Some Methodology for Appraising Contaminants in Aquatic Systems

Kinetic models for uptake and retention of various contaminants by aquatic biota are recommended as a useful means of summarizing and intercomparing laboratory studies, and as essential tools in analyzing field data. Some simple models are fitted to laboratory data on the uptake and retention of DDT and dieldrin by fish. The well-known relation between metabolic rate and body size is used to appraise data and concentrations of DDT, PCBs, and mercury in fish taken from lakes and oceans. Evidence suggests that uptake and retention experiments performed on small fish give very different results from those expected on individuals important in sports or commercial fisheries.