INFLUENCE OF BIOTRANSFORMATION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOCONCENTRATION FACTORS AND OCTANOL WATER PARTITION-COEFFICIENTS

Several regression equations of high statistical quality expressing the relationship between bioconcentration factors (BCF) in fish and octanol-water partition coefficients (K(ow)) of nonpolar, stable ("inert") chemicals have been established and published in the literature. In this study bioconcentration factors of chlorinated aromatic amines in guppy (Poecilia reticulata), determined in a semistatic system, are presented. The BCF values of the chlorinated anilines are significantly smaller than calculated BCF values based on the regression equations for inert chemicals, the BCFs of the more hydrophobic derivatives showing the highest deviation. These observations are explained on the basis of the argument that the influence of biotransformation on the bioconcentration process will increase with increasing K(ow).