In vivo bioaccumulation of contaminants from historically polluted sediments — Relation to bioavailability estimates

Abstract

Many contaminants are recalcitrant against degradation. Therefore, when primary sources have been discontinued, contaminated sediments often function as important secondary pollution sources. Since the management and potential remediation of contaminated marine sediments may be very costly, it is important that the environmental risks of contaminants present in these sediments and benefits of remediation are evaluated as accurately as possible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioavailability of common organochlorine contaminants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in selected polluted sediments from Norway by simple generic sorption models (free energy relationships), as well as by pore water concentration measurements. Furthermore, the aim was to predict bioaccumulation from these bioavailability estimates for comparison with in vivo bioaccumulation assessments using ragworm (Nereis virens) and netted dogwhelk (Hinia reticulata). Predicted biota-to-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) derived from pore water concentration estimates were in better agreement with the bioaccumulation observed in the test organisms, than the generic BSAFs expected based on linear sorption models. The results therefore support that site-specific evaluations of bioaccumulation provide useful information for more accurate risk assessments. A need for increased knowledge of the specific characteristics of benthic organisms, which may influence the exposure, uptake and elimination of contaminants, is however emphasized.

Passive sampling methods for contaminated sediments: State of the science for organic contaminants

“…These samplers yielded a 1:1 relationship between equilibrium‐predicted bioaccumulation based on C free and bioaccumulation measured in the field (van der Heijden and Jonker ). The bioavailability of PAHs in Norwegian sediments was investigated using both polychaetes ( Nereis diversicolor ) and gastropods ( Hinia reticulata ) with POM to determine concentrations of PAHs in porewater (Cornelissen, Breedveld, NæS, et al ; Ruus et al , ). These studies observed better correlations between C free as determined by POM and tissue concentrations in these species compared with tissue concentrations calculated from total sediment concentrations.…”

PAH Accessibility in Particulate Matter from Road-Impacted Environments

“…Implications of this phenomenon are that sediment-to-biota bioaccumulation factors are variable and lower than expected and limited potential for microbial biodegradation . PAHs emitted together with this OM have been shown to be strongly bound, resulting in low pore water concentrations in sediments, a low proportion of chemicals in sediment available for partitioning, and slow to very slow desorption rates. − The risk posed by PM-associated contaminants in urban environments can be better assessed by estimating freely dissolved concentrations using passive sampling, − estimating the accessible concentration of contaminants, or estimating contaminant desorption rates …”