Assessment of bioconcentration and secondary poisoning of surfactants

Influence of dispersants on bioconcentration factors of seven organic compounds with different lipophilicities and structures

Seven compounds with different lipophilicities and structures--1,3,5-trichlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, acenaphthylene, 1,4-dimethyl-2-(1-methylphenyl)benzene, 4-ethylbiphenyl, 4,4'-dibromobiphenyl, and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane--were subjected to bioconcentration tests in carp at concentrations below the water solubilities of the compounds in the presence or absence of a dispersant (either an organic solvent or a surfactant). The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of the compounds were on the order of 10(2)-10(4). The BCF values remained in the range of 15-49% for all the compounds, whether or not a dispersant was present, i.e., the BCF values in the presence of an organic solvent or a surfactant at a concentration below the critical micelle concentration were not significantly smaller than the BCF values in the absence of the solvent or surfactant. This result indicates that the dispersants had no influence on the evaluation of the bioconcentration potential of these test substances.