TA7 Bioaccumulation and Kinetics of POPs
201 Oregon Ballroom
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Tuesday
() Toxicokinetics of PCBs and PAHs in Green Frogs and Leopard Frogs at various life stages.
Leney, J1, Balkwill, K1, Haffner, G1, Drouillard, K1, 1 GLIER - Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, Windsor, ON, Canada
ABSTRACT- In recent decades, worldwide declines in amphibian populations have been observed. One hypothesis that has been proposed to explain this phenomenon is that amphibians are being affected by increases in levels of toxic chemicals in the environment. In order to understand the effects of chemicals on amphibians, we must first quantify whole-body elimination rates for these substances. This presentation summarizes the results of several toxicokinetic studies conducted on Green Frogs (Rana clamitans) and Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) at various life stages. Adult frogs and tadpoles of both species were dosed with either PCBs or PAHs and placed in a clean environment to depurate. Organisms were sampled periodically to determine tissue concentrations of these chemicals. Elimination rates of PCBs or PAHs were determined for each species during each life stage. Results were analyzed to determine differences in elimination rates between: a) tadpoles and frogs of a given species; b) Green Frogs and Leopard Frogs at a given life stage; and c) different classes of chemicals (i.e. PCBs vs. PAHs). Preliminary results showed that elimination rates for PCBs in adult Northern Leopard Frogs ranged from 0.0025 to 0.038 d-1, while PCB elimination rates in Green Frog tadpoles were approximately an order of magnitude higher, ranging from 0.026 to 0.36 d-1.
Key words: PAH, PCB, Rana clamitans, Rana pipiens