PARENT SESSION
WA6 - Chemistry & Toxicity of Sediments
Chair: Fuji, Taku1, 1 Hart Crowser, Inc., Lake Oswego, OR
8:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Wednesday, 20 November 2002
Room Ballroom B
(534) Evaluation of PCB Congener Patterns in Sediment, Bivalves and Fish from San Francisco Bay.
Nedoff, J*,1, Leather, J2, Holder, J1, Pound, M3, 1 ENTRIX, Inc, Walnut Creek, CA, USA2 SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA3 Southwest Division Naval Facilities, San Diego, CA, USA
ABSTRACT- The primary objective of this study was to more clearly define the extent of sediments that pose an unacceptable risk to the environment and require evaluation in a Feasibility Study for the offshore sediments at Hunters Point Shipyard (HPS), San Francisco, California. Co-located sediment chemistry and bivalve tissue (Macoma nasuta 28-day bioaccumulation assays) were collected at 23 stations in one area (Area X) of HPS. Within Area X, forage fish tissue (gobies and sculpins) and sports fish (surfperch and jacksmelt) were also collected. Sediments and tissue were analyzed for numerous compounds, including 22 individual PCB congeners. A principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted on the sediment and tissue congener data. Different congener patterns in sediments were observed in different portions of Area X. While a similar spatial pattern of congeners was seen in the tissue data, tissues had a lighter congener distribution than the sediments. These patterns of uptake of PCB congeners from sediment to tissue are discussed in relation to other studies.
Key words: PCB fingerprint, food-chain uptake, sediment assessment