Ref ID : 7218
Nadja Matscheko, Staffan Lundstedt, Linda Svensson, Mikael Harju, and Mats Tysklind; Accumulation and elimination of 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in the Earthworm (Eisenia fetida). Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 21(8):1724-1729, 2002
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Accumulation and elimination of different polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were studied in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to contaminated soil from an old gasworks site. In total, 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), two N- and S-heterocyclic PACs, and two PAC-quinones were included in the study. Peak-shaped accumulation curves were found for many of the compounds. After 19 days of exposure, the ratio between concentrations in worm lipids and soil organic matter was 0.02 on average. The half-lives of the PACs were relatively long, between 2 and 11 days. The elimination rate constants, K(2), correlated both with literature-derived octanol-water partition coefficients (K(ow)) for PAHs (r(2)=0.93) and the computed polarizability (r(2)=0.88) of all compounds. The elimination rate constants of PAHs are comparable to those of PCBs found in earlier studies, and the linear regression coefficient, r(2), of K(2) against K(ow) for PAHs and PCBs together was 0.93.