Elucidating the Routes of Exposure for Organic Chemicals in the Earthworm, Eisenia andrei (Oligochaeta)

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 37; no. 15; pp. 3399 - 3404
• Main Authors: Jager, Tjalling, Fleuren, Roel H. L. J, Hogendoorn, Elbert A, de Korte, Gert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.08.2003
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemicals; Chlorobenzenes - pharmacokinetics; Diffusion; Digestive System; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Oligochaeta; Organic chemicals; Pollution; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - pharmacokinetics; Skin; Soil Pollutants - pharmacokinetics; Soils; Solubility; Terrestrial environment, soil, air; Tissue Distribution; Worms; Gut; Exposure; Bioavailability; Hydrophobicity; Soil pollution; Polychlorobiphenyl; Annelida; Oligochaeta; Uptake; Eisenia; Earthworm; Organochlorine compounds; Chlorocarbon; Models; Skin; Invertebrata; Biological accumulation; Food; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es0340578

Earthworms take up organic compounds through their skin as well as from their food, but the quantitative contribution of each route is unclear. In this contribution, we experimentally validate an accumulation model containing a separate compartment for the gut. Uptake from the gut is modeled as passive diffusion from the dissolved phase in the gut contents. For the experiments, we exposed Eisenia andrei in artificial soil spiked with tetrachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, and PCB 153. Apart from the standard accumulation and elimination experiments, we ligatured the worm (using tissue adhesive) to prevent feeding. Model fits were good, thus supporting the validity of the model. The contribution of the gut route increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the chemical, and for PCB 153 the gut route clearly dominated. Despite the importance of the gut route, the final steady-state body residues did not exceed equilibrium partitioning predictions by more than 25%. Rate constants for exchange across the skin and the gut wall could be separately identified. The rate constant across the skin decreases with K ow but was generally higher than data derived from water-only exposure. The relationship with hydrophobicity was less clear for the rate constant across the gut wall.