Effects of type and quantity of organic carbon on the bioaccessibility of polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated sediments.

Organic carbon principally controls sorption and desorption of hydrophobic organic compounds in sediments. We investigated the effects of organic carbon type and quantity on compound bioaccessibility. The desorption of 21 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners was determined in spiked sediments amended with black carbon, humic acid, and sawdust at either 3 or 6% organic carbon.

Optimization of Tenax extraction parameters for polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated sediments.

Tenax extraction is a chemical technique used to provide a rapid estimate of exposure to chemicals from contaminated sediments. However, an absence of standardization has limited the implementation of Tenax extraction in regulatory venues. In the current study, the operational parameters of extraction solvent volume, Tenax sorption rate from water, and Tenax:OC (organic carbon) ratios were investigated employing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as model compounds.