Bioavailability of lab-contaminated and native polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the amphipod Corophium volutator relates to chemical desorption

In the present study, the relationship between bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to benthic amphipods and the PAH desorption kinetics was examined. To that end, field‐contaminated sediment was treated in three different ways. One subsample had no addition of PAHs and contained native PAHs only. To a second subsample, six PAHs (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, anthracene, pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and benzo[k]fluoranthene) were added in the laboratory. Two of the PAHs were added at higher concentrations to a third subsample, serving as a control for concentration‐dependent uptake. Marine amphipods (Corophium volutator) were exposed to the three subsamples for a maximum of 25 d and were subsequently analyzed. Desorption kinetics were determined for both the lab‐contaminated and the native PAHs. The biota‐to‐sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) values of the individual native and lab‐contaminated PAHs correlated well with the rapidly desorbing fraction (R2 = 0.76). The BSAFs were 1.4 to 3.3 higher for the lab‐contaminated PAHs compared with the native PAHs, while the difference between the rapidly desorbing fractions was a factor of 1.1 to 1.8. The BSAFs of the lab‐contaminated PAHs in the second and third subsample were equal, indicating concentration‐independent accumulation. The results suggest that lab‐contaminated PAHs are more available to amphipods than native PAHs and that differences in bioavailability of lab‐contaminated and native PAHs to marine amphipods are related to differences in desorption behavior.