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Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (v.44, #1)
Estrogenic Activity in Water and Sediments of a French River: Contribution of Alkylphenols by H. Fenet; E. Gomez; A. Pillon; D. Rosain; J.-C. Nicolas; C. Casellas; P. Balaguer (pp. 0001-0006).
Alkylphenols, known to possess estrogenic activity, have been found in the aquatic environment. In this study, we focused on the contribution of alkylphenols to total estrogenic activity in sediment and water extracts of French rivers. Four sites representing rural, agricultural, urban, and industrial watersheds were studied. The concentrations of alkylphenols in water and sediment were quantified by GC/MS. Estrogen-responsive reporter cell lines (MELN) have been used for investigating estrogenic activity at these sites. These observed activities were compared with activities mediated by known concentrations of alkylphenols. In water, the concentration of alkylphenols, from 0.06 to 0.550 μg · L−1 and from < 0.001 μg · L−1 to 0.077 μg · L−1 for nonylphenols and 4t-octylphenol, respectively, were too low to contribute to the observed estrogenic activity. In sediment of the industrial, rural, and urban sites, the observed estrogenic activities could be explained in great part by the alkylphenol concentrations from 0.26 to 2.87 μg · g−1 and from 0.005 μg · g−1 to 0.49 μg · g−1 for nonylphenols and 4t-octylphenol, respectively. In the agricultural site, the alkylphenols (0.022 μg · g−1 of nonylphenols) poorly contribute to the observed estrogenic activity. Other compounds, such as natural and synthetic hormones, present in water and sediments could act additively in the overall activity.
Reduced Antimicrobial Potencies of Oxytetracycline, Tylosin, Sulfadiazin, Streptomycin, Ciprofloxacin, and Olaquindox Due to Environmental Processes by B. Halling-Sørensen; G. Sengeløv; F. Ingerslev; L. B. Jensen (pp. 0007-0016).
The stability of oxytetracycline (OTC), tylosin (TYL), sulfadiazin (SDZ), streptomycin (ST), ciprofloxacin (CF) and olaquindox (O) was examined in environmentally relevant matrices, such as soil interstitial water and sewage sludge water. Compounds were assessed in both aerobic (OTC, TYL, SDZ, ST, and CF) and anaerobic experiments (OTC, TYL, and O) using analytical measurements (UV spectrophotometry or HPLC) combined with a growth inhibition pour plate assay using activated sludge bacteria. (OTC was additionally assessed using a soil bacterial assay.) This combination of results enabled the assessment of whether a loss in antibacterial potency was reflected in a similar reduction of substance concentration. If a potency reduction is not reflected in a decreased substance concentration, the results may indicate the formation of less potent degradation products possessing the same chromophoric system (same UV absorbance maximum) as the parent compound. With the exception of ST and CF, the antimicrobial agents generally lost a considerable amount of their antimicrobial potency in aerobic experiments. In the anaerobic experiments having either an experimental duration of 21 or 100 days only OTC retained potency. These results correspond well with the fact that several degradation products were encountered in the study for this compound
Variability in Zinc Tolerance, Measured as Incorporation of Radio-Labeled Carbon Dioxide and Thymidine, in Periphyton Communities Sampled from 15 European River Stretches by H. Blanck; W. Admiraal; R. F. M. J. Cleven; H. Guasch; M. A. G. T. van den Hoop; N. Ivorra; B. Nyström; M. Paulsson; R. P. Petterson; S. Sabater; G. M. J. Tubbing (pp. 0017-0029).
Fifteen European rivers and streams belonging to watersheds in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain respectively, were sampled by allowing periphyton to colonize submerged glass substrata. Their zinc tolerances were quantified in short-term laboratory tests, where inhibition of photosynthesis in microalgae and thymidine incorporation in bacterial DNA was measured, and expressed as EC50 values. The variability in zinc tolerances was high reaching 1.5–2.5 orders of magnitude, ranging from 25–8145 μM for photosynthesis and 15–467 μM for thymidine assays. Based on the observed variability, uncertainty factors were estimated for the extrapolation of zinc toxicity data from river to river, both regionally and interregionally. Under the assumption to protect 95% of the observed communities the regional uncertainty factors were 1.7–4.3 and the interregional 2.4–8.6. The sampling sites were characterized in terms of biotope physiography, water chemistry, periphyton biomass, trace element content, and species composition. Multivariate analysis of the data using PLS (Projection to Latent Structure), was used to generate hypotheses about the relation between periphyton zinc tolerance and the 123 so-called predictor variables. Zinc contamination, phosphate, nitrogen nutrients, pH, calcium, bicarbonate, dissolved organic carbon, and various diatom species are important predictors for zinc tolerance in the entire data set representing all 15 river stretches. Regional models suggested that very different factors determined the zinc tolerance in the Swedish and Dutch periphyton. The results are interpreted in terms of Pollution-Induced Community Tolerance (PICT) and the bioavailability of zinc.
