Effect of dissolved organic matter of various origins and biodegradabilities on the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Daphnia magna

As a preliminary study of the influence of urban organic matter on the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the effect of different types of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the bioaccumulation of fluoranthene, pyrene, or benzo[a]pyrene in Daphnia magna was studied. Commercial humic substances, DOM from the aeration basin of a wastewater treatment plant, and highly biodegradable DOM (algae or animal extracts) were tested. The bioaccumulation of benzo[a]pyrene was reduced by each DOM (up to 80% reduction with humic substances). Pyrene bioaccumulation was also decreased by each DOM to a lesser extent. Fluoranthene bioaccumulation was affected by the presence of humic acids only. In each experiment, the solution containing humic DOM led to the lowest bioaccumulation. Supposing that only dissolved PAHs were bioavailable, the reduction of bioaccumulation allowed a biological estimate of the partition coefficients of DOM and PAH, K-DOC. The estimated coefficients were positively related to the aromaticity of DOM and negatively related to its biodegradability.