Uptake and body distribution of chlorinated phenolics in the freshwater mussel, Anodonta anatina L.

Freshwater mussels (Anodonta anatina L.) were exposed to [14C]pentachlorophenol (PCP) and [14C]3,4,5-trichloroguaiacol (CG-3) under laboratory conditions. Uptake and body distribution in mussels as well as total water-soluble metabolites of chlorophenolics in hemolymph and digestive gland were measured. The time course of chlorophenolic accumulation in the mussel soft tissue was followed by analyzing the decrease in the radioactivity in exposure water. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs, activity in animal per activity in water) were measured at steady state for the soft tissue homogenate and separate organs. Both chlorinated phenolics reached a steady-state concentration during the first 24 hr. BCFs in soft tissue ranged from 145 to 342 for PCP and 34 to 125 for CG-3. Accumulations by the digestive gland (hepatopancreas) and kidneys were 2 and 1.3 times greater, respectively, than the average accumulation by the whole soft tissue. The water-soluble fraction of PCP (1-8%) and CG-3 (0.4-2.9%) in separate organs implied only a minor metabolism of chlorophenolics in this animal.