Bioavailability and bioconcentration of polychlorinated dioxins (PCDD) and furans (PCDF) to organisms inhabiting a heavily contaminated estuarine ecosystem

Abstract

Isomer specific analysis was carried out on estuarine species at different trophic levels inhabiting a mud flat (Elizabeth, NJ U.S.A.) in a heavily contaminated and a non contaminated estuarine system (Tuckerton, NJ U.S.A.). The suspended sediment at the Elizabeth site contained approximately 104 ng/Kg of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 220 ng/Kg of 2,3,7,8-TCDF. The concentrations for 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 2,3,7,8-TCDF in the biota from Elizabeth, NJ ranged from 0.6 and 0.3 ng/Kg for algae to 13.0 and 7.0 ng/Kg for mollusk, respectively. The 2,3,7,8-TCDD did increase in higher trophic levels, while the 2,3,7,8-TCDF appeared to reach a plateau. The non 2,3,7,8- substituted compounds were not present in the fish. In the clean estuary all but one of the biota samples collected were either at the detection limit or below 1 ng/Kg for the 2,3,7,8-TCDF. A snail sample contained 1.9 ppt of 2,3,7,8-TCDF. In the Tuckerton, NJ animals the 2,3,7,8-TCDF concentration was always higher than the 2,3,7,8-TCDD concentration.