T1 PM Contaminant Cycling Assessment and Prevention in the NY/NJ Harbor (Part 2)
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in Ballroom 1

(FAR-1117-858416) In-situ bioaccumulation of PCBs in New York-New Jersey Harbor worms.

Farley, K^{1, 2}, Miller, R², Saha, S², Douglas, W³, ¹ Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY, USA² HydroQual, Inc., Mahwah, NJ, USA³ NJ DOT - Office of Maritime Resources, Trenton, NJ, USA

ABSTRACT- PCB homolog concentrations were measured in sediments and worms from New York-New Jersey Harbor, the New York Bight, and Long Island Sound as part of the Contaminant Assessment Reduction Project (CARP). Observed BSAFs (expressed as kg(organic carbon)/kg(lipid)) did not follow expected trends based on organic carbon-lipid equilibrium partitioning, but rather showed large variations as a function of PCB homolog and sampling location. In the inner areas of the harbor, observed BSAFs varied from 0.1 for the di-CB, peaked at 1.2 - 1.7 for hepta-CB, and decreased for higher chlorinated homologs. In the outer areas of the harbor, Long Island Sound and the New York Bight, observed BSAFs showed a similar homolog trend, but were typically five times higher than observed BSAFs in the inner harbor region. This behavior was examined using a time-variable bioaccumulation model (Thomann et al. 1992). Results of this analysis show that increases in observed BSAFs from di through hepta-CB were due to biomagnification processes that are associated with digestion of organic matter in the gut. For the more chlorinated homologs, accumulation appears to be limited by growth dilution and reductions in chemical assimilation efficiencies. Finally, differences in observed BSAFs for the inner and outer regions of the harbor are examined in terms of alterations in bioenergetic behavior (e.g., due to narcotic responses in organisms due to PAH contamination levels) and the potential presence of predatory worms at the outer harbor locations.

Key words: bioaccumulation, PCBs, worms, New York-New Jersey Harbor