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Uptake and depuration of nonionic organic contaminants from sediment by the oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus
Author(s) -
Ingersoll Christopher G.,
Brunson Eric L.,
Wang Ning,
Dwyer F. James,
Ankley Gerald T.,
Mount David R.,
Huckins James,
Petty Jim,
Landrum Peter F.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620220427
Subject(s) - environmental chemistry , sediment , contamination , chemistry , water pollution , environmental science , ecology , biology , paleontology
Uptake of sediment‐associated contaminants by the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus was evaluated after 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 d of exposure to a field‐collected sediment contaminated with DDT and its metabolites, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), or to a field‐collected sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Depuration of contaminants by oligochaetes in a control sediment or in water was also evaluated over a 7‐d period after 28 d of exposure to the field‐collected sediments. Accumulation of PAHs with a log octanol‐water partitioning coefficient (log K ow ) <5.6 typically reached a peak at day 3, followed by a lower plateau between days 7 and 56 of the sediment exposure. Similarly, 4,4′‐DDT exhibited a peak in accumulation at day 14 followed by a decline at days 28 and 56. In contrast, accumulation of PAHs with a log K ow >5.6 or DDD and DDE typically exhibited a steady increase from day 1 to about day 14 or 28, followed by a plateau. Therefore, exposures conducted for a minimum of 14 to 28 d better reflected steady‐state concentrations for DDT and its metabolites and for PAHs. Depuration rates for DDT and its metabolites and high‐ K ow PAHs were much higher in organisms held in clean sediment relative to both water‐only depuration and model predictions. This suggests that depuration in clean sediment may artificially accelerate depuration of hydrophobic compounds. Comparisons between laboratory‐exposed L. variegatus and oligochaetes collected in the field from these sediments indicate that results of laboratory tests can be extrapolated to the field with a reasonable degree of certainty.