Modeling the accumulation of PCBs in Lake Ontario salmonids

摘要

This paper demonstrates the application of a newly developed mathematical model on the bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Lake Ontario salmonids. The novel approach, based on the bioenergetics concept, combines physiological information of the fish, such as diet, metabolism, respiration, habitat, age, and species, with the biochemical nature and environmental conditions of the pollutants in the water. Three species of salmonids were studied, namely: Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), Brown Trout (Salmo trutta), and Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), for their ontological pattern of total body burden of PCBs. Results demonstrate a notable variation of PCBs accumulation among species sharing the same habitat, a fact which was explained in the model by the genetic difference in metabolism of each species.