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FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DESIGN OF BIOACCUMULATION FACTOR AND BIOTA-SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION FACTOR FIELD STUDIES
Citation:
Burkhard, L P. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DESIGN OF BIOACCUMULATION FACTOR AND BIOTA-SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION FACTOR FIELD STUDIES. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, 22(2):351-360, (2003).
Description:
A series of modeling simulations were performed to develop an understanding of the underlying factors and principles involved in developing field sampling designs for measuring bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs. These simulations revealed that temporal variability of chemical concentrations in the water column, and the metabolism rate and n-octanol/water partition coefficient for the chemical were the dominant factors influencing the field sampling design. Other parameters evaluated, spatial variability of the chemical concentrations, food web structure, and the sediment-water column concentration quotient, had a much lesser importance upon the overall design. The simulations also demonstrated that collection of composite water samples in comparison to grab water samples resulted in small reductions in the uncertainties associated with measured BAFs, and the differences in uncertainties could often be equaled by the collection of one or possibly two additional grab water samples. The simulation results suggest that the process for developing field sampling plans for BAFs and BSAFs could focus primarily on the temporal variability of chemical concentrations in the water column, and the metabolism rate and Kow of the chemical.