Comparison of the Uptake of Dioxin-Like Compounds by Caged Channel Catfish and Semipermeable Membrane Devices in the Saginaw River, Michigan

Abstract

Elevated concentrations of planar, halogenated hydrocarbons have been linked to reproductive problems in a variety of fish-eating birds and mammals in the Great Lakes and in particular Saginaw Bay. Currently, there are no accurate procedures to assess bioavailability of these contaminants. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and mono- and non-ortho-chloro-substituted biphenyls in water at the femtogram to picogram per liter range were passively concentrated in semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), and these data were compared to the bioconcentration in co-exposed (caged) channel catfish. Sediment-derived water concentration estimates, calculated from a steady-state partitioning model, did not correlate well to those derived from either fish or SPMDs. The use of SPMDs demonstrated the utility of in-situ passive sampling over inference of water concentrations from accumulation in biota or partitioning with sediment. Residues ac cumulated by SPMDs have been shown to be proportional to analyte water concentration, whereas this does not appear to be the case for fish tissues. The greater amounts of 3,3‘,4,4‘-tetrachlorobiphenyl and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran accumulated in SPMDs than in exposed channel catfish indicated those non-passive aspects of bioconcentration in organisms, such as biotransformation and elimination, introduced 50−500% error in the assumed degree of exposure.

PAHs and PCBs accumulated by SPMD-based virtual organisms and feral fish in Three Gorges Reservoir, China

“…The use of VO to complement or to replace fish has been proven to meet the goals of many monitoring programs under controlled laboratory conditions (Lu and Wang, 2003). Many studies have been carried out comparing the accumulation of HOCs by VOs with bivalves such as mussels (Prest et al, 1995;Hofelt and Shea, 1997;Baussant et al, 2001;Richardson et al, 2001Richardson et al, , 2005 and caged fish (Gale et al, 1997;Baussant et al, 2001;Verweij et al, 2004;Ke et al, 2007). However, few studies have been conducted to compare the uptake of HOCs by VOs to that by feral fish living in freshwater rivers.…”

Using Semipermeable Membrane Devices, Bioassays, and Chemical Analysis for Evaluation of Bioavailable Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water

“…On a wet-weight basis, the PAH concentrations in SPMDs were about an order of magnitude higher than those in crucian carp tissues (Table 1). This was not surprising because it had been shown in a number of field studies (Gale et al 1997;Hofelt and Shea 1997;Moring and Rose 1997) that SPMDs accumulate higher concentrations of hydrophobic pollutants than do aquatic organism when deployed alongside.…”

“…Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) are low-density polyethylene (LDPE) tubes filled with a thin layer of lipidlike substance (triolein) and are shown to be suitable for determining concentrations of in situ bioavailable lipophilic contaminants to which aquatic organisms are exposed (Huckins et al 1990). SPMDs have been successfully used to sample a diverse array of organic contaminants, including PAHs, chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) (Hofelt and Shea 1997;Gale et al 1997;Lebo et al 1992;Verweij et al 2004).…”

“…Despite the fact that SPMD characteristics and applications have been described extensively (Gale et al 1997;Gilli et al 2005;Lebo et al 1992), its use as a pollutant-concentrating device for biological testing is relatively few. Chemical analysis provides only part of the knowledge necessary to evaluate the toxic potential of organic contaminants and does not take into consideration bioavailability or the interactions (synergism, antagonism) between pollutants in complex mixtures (Kočí et al 2003).…”

Organochlorine pesticides accumulated by SPMD-based virtual organisms and feral fish in Three Gorges Reservoir, China

“…The use of VO to complement or to replace fish has been proven to meet the goals of many monitoring programs under controlled laboratory conditions (Lu and Wang, 2003). Many studies have been carried out comparing the accumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) by VOs with bivalves such as mussels (Prest et al, 1995;Hofelt and Shea, 1997;Richardson et al, 2001Richardson et al, , 2005 and caged fish (Gale et al, 1997;Verweij et al, 2004;Ke et al, 2007). However, few studies have been conducted to compare the uptake of OCPs by VOs to that by feral fish living in freshwater rivers.…”