Bioaccumulation bioconcentration factor

Endosulfan does not bioaccumulate to high concentrations in terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems. In aquatic ecosystems, residue levels in fish generally peak within 7 days to 2 weeks of continuous exposure to endosulfan. Maximum bioconcentration factors (BCFs) are usually less than 3,000, and residues are eliminated within 2 weeks of transfer to clean water (NRCC 1975). A maximum BCE of 600 was reported for a-endosulfan in mussel tissue (Ernst 1977). In a similar study, endosulfan, isomers not specified, had a measured BCE of 22.5 in mussel tissue (Roberts 1972). Tissue concentrations of a-endosulfan fell rapidly upon transfer of the organisms to fresh seawater for example, a depuration half-life of 34 hours (Ernst 1977). Higher BCFs were reported for whole-body and edible tissues of striped mullet (maximum BCF=2,755) after 28 days of exposure to endosulfan in seawater (Schimmel et al. 1977). However, tissue concentrations decreased to undetectable levels 48 hours after the organisms were transferred to uncontaminated seawater. Similarly, a BCE of 2,650 was obtained for zebra fish exposed to 0.3 pg/L of endosulfan for 21 days in a flow-through aquarium (Toledo and Jonsson 1992). It was noted that endosulfan depuration by fish was rapid, with approximately 81% total endosulfan eliminated within 120 hours when the fish were placed in a tank of water containing no endosulfan. 

Biomagnification along aquatic food chains may be the consequence of bioconcentration as well as bioaccumulation. Aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates can absorb pollutants from ambient water bottom feeders can take up pollutants from sediments. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) of a chemical absorbed directly from water is defined as... 

There have been a nnmber of estimates of bioconcentration factors for total PCBs in aqnatic species following long-term exposure to PCB mixtures (EHC 140). Values for both invertebrates and hsh have been extremely variable, ranging from values below 1 to many thonsands. Bioaccnmnlation factors for birds and mammals for different Aroclors have indicated only limited degrees of bioaccumulation from food, for example, 6.6 and 14.8 for the whole carcasses of big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus) and white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), respectively (see Environmental Health Criteria 140). 

Experimentally measured bioconcentration factors (BCFs), which provide an indication of the tendency of a chemical to partition to the fatty tissue of organisms, have been found to range between 10 and 100 for trichloroethylene in fish (Kawasaki 1980 Kenaga 1980 Neely et al. 1974 Veith et al. 1980). Barrows et al. (1980) estimated a value of 17 for bluegill sunfish. Somewhat lower BCFs were determined by Saisho et al. (1994) for blue mussel (4.52) and killifish (2.71). These numbers are suggestive of a low tendency to bioaccumulate. 

The bioconcentration factor, although usually related to fish is actually an estimate of the bioaccumulation potential for biota in general. Different organisms may bioconcentrate a given chemical to a lesser or greater degree, however with different chemicals, the relative ranking with respect to bioconcentration will be essentially the same for all species. 

The reader is advised to consult the original reference when using these values of bioconcentration factors (BCF), bioaccumulation factors (BAF), KoC and K0M, to ensure that conditions are as close as possible to those of specific interest. 

Laskowski [1] has thoroughly reviewed the physico-chemical properties of the SPs, and these are summarized briefly below. SPs are typically of low water solubility (in the low microgram per liter range) and are highly nonpolar (logarithmic octanol water partition coefficients of around 6-7), indicating potential for bioaccumulation. Fish bioconcentration factors (BCF) of several hundred to several thousand are reported however metabolism limits the amount of bioaccumulation,... 

To indicate the transfer of chemicals in a biogeochemical food web, both bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and bioconcentration factors (BCFs) are used. The following definitions can be applied (de Vries and Bakker, 1998a, 1998b) ... 

