Persistence of chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination in a California marine ecosystem
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:7019179
Despite major reductions in the dominant DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) input off Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) in the early 1970s, the levels of these pollutants decreased only slightly from 1972 to 1975 both in surficial bottom sediments and in a flatfish bioindicator (Dover sole, Microstomus pacificus) collected near the submarine outfall. Concentrations of these pollutants in the soft tissues of the mussel Mytilus californianus, collected intertidally well inshore of the highly contaminated bottom sediments, followed much more closely the decreases in the outfall discharges. These observations suggest that contaminated sediments on the seafloor were the principal (although not necessarily direct) cause of the relatively high and persistent concentrations of DDT and PCB residues in tissues. The study indicated that residues of the higher-molecular-weight chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as DDT and PCB, can be highly persistent once released to coastal marine ecosystems and that their accumulation in surficial bottom sediments is the most likely cause of this persistence observed in the biota of the discharge zone.
- Research Organization:
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Long Beach, CA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7019179
- Report Number(s):
- PB-90-129347/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CALIFORNIA
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
DDT
ECOSYSTEMS
FEDERAL REGION IX
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
INSECTICIDES
LOS ANGELES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
POLLUTION
SAMPLING
SEDIMENTS
USA
WATER POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION MONITORS
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CALIFORNIA
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
DDT
ECOSYSTEMS
FEDERAL REGION IX
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
INSECTICIDES
LOS ANGELES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
POLLUTION
SAMPLING
SEDIMENTS
USA
WATER POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION MONITORS