Accumulation of Polychlorinated Terphenyls in Aquatic Biota of an Estuarine Creek

Aroclor 5432, a mixture of polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT), was detected in several biological compartments including saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), American oysters (Crassostrea virginica), red-jointed fiddler crabs (Uca minax), wharf crabs (Sesarma reticulatum), and mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) collected from Tabbs Creek. This tidal creek is located in the southern Chesapeake Bay region and contains sediments with high concentrations of PCT. Samples were collected at four sites, ranging from a suspected outfall near the head of the creek, to its mouth, approximately 2.5 river kilometers downstream. Species from several phyla were selected in order to examine PCT accumulation in physiologically and ecologically different organisms. PCT concentrations in sediment,saltmarsh cordgrass, native oysters, and fiddler crabs decreased with distance downstream. Residues in transplanted oysters and mummichogs showed a more variable trend with distance downstream. The organism with the highest mean concentration (18,300 μg/kg dry wt) was the native oyster, a benthic filter feeder.