Bioaccumulation of HCH isomers in selected macroinvertebrates from the Elbe River: sources and environmental implications
Language English Country Netherlands Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- MeSH
- Invertebrates metabolism MeSH
- Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis metabolism MeSH
- Water Pollution, Chemical statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Geologic Sediments chemistry MeSH
- Hexachlorobenzene analysis metabolism MeSH
- Hexachlorocyclohexane analysis metabolism MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring * MeSH
- Food Chain MeSH
- Rivers chemistry MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Geographicals
- Germany MeSH
- Names of Substances
- alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane MeSH Browser
- beta-hexachlorocyclohexane MeSH Browser
- Water Pollutants, Chemical MeSH
- Hexachlorobenzene MeSH
- Hexachlorocyclohexane MeSH
Sediments of the Elbe River have been extremely polluted by contaminants originating from previous large-scale hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) production and the application of γ-HCH (lindane) in its catchment in the second half of the twentieth century. In order to gain knowledge on bioaccumulation processes at lower trophic levels, field investigations of HCHs in macroinvertebrates were carried out along the longitudinal profile of the Elbe and tributary. Among the sites studied, concentrations in macroinvertebrates ranged within five orders of magnitude (0.01-100 μg/kg). In general, lower values of HCH isomers were observed at all Czech sites (mostly <1 μg/kg) compared with those in Germany. At the most contaminated site, Spittelwasser brook (a tributary of the Mulde), extremely high concentrations were measured (up to 234 μg/kg α-HCH and 587 μg/kg β-HCH in Hydropsychidae). In contrast, the Obříství site, though also influenced by HCH production facilities, showed only negligibly elevated values (mostly <1 μg/kg). Results showed that fairly high levels of α-HCH and β-HCH compared to γ-HCH can still be detected in aquatic environments of the Elbe catchment, and these concentrations are decreasing over time to a lesser extent than γ-HCH. Higher HCH concentrations in sediments in the springtime are considered to be the result of erosion and transport processes during and after spring floods, and lower concentrations at sites downstream are thought to be caused by the time lapse involved in the transportation of contaminated particles from upstream. In addition, comparison with fish (bream) data from the literature revealed no increase in tissue concentrations between invertebrates and fish.
See more in PubMed
Chemosphere. 1998 Sep;37(7):1263-70 PubMed
Environ Pollut. 2009 Dec;157(12):3192-8 PubMed
Environ Toxicol Chem. 2004 Jan;23(1):150-6 PubMed
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2009 Mar;72(3):737-46 PubMed
Sci Total Environ. 2000 Jan 17;245(1-3):221-31 PubMed
Environ Pollut. 2006 Nov;144(2):393-405 PubMed
Environ Int. 2004 Jun;30(4):457-66 PubMed
Chemosphere. 2000 Sep;41(6):849-55 PubMed
Water Res. 2011 Jun;45(12):3599-613 PubMed
Sci Total Environ. 2007 Apr 15;376(1-3):40-50 PubMed
Mar Pollut Bull. 2003 Apr;46(4):522-4; author reply 525-6 PubMed
Science. 2007 Jul 13;317(5835):236-9 PubMed
Chemosphere. 2007 Aug;68(9):1650-9 PubMed
Environ Pollut. 2007 Aug;148(3):770-8 PubMed
Mar Pollut Bull. 2005 Apr;50(4):423-9 PubMed
Chemosphere. 2006 Jan;62(3):381-9 PubMed
Environ Pollut. 2007 Mar;146(1):100-6 PubMed
Sci Total Environ. 2003 May 1;306(1-3):111-31 PubMed
Environ Pollut. 2011 Apr;159(4):932-9 PubMed
Chemosphere. 2002 Mar;46(9-10):1383-92 PubMed
Chemosphere. 1997 May;34(9-10):2183-92 PubMed
Mar Pollut Bull. 2002;45(1-12):46-52 PubMed
Chemosphere. 2004 Nov;57(5):391-400 PubMed
