PH11 Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of POPs
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday, 13 November 2003
(PH121) PCB Congener pattern differences and biomagnification factors in mink (Mustela vison) and select prey items collected from the Kalamazoo River, MI.
Pastva, S1, Blankenship, A2, Bradley, R2, Jones, P2, Kay, D2, Neigh, A3, Park, C3, Strause, K3, Zwiernik, M3, Giesy, J3, 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing, MI, USA2 ENTRIX, Inc., Okemos, MI, USA3 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
ABSTRACT- 125 kilometers of the Kalamazoo River, located in southwestern Michigan, has been designated a Superfund site with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as the contaminant of concern. Mink are of special concern due to their trophic status and sensitivity to PCBs. Concentrations of total PCBs and TEQs were measured in liver tissues of mink collected from the Kalamazoo River area of concern (KRAOC) and from Fort Custer Recreation Area (FC), an upstream reference area on the same river system. Total PCB concentrations, in livers of mink, averaged 2.7 and 2.3 mg PCB/kg ww from the KRAOC and FC, respectively. Total TEQs in livers of mink averaged 300 and 110 pg TEQ/g ww from KRAOC and FC respectively. Concentrations of total PCBs and TEQs were also measured in prey items including fish, crayfish, and mammalian species collected from Trowbridge (TB), a former impoundment within the KRAOC and FC. Total PCB and TEQ concentrations were greatest in fish species. Congener patterns in mink collected from the Kalamazoo River Area of Concern (KRAOC) will be compared to those collected from an upstream reference area. Congener patterns in prey items will also be compared to patterns from mink liver tissue. Additionally, site-specific and congener-specific biomagnification factors will be calculated.
Key words: PCB, mink, BMF