KORN ET AL.: UPTAKE AND DEPURATION OF "C-BENZENE 



Water samples were taken first; then tissues 

 were sampled until open flow was reestablished. 

 Tissues were sampled as noted for each of the four 

 experiments included in this report (Table 1). It is 

 recognized that the residues reported may contain 

 metabolites and degradation products in addition 

 to benzene. 



The original data on declining seawater con- 

 centrations of benzene during tests and on 

 decreasing concentrations of residues in fish tis- 

 sues during depuration were first analyzed with a 

 least-squares curve-fitting computer program to 

 determine if the hypothesized function was the 

 best fit. Linear regression analyses were then 

 performed on logarithmically transformed data, 

 and regression coefficients were tested for sig- 

 nificance of differences between slopes and a 

 pooled regression coefficient (Snedecor and Coch- 

 ran 1968). 



RESULTS 



There were no deaths during the tests. The 

 benzene concentration in the seawater declined 



Tablk 2,- Benzene concentration during; 4^;-h exposure period 



Ex])onential decline (}' = ac 



coefficients for each exper- 



exponentially (Y = ae 



-0.0 183 A' 



, where Y is concen- 



tration and X is time) during all tests. After 24-h 

 exposure, 48-65% remained; after 48 h, 30-43% 

 remained, at which point the water flow was 

 renewed (Table 2). 



In general, accumulation in striped bass was 

 greatest in the gallbladder, followed by mesen- 

 teric fat, colon, intestine, liver, brain, gill, heart, 



iment from least-squares curve tittinjj. 



*No significant difference between slopes (at a = 0.05) except 

 between tests 2a and 2b. 



The equation V = ae-ooi83x describes the exponential de- 

 cline in benzene, using a pooled regression coefficent, 



stomach, and muscle (Table 3). Anchovy exhibited 

 similar results minus the mesenteric fat, colon, 

 heart, and stomach tissues, which were not sam- 

 pled. The order of decreasing accumulation varied 

 slightly according to experiment. The gallbladder 

 accumulated 53.4-8,450 times the initial water 

 concentration, while muscle accumulated 1.11-135 

 times the initial water concentration. Maximum 

 concentrations were obtained in the tissues from 

 0.25 to 4 days after starting exposure. Mesenteric 

 fat, gallbladder, liver, and intestine usually 

 reached a maximum accumulation later than the 

 other tissues. 



Accumulation in anchovies was considerably 

 greater than in striped bass in the tissues mea- 

 sured in both species (Figures 1, 2; Table 3). The 

 pattern of uptake in the gill and gallbladder was 



Table 3.-Mean maximum concentration factors' in various tissues and days elapsed (numbers in parentheses) from beginning of 



exposure for northern anchovy and striped bass. 



'Factor X (benzene-seawater concentration in microliter per liter) 

 liters) / (tissue wet weight in grams). 



actual nanoliters per gram mean tissue value or (benzene in nano- 



547 



