Bioavailability of sediment-associated PAHs by Lumbriculus variegatus in sediment cores

Lumbriculus variegatus were exposed four weeks to sediment core sections. Sediment was taken from Lake George in northern Michigan and known to be historically contaminated with PAHs. Bioaccumulation was maximal at the 12--16 cm depth where sediment PAH concentrations were greatest. Accumulation was minimal in surficial and 44--48 cm sections. Accumulation peaked at about 96 h, then declined over the remainder of the study for some of the lower molecular weight PAHs. For most higher molecular weight compounds, accumulation peaked at 2 weeks, then slightly declined at 4 weeks. Uptake rate coefficients stayed relatively constant for specific PAH congeners over the range of sediment depths, suggesting constant bioavailability with sediment aging. Accumulation factors (AFs) of selected congeners were also consistent among sediment depths and were comparable to those calculated for other species reported in previous studies.