Bioavailability and Trophic Transfer of Sediment-Bound Ni and U in a Southeastern Wetland System by T. Punshon; K. F. Gaines; R. A. Jenkins, Jr. (pp. 0030-0035).
Elemental composition of soil, herbaceous and woody plant species, and the muscle and liver tissue of two common small mammal species were determined in a wetland ecosystem contaminated with Ni and U from nuclear target processing activities at the Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC. Species studied were black willow (Salix nigra L.), rushes (Juncus effusus L.), marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris), and cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus). Two mature trees were sampled around the perimeter of the former de facto settling basin, and transect lines sampling rushes and trapping small mammals were laid across the wetland area, close to a wooden spillway that previously enclosed the pond. Ni and U concentrations were elevated to contaminant levels; with a total concentration of 1,065 (± 54) mg kg−1 U and 526.7 (±18.3) mg kg−1 Ni within the soil. Transfer of contaminants into woody and herbaceous plant tissues was higher for Ni than for U, which appeared to remain bound to the outside of root tissues, with very little (0.03 ± 0.001 mg kg−1) U detectable within the leaf tissues. This indicated a lower bioavailability of U than the cocontaminant Ni. Trees sampled from the drier margins of the pond area contained more Ni within their leaf tissues than the rushes sampled from the wetter floodplain area, with leaf tissues concentrations of Ni of approximately 75.5 (± 3.6) mg kg−1 Ni. Ni concentrations were also elevated in small mammal tissues. Transfer factors of contaminants indicated that U bioavailability is negligable in this wetland ecosystem.
Metals in Horseshoe Crabs from Delaware Bay by J. Burger; C. Dixon; T. Shukla; N. Tsipoura; H. Jensen; M. Fitzgerald; R. Ramos; M. Gochfeld (pp. 0036-0042).
We examined the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in the eggs, leg muscle, and apodeme (carapace musculature) in horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) from eight places on the New Jersey and Delaware sides of Delaware Bay to determine whether there were locational differences. Although there were locational differences, the differences were not great. Further, contaminant levels were generally low. The levels of contaminants found in horseshoe crabs were well below those known to cause adverse effects in the crabs themselves or in organisms that consume them or their eggs. Contaminant levels have generally declined in the eggs of horseshoe crabs from 1993 to 2001, suggesting that contaminants are not likely to be a problem for secondary consumers or a cause of their decline.
Assessment of Seasonal Variability of Cytochemical Responses to Contaminant Exposure in the Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis (Complex) by A. N. Kagley; R. G. Snider; P. K. Krishnakumar; E. Casillas (pp. 0043-0052).
A selected suite of cytochemical parameters in Mytilus edulis are altered in response to field and laboratory exposure to chemical contaminants. These biomarkers include lysosomal stability, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)–ferrihemoprotein reductase activity, liposfuscin deposition, and accumulation of lysosomal and cytoplasmic unsaturated neutral lipid. Normal variations in physiological processes (influenced by exogenous seasonal changes in temperature, salinity, food availability, etc.) may alter the sensitivity of these biomarkers to contaminant exposure. To address this issue, M. edulis (complex) were sampled monthly from a reference nonurban site (Coupeville, Penn Cove) and a polluted urban site (Seacrest, Elliott Bay) in Puget Sound, WA, for a period of 15 months. Physiological measurements including total length, total weight, somatic and mantle weights (an indication of gonadal development and reproductive status), condition index, and the presence or absence of hemic neoplasia (HN, or leukemia) were recorded. Significant differences in lysosomal stability, lysosomal and cytoplasmic unsaturated neutral lipids, lipofuscin deposition, and NADPH–ferrihemoprotein reductase activity in cells of the digestive gland or digestive tubules were generally found in mussels taken throughout the year from Seacrest compared to mussels sampled from Coupeville, consistent with exposure to chemical contaminants. No seasonally influenced suppression of the entire suite of parameters as measures of contaminant exposure was evident. Therefore these biomarkers can be used to evaluate contaminant exposure in mussels throughout the entire year.
