Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: Seawater and food exposures to a 14C-radiolabelled congener (PCB153): --

Adult Paracentrotus lividus were exposed to a 14C-labelled PCB congener (PCB153) using two different exposure modes: (1) the surrounding sea water and (2) the food (viz. the phanerogam Posidonia oceanica and the brown alga Taonia atomaria). Uptake kinetics from water and loss kinetics after single feeding were followed in four body compartments of the sea urchins (body wall, spines, gut and gonads). Results indicate that PCB bioaccumulation in P. lividus varies from one body compartment to another, with the exposure mode and the nature of the food. The echinoids accumulate PCB153 more efficiently when exposed via water than via the food (the transfer efficiency is higher by one order of magnitude). Target body compartments of PCBSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis from seawater, sediment and food pathways

The cuttlefish Sepia officinalis was selected as a model cephalopod to study PCB bioaccumulation via seawater, sediments and food. Newly hatched, juvenile cuttlefish were exposed for 17 days to environmentally realistic concentrations of 14C-labeled 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′- hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB153) (18 ng PCB l-1 seawater; 30 ng PCB g-1 dry wt sediments; Artemia salina exposed to 18 ng PCB l -1 seawater). Accumulation of PCB153 was followed in three body compartments: digestive gland, cuttlebone and the combined remaining tissues. Results showed that (1) uptake kinetics were source- and body compartment-dependent, (2) for each body compartment, the accumulation was far greater when S. officinalis was exposed via seawater, (3) the cuttlebone accumulated little of the contaminant regardless of the source, and (4) the PCB congener showed a similar distribution pattern among the different body compartments following exposure to contaminated seawater, sediment or food with the lowest concentrations in the cuttlebone and the highest in the remaining tissues. The use of radiotracer techniques allowed delineating PCB kinetics in small whole organisms as well as in their separate tissues. The results underscore the enhanced ability of cephalopods to concentrate organic pollutants such as PCBs, and raise the question of potential risk to their predators in contaminated areas. Bioaccumulation of PCBs by cuttlefish is studied, via seawater, sediments and their food. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe