MA2 Exposure to POPs Through Terrestrial Vegetation
255 Portland Ballroom
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Monday
() Bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dependence on ingested plant species.
Armstrong, S1, 2, Van de Wiele, T3, Germida, J1, Siciliano, S1, 2, 1 Department of Soil Science University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada2 Toxicology Centre University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada3 LabMET Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
ABSTRACT- Plants can accumulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in/on their leaves through various processes such as gaseous and particle atmospheric deposition; root uptake and translocation; and deposition of soil-bound PAHs by wind and rain erosion. Herbivores ingesting PAH contaminated plants may be chronically exposed to PAHs through their diet, which can result in toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Differences in morphology and physiology between plant species are proposed to result in differing amounts of PAHs taken up from the environment. In addition, differences between plant species may also affect the release of PAHs from the plant matrix in the intestinal tract upon ingestion. Bioaccessibility of PAHs was examined in six different sub arctic plant species from a PAH contaminated site and reference site near Inuvik, NWT, Canada. Plants were digested using a modified batch-type Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem and toxicity was tested using the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Assay (Ah assay). Results show that there is a difference in bioaccessible PAH concentration between the plant species tested. Of the plants species that exhibited bioaccessible PAH concentrations, those that were growing on the PAH contaminated site had accumulated higher PAH concentrations. Soil and snow samples collected from the contaminated and reference sites were analyzed using GC-FID to account for background environmental PAH concentrations. To verify the species differences in PAH concentrations obtained using the Ah assay digested plant extracts were analyzed using GC-FID. Understanding plant uptake and bioaccessibility of PAHs in ingested plant matrices will aid in determining toxicological risk to herbivores inhabiting PAH contaminated sites.
Key words: bioaccessibility, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ah assay, digestion simulation