Bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in biota from the Pearl River Estuary, South China.
Two hundred and fifty-four biota samples (four species of invertebrates and ten species of fish) were collected from the Pearl River Estuary between 2005 and 2007 and one hundred and twenty four individual or composite samples were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The concentrations of PBDEs in organisms varied from 6.2 to 208ng/g lipid weight. This PBDE level was significantly lower than those collected in 2004, showing a decreasing trend of PBDEs in biota in the study area. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for nine BDE congeners were calculated with values ranging from 0.78 to 3.0. TMFs of BDE47, 66, 100, 99, 154, and 153 were statistically greater than one, indicating a biomagnifcation potential for these congeners. Significant positive correlations were also found between concentrations of the total PBDEs, BDE28, 47, 66, 100, 99, 154, and153 and lipid content in biota, indicating the that bioconcentration also played an important role in the accumulation of PBDEs. No correlation between trophic level and lipid content was found, suggesting that biomagnification was not the result of lipid content effect but indeed occurred. The concentration ratios of BDE99 to BDE100 were much lower in biota than that in water implying that potential congener-specific biotransformation of PBDEs occurred and influenced the biomagnification of BDE congeners.
Yu
Mei
M
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Luo
Xiao-Jun
XJ
Wu
Jiang-Ping
JP
Chen
She-Jun
SJ
Mai
Bi-Xian
BX
D000818:Animals; D049893:Arcidae / Q000378:metabolism; D044822:Biodiversity; D018533:Biomass; D003386:Brachyura / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism; D020387:Food Chain; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C086401:pentabromodiphenyl ether