The major route for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic compounds in aquatic animals is passive diffusion over cell membranes. In fish, the gill epithelia are the predominant port of entry, with less than 40% of uptake across the skin [181]. Since permeability of the membrane is a direct function of the membrane-water partition coefficient and the diffusion coefficient across the membrane interior [182], the bioconcentration factor (logBCF) can be directly correlated with log K0Vl. or log Km%v for compounds with intermediate hydro-phobicity [183,184],... 

The dominant transport process from water is volatilization. Based on mathematical models developed by the EPA, the half-life for M-hexane in bodies of water with any degree of turbulent mixing (e.g., rivers) would be less than 3 hours. For standing bodies of water (e.g., small ponds), a half-life no longer than one week (6.8 days) is estimated (ASTER 1995 EPA 1987a). Based on the log octanol/water partition coefficient (i.e., log[Kow]) and the estimated log sorption coefficient (i.e., log[Koc]) (see Table 3-2), ii-hexane is not expected to become concentrated in biota (Swann et al. 1983). A calculated bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 453 for a fathead minnow (ASTER 1995) further suggests a low potential for -hcxanc to bioconcentrate or bioaccumulate in trophic food chains. 

Food Chain Bioaccumulation. Disulfoton bioconcentrates to a moderate extent in fish (Takase and Oyama 1985 Tomizawa 1980) however, measured bioconcentration factor (BCF) values are not... 

Potential for bioaccumulation Due to their high Log values and high fat blood partition coefficient, the cyclic siloxanes are likely to be stored into the lipid tissue. However, bioaccumulation is not dependent just on the lipophilicity of the compound, but also in how fast it leaves the contaminated organism. Other indicators of bioaccumulation are the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and bioaccumulation factor (BAF). Values over 5,000 are usually characteristic for the bioaccumulative compounds. D4 has a BCF of 12,400 L/kg [293], D5 of 7,060 L/kg [279], and D6 of 1,160 L/kg [280], values calculated for fish. 

Bioaccumulation is generally referred to as a process in which the chemical concentration in an organism achieves a level that exceeds that in the respiratory medium (e.g., water for a fish or air for a mammal), the diet, or both. The extent to which chemicals bioaccumulate is expressed by several quantities, including the bioconcentration factor (BCF), bioaccumulation factor (BAF), biomagnification factor (BMF), and trophic or food web magnification factor (TMF) [6]. The ecological, biological and chemical parameters involved in the transfer and accumulation of contaminants in food webs are complex. 

Dichlorobenzene is expected to bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms. The high octanol-water partition coefficient (K, ) value of 2,455 (Leo et al. 1971) also suggests that 1,4-dichlorobenzene has a moderate to high potential for bioaccumulation. A calculated bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 267 was reported for the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) (ASTER 1995). Measured mean BCF values of 370 and 720 were experimentally determined for rainbow trout exposed to water concentrations of... 

The logarithm of the n-octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow is a useful preliminary indicator of the bioconcentration potential of a compound. The calculated log K values for 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB are 1.52 and 1.18 (Deneer et al. 1987), respectively, suggesting a low potential for bioaccumulation. An experimental bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 1,3-DNB for the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, was reported to be 74.13 (Deneer et al. 1987). This BCF indicates that bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is not an important fate process. BCF data were not located for 1,3,5-TNB. 

Food Chain Bioaccumulation. Bioconcentration factors have been determined for algae, shellfish, and fish and exhibit a wide range (29-17,000) (ERA 1976 Oliver and Niimi 1983 Pearson and McConnell 1975). This wide range may be explained in part by species differences in metabolism or differences in concentrations tested. Studies also indicate that hexachlorobutadiene preferentially accumulates in the livers of fish. Further studies which might explain the wide range of BCF values would be helpful. No information was located regarding the bioaccumulation of hexachlorobutadiene in plants or aquatic organisms. More information is needed to determine the importance of terrestrial/aquatic food chain bioaccumulation as a potential human exposure pathway. 

Figure 6 Species sensitivity distribution (SSD) for the NOEC of specific dioxin-induced effects in vertebrate species translated into sediment levels (mg/kg dry weight) by applying estimated bioconcentration and bioaccumulation factors...

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