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Evaluating the Relationship between Equilibrium Passive Sampler Uptake and Aquatic Organism Bioaccumulation.
Citation:
Burgess, R. AND A. Joyce. Evaluating the Relationship between Equilibrium Passive Sampler Uptake and Aquatic Organism Bioaccumulation. Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) Meeting, Cincinatti, OH, November 02 - 04, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
For this task, a review of the scientific literature including water column and interstitial water exposures for a range of HOCs was conducted to address this question. This review concludes that in many instances passive sampling had a strong predictive relationship to bioaccumulation and may serve as a reliable surrogate for biomonitoring organisms when biomonitoring organisms are not available or cannot be deployed.
Description:
For decades, biomonitoring organisms have been used to assess the bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) at contaminated sediment Superfund sites across the country. Specific applications include evaluating remedy effectiveness and pre- and post-remediation long-term monitoring. Recently, the use of equilibrium passive samplers as surrogates for biomonitoring organisms has been proposed for sites where organisms cannot be deployed or are not available. However, no comprehensive review has been performed to evaluate the relationship between equilibrium passive sampler uptake and organism bioaccumulation. For this task, a review of the scientific literature including water column and interstitial water exposures for a range of HOCs was conducted to address this question. Fifty-four studies were found where both passive sampler uptake and organism bioaccumulation were measured and 19 of these investigations provided direct comparisons relating passive sampler uptake and organism bioaccumulation. This review concludes that in many instances passive sampling had a strong predictive relationship to bioaccumulation and may serve as a reliable surrogate for biomonitoring organisms. When applied properly, passive sampling based estimates of bioaccumulation provide useful information for making informed decisions about the bioavailability of HOCs at contaminated sediment sites.