB's. The artificial sediments, consisting of shredded paper toweling, were contaminated with 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 ug/g of Aroclor. 1242, whereas 2,2',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCB) was employed to contaminate the natural sediments. In addition to these exposures, experiments were carried out that determined TCB levels in various life cycle stages. The results showed that very little TCB was lost in cast larval and pupal excuviae. However, over 50% of the adult body burden was eliminated with the depositions of eggs. Chironomids accumulated 18.5 ug/g Aroclor 1242 from the highest exposure in artificial sediments, whereas only 8.7 ug/g of TCB accumulated after exposure of 1.1 ug/g of the siomer in natural sediments. The reduced uptake observed in natural sediment was attributed to increased adsorptive forces limiting the transfer across the gut wall in the organism. The bioaccumulation of both Aroclor 1242 and TCB in midges was reduced by 70-80% in the presence of paraffin oil.
- Research Organization:
- Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6566137
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Uptake and depuration of PCB 77, PCB 169, and hexachlorobenzene by zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)
Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on porphyrin synthesis and cytochrome P-450 dependent monooxygenases in small intestine and liver of Japanese quail
Related Subjects
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
BENTHOS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
CLEARANCE
CONTAMINATION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXCRETION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
LARVAE
OIL SPILLS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
SEDIMENTS