Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Bioaccumulation factors for PCBs revisited.

Katrine Borgå1, Aaron T Fisk, Barry Hargrave

  • 1Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway. katrine.borga@npolar.no

Environmental Science & Technology
|July 29, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Bioaccumulation factors for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Arctic copepods are significantly higher than previously reported, suggesting more efficient bioaccumulation and biomagnification in zooplankton than assumed. This impacts chemical risk assessments.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Hydrodynamic drivers of circulation and exchange dynamics in large interconnected Lake Michigan-Huron system: Insights into mixing and transport processes.

The Science of the total environment·2026
Same author

2D to 3D: Exploring Variation of Niche Dimensionality Across Consumers in a Coastal Arctic Ecosystem and Implications on Interpretation.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Long-term forecasting of water quality and algal dynamics in riverine systems using advanced physicochemical-informed machine learning models.

The Science of the total environment·2026
Same author

Diverging Food Web Functioning Around Southampton Island, Nunavut: The Influence of Primary Production Supply and Bathymetry.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Heterocyclic Aromatic Compounds: The Next Frontier in Environmental Forensic Science.

Environmental science & technology·2026
Same author

Exploring profiles of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a long-lived Arctic predator: The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus).

The Science of the total environment·2026

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Marine Biology
  • Ecotoxicology

Background:

  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants with varying bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) across different marine and freshwater environments.
  • Previous studies reported lower BAFs for PCBs in Arctic and Great Lakes zooplankton compared to recent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and discuss the variability in PCB BAFs in marine calanoid copepods from the Barents Sea and White Sea compared to other regions.
  • To identify potential explanations for the wide discrepancies in reported PCB BAFs across various studies.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of existing BAF data for PCB congeners in zooplankton from different geographic locations (Arctic Ocean, Great Lakes, Barents Sea, White Sea).
  • Review of factors influencing BAFs, including water PCB concentration measurements, octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW), trophic transfer, and biomagnification.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • BAFs for individual PCB congeners in Barents and White Sea copepods were 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than those in Arctic Ocean and freshwater plankton.
  • Recent BAFs from Arctic marine and Great Lakes studies are higher than historical data and exceed predictions based on KOW by at least 10 times.
  • Evidence suggests trophic transfer and biomagnification of PCBs in zooplankton contribute to BAFs significantly above equilibrium partitioning predictions.

Conclusions:

  • Discrepancies in BAFs are likely due to historical underestimation of PCB concentrations in water and overestimation of bioaccumulation efficiency.
  • Zooplankton bioaccumulation and biomagnification of PCBs are more significant than previously assumed.
  • The high variability in PCB BAFs necessitates careful consideration for future chemical assessments, particularly under regulatory programs like REACH.