WP12 Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Wednesday, 16 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM in Exhibit Hall

(GOD-1117-832203) Comparison of PCBs analyzed as Aroclors and congeners in tissues from the Lower Duwamish Waterway.

Godtfredsen, K¹, Williston, D², Stern, J², Hotchkiss, D³, Fox, S⁴, Goldberg, J⁵, McGroddy, S¹, Luxon, M¹, ¹ Windward Environmental, Seattle, WA, USA² King County, Seattle, WA, USA³ Port of Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA⁴ The Boeing Company, Seattle, WA, USA⁵ City of Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA

ABSTRACT- The Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW), located in Seattle, Washington, is a well-stratified, salt-wedge type estuary that is influenced by river flow and tidal effects. The LDW was added to the National Priorities List (also known as Superfund) in September 2001 because of sediment contamination. As part of the remedial site investigation, invertebrate and fish species were collected and analyzed for a wide range of chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Species analyzed included benthic macroinvertebrates, Dungeness and slender crabs, clams, English sole, shiner surfperch, and Pacific staghorn sculpin. All tissue samples were analyzed for Aroclors and one third of the samples of each tissue type were also analyzed for PCB congeners. A total of 41 fish and invertebrate samples were analyzed for both Aroclors and congeners. The samples analyzed for PCB congeners were selected to cover the range of total PCBs (Aroclor sum) and to achieve spatial coverage within the site. One of the data objectives was to compare total PCB concentrations calculated based on Aroclor versus PCB congener sums. The analyses showed that the results of this comparison were dependent on the tissue type analyzed.

Key words: PCBs, Aroclor, congeners, tissue