Bioaccumulation of Benzo(a)pyrene from Sediment by Fathead Minnows: Effects of Organic Content, Resuspension and Metabolism

Abstract. The accumulation of 14C-benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) sorbed to sediment was examined in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to compare uptake from sediment with a high organic carbon (OC) content (7.7%), to that with a low OC content (2%). Ingestion of sediments was quan-tified by co-labeling the sediment with 141Cerium, which was not assimilated by the fish. Results of this study indi-cated that (1) significantly greater quantities of BaP were dissolved in water over low-OC sediment, compared to water over high-OC sediment, (2) fish disturbed the sedi-ment and increased the concentration of BaP in centrifuged (particle-free) water, (3) fish ingested significantly more of the low-OC sediment than high-OC sediment, perhaps in response to the lower food quality of the low-OC sediment, and (4) uptake of BaP from sediment ingestion contribute