PT07 Contaminated Harbor and River Sediment
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday, 11 November 2003
(PT120) Uptake and depuration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from sediments by crayfish (Procambarus spp.).
Lin, H1, Abdelghani, A1, Hartley, W1, Watanabe, K1, 1 Department of Environmental Health Sciences Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
ABSTRACT- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic to a variety of aquatic organisms and humans. Crayfish are a major food source for carnivorous vertebrates and are directly consumed by humans. One approach to estimate the exposure level in higher organisms (e.g., fish and humans) is via bioaccumulation modeling. Kinetic parameters are necessary to improve predictions of bioaccumulation. The object of this study is to investigate PAH uptake and depuration by crayfish from sediments. The crayfish were exposed to sediments collected from Bayous Trepagnier and LaBranche in the LaBranche Wetlands, Louisiana for 14 days. After a 14-day exposure, crayfish were transferred to tanks containing clean water for 6 days to study the elimination process. At intermittent times (1/2 day, 1 day, 3 day, etc.) PAH in water, sediments and organisms were extracted and analyzed by GC/MS. Rate constants of uptake (k1) and total elimination (k2) of PAHs were calculated using a first-order kinetic model. The data obtained from this study will increase our understanding of uptake and depuration of PAHs in crayfish and can be further utilized in a food-web model in an aquatic ecosystem.
Key words: kinetic model, PAH, uptake, elimination