Bioconcentration of Waterborne Nitroarenes in Marbled Flounder Pleuronectes yokohamae

Abstract

91 ABSTRACT Studies on the accumulation of waterborne nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs), commonly known as nitroarenes, by fish are not well known. In this study, bioconcentration of NPAHs by marbled flounder, Pleuronectes yokohamae exposed to a mixture of six NPAHs was investigated in a continuous flow-through system for a period of seven days exposure followed immediately with seven days elimination. P. yokohamae is one of commercially important fish in Japan and is known to accumulate pollutants. Results show that NPAHs steady-state conditions were established from day 1 to 4 of exposure. Estimated bioconcentration factors(BCFs)ranged from 4 to 422 with 6-nitrochrysene and 2-nitrofluorene having the lowest and highest BCFs, respectively. Half-lives were from 0.96 to 5.59 days with 2-nitroflourene and 6-nitrochrysene being the shortest and the longest, respectively. The present study showed that waterborne NPAHs were accumulated by marbled flounder but the BCFs were lower than reported values of their parent PAHs. Furthermore, the difference in BCFs between NPAHs and PAHs could be attributed to the biotransformation processes and steric hindrance of these compounds.