BIOCONCENTRATION OF CHLORINATED AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS IN AQUATIC MACROPHYTES

This study reports the bioconcentration and the uptake and elimination kinetics of a series of nonreactive, hydrophobic organic substances in the submerged aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum. The tested substances represent a wide range of aqueous solubilities and 1-octanol-water partition coefficients (K(OW)). The plant-water bioconcentration factor is shown to follow a linear relationship with the octanol-water partition coefficient for all chemicals, including the superhydrophobic chemicals with log K(OW) up to 8.3. The uptake and elimination rate constants tend to follow a "biphasic" relationship with K(OW). A kinetic model is developed for organic chemical bioconcentration in submerged aquatic macrophyte species. This model is applied to the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair to illustrate the role of aquatic macrophytes in chemical dynamics in aquatic systems.