Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls in freshwater fish from Taihu Lake, China: Their levels and the factors that influence biomagnification

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), two types of persistent organic pollutants that have been used widely, can be released into the environment and accumulate in organisms. To obtain a better understanding of the biomagnification of PBDEs and PCBs in fish, as well as the influences on biomagnification by fish size and physical properties of PBDEs and PCBs, a total of 200 samples of 24 fish species were collected and analyzed from Taihu Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China. The concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs ranged from 8.59 to 74.28 ng/g lipid weight (lw) and from 10.30 to 165.20 ng/g lw, respectively. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) were used to estimate the PBDE and PCB biomagnification potentials. The TMF values of PBDEs and PCBs ranged from 0.78 to 2.95 and from 0.92 to 2.60, respectively. Most of the TMFs were greater than 1, indicating that these contaminants were biomagnified in food chains. Fish size might influence the biomagnification evaluation, because different sized fish had different lipid content, leading to different lipid-based concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs. Parabolic relationships were observed between the TMFs and logK(OW) , as well as between the TMFs and the molecular volumes of PBDE and PCB congeners. The congeners with logK(OW) values of approximately 7 or molecular volumes of approximately 8 × 10⁻⁵ nm³ had the greatest biomagnification potentials. Compared to molecular weight, molecular volume seems to be the better standard for analyzing the influence of molecular size on biomagnification.

Occurrence, bioaccumulation, and trophic magnification of pharmaceutically active compounds in Taihu Lake, China

“…With the rapid economic growth and urban development since the 1980s, the lake has been seriously polluted by wastewaters and wastes from industry, agriculture, and daily life. As a result, the occurrence of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been reported in the water, sediments, and organisms from the lake (Feng et al, 2003;Wang et al, 2011;Yu et al, 2012). In our previous studies, several PhACs were detected in water bodies in the northern part of Taihu Lake (Yan et al, 2012;Lu et al, 2013).…”

Assessment of Sediment Risk in the North End of Tai Lake, China: Integrating Chemical Analysis and Chronic Toxicity Testing with Chironomus dilutus

“…Nevertheless, the potential of POPs to be bioaccumulated and biomagnified through the food web should not be overlooked (Yu et al 2012). …”

Polybrominated biphenyl ethers in breast milk and infant formula from Shanghai, China: Temporal trends, daily intake, and risk assessment

“…As a kind of additive flame retardants, they are not chemically bound to the materials, and may release from their products into the environment during the entire life span. Because of their high lipophilicity and stability in the environment, PBDEs are persistent with potential for bioaccumulation in organisms and biomagnification through food chains Yu et al, 2012a). Finally, they can enter human bodies by various sources and routes, such as food and air by oral ingestion and inhalation, respectively (Domingo, 2012;Harrad et al, 2010).…”