Comparative kinetics for bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls by the polychaete ( Capitella capitata) and fish ( Mugil cephalus)

Abstract

The bioaccumulation of Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260 from sediments by the polychaete ( Capitella capitata) and from water by the mullet ( Mugil cephalus) was measured in aquarium experiments and followed by clearance investigations. This allowed calculation of the bioaccumulation factor ( K B), uptake rate constant ( k 1), clearance rate constant ( k 2), and derived half-life ( t 1 2 ). The k 2 and t 1 2 values were of comparable magnitude for each organisms, but k 1 values, calculated for polychaetes on the basis of PCB concentrations in whole sediment, were considerably lower, as were the K B values similarly determined. Using the Freundlich equation, an expression was developed for K B assuming that uptake occurred from interstitial water. This expression required the use of empirically developed constants for sedimentary characteristics but gave values for k 1 and K B comparable to the values obtained with the fish.