An evaluation of cause‐effect relationships between polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and sediment toxicity to benthic invertebrates

Fuchsman, Phyllis C.; Barber, Timothy R.; Lawton, Jennifer C.; Leigh, Katrina

doi:10.1897/05-614r.1

Cited by 19 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Furthermore, it is far below the mechanistically based benchmarks reported elsewhere (e.g., Fuchsman et al 2006), even though the latter are expressed as Aroclors. The Rhone SQG proposed is also comparable to the total PCBs fca-SQT ranging from 1 to 60 ng g −1 (dw) determined by Bhavsar et al (2010) for several Great Lakes locations and four species.…”

Section: Sqg Calculationmentioning

confidence: 61%

BSAFs for freshwater fish and derivation of a sediment quality guideline for PCBs in the Rhone basin, France

Babut¹,

Lopes²,

Pradelle³

et al. 2011

J Soils Sediments

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International audiencePurpose Since 2005, freshwater fish contamination by polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polychlorodibenzodioxins, and polychlorodibenzofurans has been assessed in the Rhone River basin (France). A large database of surface sediment contamination by PCBs is also available, opening the way to the study of biota-to-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) distribution throughout this basin. The ultimate goal of the study was to determine a sediment quality guideline (SQG) corresponding to the regulatory fish consumption limit. Materials and methods A bootstrapping procedure for determining BSAFs was applied to a data set matching the available databases of sediment and fish contamination by PCBs in the Rhone River basin. The SQG was obtained by combining the current tissue-based regulatory threshold with a characteristic BSAF value, for a species particularly prone to accumulating these compounds. As the current regulatory threshold refers to dioxins and related com- pounds, while most available sediment data deal with non- dioxin-like PCBs, a set of correlations was used to derive an SQG for the sum of seven indicator PCBs. To assess the reliability of these SQG pairs, actual fish and sediment concentrations were classified into four categories, accord- ing to a comparison with the regulatory threshold for fish data and the calculated SQG. Results and discussion BSAFs were determined for 11 species. The barbel and European eel had the highest BSAFs. The common carp, a benthic species, had surpris- ingly low BSAFs, as low as pelagic and omnivorous species such as chub. The data set was also split into two parts, one comprising fish samples at or above the regulatory limit and the other samples below this threshold. Sediment concentrations and BSAFs were higher in the former group. An SQG was derived on the basis of the 75th percentile of barbel's BSAF, equaling 26.6 ng g−1 dry weight (range 15.6-38.6 ng g−1) for the sum of seven indicator PCBs. When tested against the same database, this SQG displayed an overall efficiency of about 60% resulting from the limited reliability of sediment data and the factors influencing PCB bioavailability. Conclusions From the perspective of regulatory frame- works such as the European Water Framework Directive, a tiered monitoring strategy combining sediments (first tier) and biota (second tier) could be more relevant than a single- compartment approach. In this context, an SQG such as the one determined herein would trigger the second tier

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Section: Sqg Calculationmentioning

confidence: 61%

BSAFs for freshwater fish and derivation of a sediment quality guideline for PCBs in the Rhone basin, France

Babut¹,

Lopes²,

Pradelle³

et al. 2011

J Soils Sediments

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“…Because our chronic toxicity PCB concentrations are based exclusively on Aroclor mixtures (Tables and ), selecting an Aroclor‐specific K OW value was our principal approach for EqP modeling in the present investigation. The homolog approach used by Fuchsman et al is found in the Discussion section, as is a congener approach; however, neither matches with the Aroclor‐based injury data from Tables and . The handbook published by Mackay et al may be one of the most widely cited and respected sources for physical–chemical properties of organic chemicals.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study, we used the theoretical EqP approach to generate a continuum of benthic injury dose responses for sediments contaminated with PCBs. We compare our approach with threshold values reported by Fuchsman et al . We discuss important uncertainties associated with the use and application of the benthic injury dose–response curve for PCB‐contaminated sediments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Benthic injury dose–response models for polychlorinated biphenyl–contaminated sediment using equilibrium partitioning

