Occurrence and fate of organic and inorganic contaminants in marine animals.

Most chemical contaminants occur in highest concentrations in coastal waters, often maximized in very localized areas. In general, this situation represents the exposure pattern for marine animals. However, the availability of contaminant to an organism depends not only on its concentration but also on its chemical nature, its physical state, and whether the source of exposure is the surrounding seawater or the diet. Depending on the type of exposure, uptake occurs across absorptive surfaces, such as those of the respiratory apparatus or gastrointestinal tract, where selectivity may occur, even among neighboring homologs. Deposition in tissues, accumulation, degradation, or depuration depends on tissue type, metabolic processes, detoxification mechanisms, and the adaptive status of a particular animal. This hypothesis is examined briefly for hydrocarbons, pesticides, other miscellaneous organic contaminants, heavy metals, and radionuclides. It is concluded that most data relate to occurrence and distribution. Considerably less information is available on the underlying biochemical processes.