Variation of Metal and Metallothionein Concentrations in a Natural Population of Ruditapes decussatus by M. J. Bebianno; M. A. Serafim (pp. 0053-0066).
The spatial and seasonal variation of total and subcellular distribution of Cd, Cu, and Zn was followed in different tissues (gills, digestive gland, and remaining tissues) of the clam Ruditapes decussatus collected along a metal contamination gradient in the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal) and compared with metallothionein (MT) concentrations.Total metal concentrations decreased according to the sequence digestive gland > gills > remaining tissues for Cd, digestive gland ≈ gills > remaining tissues for Cu and gills > digestive gland > remaining tissues for Zn. MT concentrations in these tissues decreased according to the same sequence observed for Cd. In all the tissues, the highest subcellular concentration was in the cytosol for Cd and Cu and in the pellet for Zn. Among the three metals, Cd concentrations showed the most evident spatial variation. In all tissues, total and subcellular Cd concentrations decreased from the inner parts of the lagoon toward the ocean. However, no significant spatial or seasonal variation occurred in clam tissues for the other two metals, though marginal elevated Cu concentrations were observed in the inner parts of the lagoon. Therefore, Cu subcellular distribution in clam tissues was not significantly altered by Cu changes in the lagoon and are the baseline levels for normal metabolism of this clam population. The fact that total Zn concentrations remained unchanged both spatial and seasonal suggested that these clams regulate Zn in their tissues.In the three tissues, MT bind most significantly to Cd and Cu, while Zn, although binding to MT, is preferably bound to other ligands. MT concentrations showed the same spatial and seasonal variation of Cd and were significantly related with total and heat-treated cytosolic Cd in all tissues. For Cu a significant relationship between MT and total or cytosolic Cu was only observed in the remaining tissues. No relationship was observed between MT and total or cytosolic Zn concentrations. Metals and MT concentrations increased with the increase in the condition index for the gills and the digestive gland and decreased from the remaining tissues.Cd concentrations in the gills increased only in the heat-treated cytosolic fraction while Zn in this fraction decreased. Thus Cd concentrations in this tissue displaced Zn from the MT-fraction, leading to a modification of the soluble/insoluble Zn ratio once total Zn concentrations remained unchanged. This modification reflects a perturbation in the normal metabolism in this tissue due to the excess of Cd present. With the exception of the gills, Zn subcellular distribution in the other two tissues was similar among sites and season.The model that describes the relationship between MT, metals, and weight in the gills, digestive gland and remaining tissues also indicates that Cd was the only metal that influence MT synthesis significantly in all the tissues. The induced and/or existent MT was sufficient to bind free Cd ions present in the cells, preventing any damage to cellular metabolism in this clam population. Therefore, MT in the gills and digestive gland of R. decussatus can be used as an early warning signal for Cd exposure and are a useful biomarker to assess the toxicological status of this population in the Ria Formosa lagoon.
Aqueous-Phase Disappearance of Atrazine, Metolachlor, and Chlorpyrifos in Laboratory Aquaria and Outdoor Macrocosms by L. Mazanti; C. Rice; K. Bialek; D. Sparling; C. Stevenson; W. E. Johnson; P. Kangas; J. Rheinstein (pp. 0067-0076).
