Polychlorinated Biphenyls Burden Research Articles

Use of 90SR in fish vertebrae as an effluent exposure tracer in PCB-contaminated channel catfish

Strontium-90 was measured in the vertebrae of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) collected from an embayment and the adjoining river/reservoir in order to determine their exposure to the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and 90Sr-contaminated effluent entering the embayment from a point-source discharge. Concentrations of PCBs in the fish were measured and compared with the 90Sr levels to assess the role of the effluent as a possible source of PCB contamination in catfish in the river and embayment. Catfish exposed to the elevated levels of 90Sr in the embayment were found to migrate into uncontaminated areas of the river where they were available to anglers. The pattern of PCB contamination in catfish did not mirror that of 90Sr hence, little of the PCB burden of the fish in the river could be traced to continuing PCB discharges to the embayment.

Distribution and Characterization of PCBs in Lake Michigan Water

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in the water column of Lake Michigan at 28 stations. Distributions between dissolved and particulate phases were used to evaluate the partitioning behavior of PCBs. The average PCB concentration in Lake Michigan was 1.8 ng/L, corresponding to a total PCB burden of 8,900 kg. The average PCB concentration was significantly lower in open lake (1.2 ng/L) than in nearshore zone samples (3.2 ng/L). Concentrations in Green Bay were elevated compared to the rest of the lake. Variations in concentration with depth were small. The average log of the water-particle partition coefficient (Kp) was 5.9. Little dependence of Kp on particulate organic carbon was observed. A relationship was found between log Kp and log SPM (suspended particulate matter) concentration, perhaps reflecting association of a non-filterable fraction of the SPM with the aqueous phase. Selected PCB congener Kp and Koc (Kp × organic carbon weight-fraction) values were measured and related to congener Kow (octanol-water partition coefficient), yielding the predictive relationship log Koc = 4.2 + 0.34 log Kow. Congener log Kp values are predicted to range from 4.8 to 6.1, indicating that congener fates in the water column differ and are partly controlled by their physical chemical properties.

POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYL CONTAMINATION OF FORT LOUDOUN RESERVOIR: A MANAGEMENT RESPONSE TO THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 1984 REVISION OF LIMITS FOR PCB IN FISH FLESH

ABSTRACT The Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) conducted a series of investigations from 1981 through 1983 to determine the extent of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination of fish and sediment in Fort Loudoun Reservoir near Knoxville, Tenn. Fish and sediments from the Little River embayment had higher PCB concentrations than samples from other parts of the reservoir, and sediments contained up to 7 μg/g PCB near the mouth of the embayment. Little River embayment catfish contained up to 22 μg/g PCB in edible flesh, and over 60 percent exceeded the 5 μg/g Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limit for PCB. Sport fish and commercially important rough fish had PCB burdens below the 5 μg/g FDA limit. As a management response, a public advisory in April 1982 recommended against frequent consumption of catfish from Fort Loudoun Reservoir or consumption of any catfish from the Little River embayment. The Little River embayment was posted and closed to comm...

PCBs in Lake Superior, 1978–1980

Polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs) were measured in the water column of Lake Superior during the summers of 1978 to 1980. The total PCB water concentrations were relatively uniform areally and vertically within any one year: 1978, 1.3 ± 1.3 ng/L; 1979, 3.8 ±1.9 ng/L; 1980, 0.9 ±0.4 ng/L. The volume-weighted abiotic PCB burden in the water column fluctuated with climatic conditions between ∼10,000 and 40,000 kg, but would be in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 kg most of the time. Analysis of 24 large volume, filtered samples from 1980 showed that 27±12% of the PCBs were in the paniculate phase. The distribution coefficient for PCBs, defined by use of a glass-fiber filter, ranged from 10 4 to 10 7 L/kg, exhibiting a strong, inverse log relationship to the suspended solids concentration. This behavior is partially attributed to the differences in the organic carbon content of the sampled particles in different regions of the lake and to artifacts of the filtration process. The elevated total PCB concentrations in the summer of 1979 in conjunction with the previous winter's severe weather conditions are evidence of seasonal fluctuations of PCBs in the water column resulting mostly from sediment resuspension.

Polychlorinated biphenyl dynamics in hudson river striped bass. I. Accumulation in early life history stages

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) burdens in larval striped bass, Morone saxatilis, from the Hudson River estuary and laboratory determinations of PCB accumulation in larval and juvenile striped bass are presented. Hudson River fish contained variable amounts of PCBs, from below detection (0.05 gm/g dry weight) to 7.07 μ/g. More PCBs similar to Aroclor 1254 than Aroclor 1016 were found. Larval and young-of-year fish exposed to [ 14C]Aroclor 1254 ([ 14C]PCB) in water and sorbed to suspended particles and sediments accumulated PCBs at linear rates during the first 24 h of exposure. Larvae exposed in river water accumulated body burdens related to exposure concentrations. Similar accumulation rates and body burdens in larvae exposed in filtered (0.45 μm pore size) river water showed that accumulation resulted from the uptake of dissolved PCB. PCB accumulation in larvae exposed to [ 14C]PCB on suspended particles resulted from uptake of PCB desorbed from particles. PCB burdens in larvae exposed to sediment-sorbed [ 14C]PCB resulted from desorption of sediment-bound PCB and maintenance of solubility equilibrium with the water. The linear relationship between the initial PCB concentration in water and accumulated PCB in fish from each exposure suggested that accumulation resulted from equilibrium partitioning between water and fish. There are indications that PCB burdens in river fish reflect the solubility-equilibrium based accumulation determined in these studies.