Assessing Benthic Bioaccumulation of Polychlorinated Dioxins/Furans and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Lower Passaic River (NJ, USA) Based on In Situ Passive Sampling

Abstract

Passive sampling has emerged as a promising tool to assess the presence of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOC) in water, sediment, and biota, such as polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Previous work evaluated the ability of passive samplers to predict the bioavailability of sedimentary HOCs mostly in the laboratory, often for marine organisms. The present study assessed the use of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) to derive freely dissolved concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in porewater in situ versus ex situ and in river water. An LDPE‐based multisampler system was deployed at 4 locations along the lower Passaic River (NJ, USA) in sediment and the water column, where sediment and benthic species samples were also collected. Good agreement was generally observed for PCDD/F and PCB concentrations comparing in situ and ex situ approaches (within 0.30–39%). Significant linear relationships were derived between log LDPE–based and log lipid–based concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs. The in situ multisampler system showed promise to derive HOC concentrations in porewater and river water and to predict the bioaccumulation potential of HOCs in benthic biota. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1174–1185. © 2020 SETAC

Comparison of In Situ and Ex Situ Equilibrium Passive Sampling for Measuring Freely Dissolved Concentrations of Parent and Alkylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments

“…However, no consistent systematic biases between in situ and ex situ measurements across all sites were observed in the present study (Supplemental Data, Figure S6). Further, our findings are consistent with a recent study by Khairy and Lohmann (2020), who reported good agreement of C free measurements for polychlorinated dibenzodioxin/furans and PCB congeners derived with PE passive samplers using both in situ and ex situ approaches.…”

Evaluating sedimentary PAH bioavailability based on equilibrium partitioning and passive sampling at the Dover Gas Light Superfund Site (Dover, Delaware, USA)

“…This direct comparison with the passive‐sampling‐based C free values suggests these other observations are accurate. Further, two reviews of passive sampling uptake vs. bioaccumulation by several aquatic organisms (Joyce et al, 2016; Schmidt & Burgess, 2020) and two recent field‐based studies (Khairy & Lohmann, 2020; Reininghaus et al, 2020) found good agreement between passive‐sampling‐based measurements and contaminant bioavailability.…”