A NUMERICAL KINETIC-MODEL FOR BIOACCUMULATION OF ORGANIC-CHEMICALS INSEDIMENT-WATER SYSTEMS

A numerical kinetic model was developed to simulate the bioaccumulatio n of toxic chemicals under natural exposure conditions where benthic s ediment plays an important role in bioavailability. Based on a three c ompartment dynamic system, a set of simultaneous first-order ordinary differential equations was derived and numerically solved by employing the fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The model was validated against data obtained from the bioaccumulation of two chlordane isomers into g oldfish in the presence of sediment. The model predictions agreed well with the experimental results. The experimental results indicate that sediment significantly lowers the amount of chlordane available to fi sh and acts as a reservoir of chlordane to water. The developed model was capable of simulating the rate of sediment in bioavailability of c hemicals to fish in sediment/water systems. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.