Disposition of (9-14C) phenanthrene in a subtropical marine teleost (Haemulon sciurus)

This study investigated the accumulation and elimination of radiolabelled phenanthrene in the liver, muscle, gonads and bile of the subtropical blue-striped grunt. Each fish received 9.25 ug (1.0 u Ci) phenanthrene administered to the stomach in an unbroken capsule. Results show the liver and gonads accumulated phenanthrene at a faster rate than that reported for fish inhabiting temperate waters. Elimination rates from the liver appeared similar for both environments but, in the muscle of the grunt, there was no significant decrease in radioactivity during the experiment, 4.6 per cent of the given dose being present after 12 days.