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BIOAVAILABILITY OF PAHS FROM PYROGENIC AND PETROGENIC SOURCES MEASURED USING GLASS FISH
Citation:
Burgess, R M., S Ryba, M Cantwell, M. M. Perron, R Tien, AND L. M. Thibideau. BIOAVAILABILITY OF PAHS FROM PYROGENIC AND PETROGENIC SOURCES MEASURED USING GLASS FISH. Presented at Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 11-15, 2001.
Description:
Geochemical evidence indicates PAHs associated with pyrogenic sources behave differently than PAHs from petrogenic sources. There is also some evidence and supposition that PAHs from pyrogenic and petrogenic sources demonstrate differing bioavailability. In this study, we evaluated the bioavailability of PAHs from pyrogenic and petrogenic sources using a simple exposure system and 'glass fish'. Glass fish are modified semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) constructed of small borosilicate glass vials filled with either triolien or iso-octane (lipid phase) and capped with a polyethylene membrane. Accumulation of PAHs in the lipid phase of the glass fish was used to indicate PAH bioavailability. Petrogenic PAH materials included creosote, fuel oil and crude oil while pyrogenic PAH materials consisted of diesel soot, tire rubber and coal dust. Blank and reagent treatments were also conducted as negative and positive controls, respectively. Pyrogenic and petrogenic materials were added to the exposure systems such that the concentration of phenanthrene was approximately identical in all treatments. Exposures were performed for one month on an orbital mixing table operating at 75 rpm with weekly glassfish and overlying water collections. Results indicate the presence of total PAHs in an aquatic system does not equate with bioavailability: PAHs from petrogenic sources were readily accumulated by the glass fish while PAHs from pyrogenic sources were far less bioavailable. These data demonstrate PAH bioavailability differs depending on source and support the findings of published field studies which speculated that unusual PAH bioaccumulation by feral organisms resulted from differences in PAH source.