Bioconcentration of Lindane and Naphthalene in Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus)

The validity of models for prediction of the bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for organic chemicals in fish was tested with bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus Raf.) using lindane and naphthalene. In general, good agreement was observed between the calculated or predicted BCFs and experimentally determined BCFs. The uptake phase or time to accumulation of a steady-state body burden at a given chemical concentration was about one day for both chemicals. However, the depuration rates, K₂, or loss of the chemicals from the fish were significantly different (for naphthalene, K₂ = 0.88 to 1.20 day⁻¹; for lindane, K₂ = 0.38 to 0.53 day⁻¹). The data provide additional evidence that differential loss rates may be the critical factor in controlling the BCFs for most organic chemicals.