Non-food-chain transfer of sediment-associated persistent organic pollutants to a marine benthic fish.
We investigated the transfer of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from unspiked bottom sediment to a benthic marine fish, marbled sole (Pleuronectes yokohamae), via non-food-chain pathways, i.e., via sediment particles and water column. One-year-old sole were held for 28days in an exposure tank with bottom sediment or in a control tank. o,p'-DDE and tri- to penta-chlorobiphenyls were transferred from the sediment to the fish via non-food-chain pathways, as demonstrated by concentrations in the exposed fish at 2.5-30 times the control levels. A model analysis based on first-order kinetic equations indicated that the overall rate constant of transfer of these compounds from sediment to fish was generally lower than that from food (median of ratio, 0.48). It also suggested that relatively high concentrations of the other POPs in the food and the longer times necessary for them to reach a steady state masked any transfer of them from the sediment.
Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan. tsakurai@nies.go.jp
Takeo
T
Sakurai
Jun
J
Kobayashi
Yoshitaka
Y
Imaizumi
Noriyuki
N
Suzuki
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D005432:Flounder / Q000378:metabolism*; D020387:Food Chain; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008386:Marine Biology; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls