The trophodynamics of PCBs, including mono- and non-ortho congeners, in the food web of North-Central Lake Ontario

The distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the food-web of Lake Ontario was studied to determine the parameters that control the trophodynamics of PCB congeners; including toxic non-ortho and mono-ortho PCBs. ‘Biomagnification’ of PCBs was evident in the food-web as total PCBs increased through trophic levels when concentrations were calculated on both a wet wt. and lipid weight basis; although there was no evidence of biomagnification between forage fish and piscivorous fish. Biomagnification was greatest for congeners with log octanol-water partition (log Kow) coefficients between 6 and 7.5. Non-ortho congeners 77 and 126, and congener 151 were not biomagnified to the extent of other congeners with similar Kow, which was attributed to high rates of metabolic clearance of these compounds. The Toxic Equivalent Quantities (TEQs) associated with non-ortho and mono-ortho PCBs increased throughout the Lake Ontario food-web. The high TEQ observed in herring gull eggs was primarily the result of very high concentrations of congener 126 in this component of the food web.