Finkelstein¹,

Beckvar

Dillon³

2016

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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The study goal was to develop a sediment polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dose-response model based on benthic invertebrate effects to PCBs. The authors used an equilibrium partitioning (EqP) approach to generate predicted PCB sediment effect concentrations (largely Aroclor 1254) associated with a gradient of toxic effects in benthic organisms from effects observed in aquatic toxicity studies. The present study differs from all other EqP collective sediment investigations in that the authors examined a common dose-response gradient of effects for PCBs rather than a single, protective value. The authors reviewed the chronic aquatic toxicity literature to identify measured aqueous PCB concentrations and associated benthic invertebrate effects. The authors control-normalized the aquatic toxic effect data and expressed results from various studies as a common metric, percent injury. Then, they calculated organic carbon-normalized sediment PCB concentrations (mg/kg organic carbon) from the aqueous PCB toxicity data set using EqP theory based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPIWEB 4.1) derivation of the water-organic carbon partition coefficient (K ). Lastly, the authors constructed a nonlinear dose-response numerical model for these synoptic sediment PCB concentrations and biological effects: Y = 100/1 + 10 (EC50 = median effective concentration). These models were used to generate "look-up" tables reporting percent injury in benthic biota for a range of Aroclor-specific sediment concentrations. For example, the model using the EPIWEB K estimate predicts mean benthic injury of 23.3%, 46.0%, 70.6%, 87.1%, and 95% for hypothetical sediment concentrations of 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, 8 mg/kg, and 16 mg/kg dry weight of Aroclor 1254, respectively (at 1% organic carbon). The authors recommend the model presented for screening but suggest, when possible, determining a site-specific K that, along with the tables and equations, allows users to create their own protective dose-response sediment concentration. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1311-1329. © 2016 SETAC.

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“…Polychlorinated biphenyls are persistent, hydrophobic, and bioaccumulative contaminants, which are widely distributed and listed as endocrine disrupters and probable carcinogens to humans [33]. Even when aqueous PCB concentrations in overlying water are below the acutely toxic level (%7 ppm [1]), chronic effects have been observed on organism growth, reproduction, survival, and life span as well as teratogenic effects in wildlife [34][35][36].…”

Section: Sediment Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contaminants in sediment that cause chronic toxicity can simplify community structures by reducing the abundance of sensitive species and increasing the abundance of tolerant species [1][2][3]. If changes in the benthic community can be attributed to major pollutants like PCBs, then sediment remediation strategies could more directly be evaluated based on their capability to mitigate exposure and risk and to allow for recovery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PCB‐induced changes of a benthic community and expected ecosystem recovery following in situ sorbent amendment

Janssen

Thompson

Luoma

et al. 2011

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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The benthic community was analyzed to evaluate pollution-induced changes for the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated site at Hunters Point (HP) relative to 30 reference sites in San Francisco Bay, California, USA. An analysis based on functional traits of feeding, reproduction, and position in the sediment shows that HP is depauperate in deposit feeders, subsurface carnivores, and species with no protective barrier. Sediment chemistry analysis shows that PCBs are the major risk drivers at HP (1,570 ppb) and that the reference sites contain very low levels of PCB contamination (9 ppb). Different feeding traits support the existence of direct pathways of exposure, which can be mechanistically linked to PCB bioaccumulation by biodynamic modeling. The model shows that the deposit feeder Neanthes arenaceodentata accumulates approximately 20 times more PCBs in its lipids than the facultative deposit feeder Macoma balthica and up to 130 times more than the filter feeder Mytilus edulis. The comparison of different exposure scenarios suggests that PCB tissue concentrations at HP are two orders of magnitude higher than at the reference sites. At full scale, in situ sorbent amendment with activated carbon may reduce PCB bioaccumulation at HP by up to 85 to 90% under favorable field and treatment conditions. The modeling framework further demonstrates that such expected remedial success corresponds to exposure conditions suggested as the cleanup goal for HP. However, concentrations remain slightly higher than at the reference sites. The present study demonstrates how the remedial success of a sorbent amendment, which lowers the PCB availability, can be compared to reference conditions and traditional cleanup goals, which are commonly based on bulk sediment concentrations.

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An evaluation of cause‐effect relationships between polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and sediment toxicity to benthic invertebrates

Cited by 19 publications

References 69 publications

BSAFs for freshwater fish and derivation of a sediment quality guideline for PCBs in the Rhone basin, France

BSAFs for freshwater fish and derivation of a sediment quality guideline for PCBs in the Rhone basin, France

Benthic injury dose–response models for polychlorinated biphenyl–contaminated sediment using equilibrium partitioning

PCB‐induced changes of a benthic community and expected ecosystem recovery following in situ sorbent amendment

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