API PUBL 4656-1997

$27.95

Bioaccumulation: How Chemicals Move from the Water into Fish and Other Aquatic Organisms

Published By	Publication Date	Number of Pages
API	1997	69

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Description

The purpose of this work is to provide an intermediate-level primer on why and how chemicals are accumulated by aquatic organisms (bioaccumulation). This is an important issue because of the potential effects of bioaccumulated chemicals on fish, wildlife, and ultimately, on humans. The chemicals emphasized in this primer are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and in particular the sixteen priority pollutant PAHs (selected by the U.S. EPA). Aquatic organisms are emphasized, but much of this information applies to terrestrial organisms as well. Key factors governing bioaccumulation are described to facilitate an understanding of this complex phenomenon. The factors include those related to the properties of the contaminant, the characteristics of the exposure media (environment), the organisms, and thesuppotilng food chains. Several draft EPA approaches for assessing bioaccumulative substances are critically reviewed. Also, other potential assessment options such as use of transplanted sentinel organisms and lipid-containing semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDS) are examined. This report shows that although considerable information exists on the bioaccumulation phenomenon, there is a critical need for improved methods of assessing the presence of bioaccumulative chemicals. Of the bioaccumulation assessment methods examined for PAHs, the use of SPMDS offers the most potential. Finally, this work suggests that the likelihood for PAHs to have large bioaccumulation factors is relatively low.

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