title: Using performance reference compound-corrected polyethylene passive samplers and caged bivalves to measure hydrophobic contaminants of concern in urban coastal seawaters.
abstract: Low-density polyethylene (PE) passive samplers containing performance reference compounds (PRCs) were deployed at multiple depths in two urban coastal marine locations to estimate dissolved concentrations of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs), including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and polybrominated flame retardants. PE samplers pre-loaded with PRCs were deployed at the surface, mid-column, and near bottom at sites representing the nearshore continental shelf off southern California (Santa Monica Bay, USA) and a mega commercial port (Los Angeles Harbor). After correcting for fractional equilibration using PRCs, concentrations ranged up to 100 pg L(-1) for PCBs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 500 pg L(-1) for DDMU and 300 pg L(-1) for DDNU, and to 1000 pg L(-1) for p,p'-DDE. Seawater concentrations of DDTs and PCBs increased with depth, suggesting that bed sediments serve as the source of water column HOCs in Santa Monica Bay. In contrast, no discernable pattern between surface and near-bottom concentrations in Los Angeles Harbor was observed, which were also several-fold lower (DDTs: 45-300 pg L(-1), PCBs: 5-50 pg L(-1)) than those in Santa Monica Bay (DDTs: 2-1100 pg L(-1), PCBs: 2-250 pg L(-1)). Accumulation by mussels co-deployed with the PE samplers at select sites was strongly correlated with PE-estimated seawater concentrations, providing further evidence that these samplers are a viable alternative for monitoring of HOC exposure. Fractional equilibration observed with the PRCs increased with decreasing PRC molar volume indicating the importance of target compound physicochemical properties when estimating water column concentrations using passive samplers in situ.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Abigail S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Mallory S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pirogovsky
authors.affiliation: Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Electronic address: Rachel.Adams@lmu.edu.
authors.forename: Rachel G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Costa Mesa, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Wenjian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.affiliation: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Costa Mesa, CA, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsukada
authors.affiliation: City of Los Angeles Environmental Monitoring Division, Playa del Rey, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Curtis L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cash
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Haw
authors.affiliation: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Costa Mesa, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Maruya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000378:metabolism*; D002140:California; D003634:DDT / Q000032:analysis; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D020959:Polyethylene / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014504:Urban Health; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D020959:Polyethylene; D003634:DDT; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Bivalves; DDTs; PBDEs; PCBs; Passive samplers; Seawater