Dissipation processes are described for a combination of commonly used pesticides—atrazine (6-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine), metolachlor (2-chloro-N-[2-ethyl-6-methyl-phenyl]-N-[2-methoxy-1-methylethyl] acetamide), and chlorpyrifos (O-O diethyl O-[3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl] phosphorothioate)—in a laboratory and outdoor pond systems. Dosing rates and timing were designed to duplicate those common in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA. Treatments ranged from 2 and 2.5 mg/L to 0.2 and 0.25 mg/L respectively for atrazine and metolachlor, and chlorpyrifos was added at 1.0 and 0.1 mg/L in the aquaria and at 0.1 mg/L in the outdoor macrocosms. Chlorpyrifos disappearance was rapid in all of the systems and followed a two-phase sequence. Initial half-lives varied from 0.16 day to 0.38 day and showed similar rates in the aquaria and the outdoor systems. The second phase of the chlorpyrifis loss pattern was slower (18–20 days) in all the treatments except for the low herbicide treatment in the outdoor test, where it was 3.4 days. Compared to the outdoor system, herbicide losses were much slower in the aquaria, e.g., 150 days for atrazine and 55 days for metolachlor, and no appreciable loss of herbicide was apparent in the high-treated aquaria. In the outdoor systems, the half-lives for the low herbicide treatment were 27 days and 12 days, respectively, for atrazine and metolachlor, and 48 and 20 days, respectively for the high herbicide-treated pond. Very low levels of CIAT (6-amino-2-chloro-4-iso-propylamino-s-triazine) and CEAT (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-ethylamino-s-triazine), degradation products of atrazine, were observed in the outdoor studies.
Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates in Fish, Sediment, and Water from the Kalamazoo River, Michigan by K. Kannan; T. L. Keith; C. G. Naylor; C. A. Staples; S. A. Snyder; J. P. Giesy (pp. 0077-0082).
A survey measuring concentrations of nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NPEs) in fish was performed in the Kalamazoo River, Michigan, USA, in 1999. Of 183 fish analyzed, 59% had no detectable NP or NPE. Detected concentrations were reported to range from 3.3 (limit of detection) to 29.1 ng NP/g wet weight. To further explore the means of exposure of NP and NPE in the fish, concentrations of NP and its mono-through tri-ethoxylates (NPE1–3) were measured in fish, sediment, and water collected near two wastewater treatment plants on the Kalamazoo River in 2000. Samples were analyzed using exhaustive steam distillation with concurrent liquid extraction. Nonylphenol ethoxycarboxylates (NPE1–3C) were also analyzed in water. Concentrations of NP and NPEs in fish were less than the method detection limits (MDLs) in all the samples except one fish, which contained 3.4 ng NP/g wet weight, just above the detection limit of 3.3 ng/g. Three of 36 sediments and 1 of 24 water samples contained detectable concentrations of NP or NPE1. NPE2, NPE3, and NPEC were not detected in water samples.
The Effect of Humic Acid on the Uptake of Mercury(II), Cadmium(II), and Zinc(II) by Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Eggs by D. Hammock; C. C. Huang; G. Mort; J. H. Swinehart (pp. 0083-0088).
The Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is endangered or threatened in several of its ranges. The uptake of metals by Chinook salmon eggs and how humic acid (HA) affects the uptake is a subject of interest. Humic acid (0, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.05g/l) reduces the uptake of the metal ions Hg(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II), (1.0 μM) by eggs. HA is more effective in reducing the uptake of Hg than that of Cd or Zn. At [HA] = 0.001 g/L Hg uptake is reduced by 44% compared to no HA, while Cd and Zn uptakes are slightly or not reduced. Once the metals are taken up by the eggs, Hg migrates more slowly from the chorion to the yolk than either Zn or Cd. In experiments in which the metal contents of the chorion and yolk were measured at up to 24 h and five days after uptake, the order of migration was Cd > Zn > Hg. This observation is important when discussing the effects of metals on biological processes in the yolk because when Hg is taken up by eggs, a smaller percentage reaches the yolk than does Cd and Zn.
Great Tit (Parus major) Nestlings as Biomonitors of Organochlorine Pollution by T. Dauwe; S.G. Chu; A. Covaci; P. Schepens; M. Eens (pp. 0089-0096).
In this study we investigated the accumulation of organochlorine compounds (HCB, 3 HCH-isomers, p,p′-DDT and its metabolites and 18 PCB congeners) in the muscle and fat tissue of nestling great tits (Parus major) from four study sites located in an area with extensive environmental contamination. The concentration of p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDD, α-, β-, γ-HCH, and PCB congeners 128 and 149 were below the limit of detection in all muscle and fat samples. In muscle tissue the concentrations of HCB and congeners 28, 52, 101, 110, and 194 were in more than 50% of the cases below detection limit and these data were excluded from statistical analysis. Σ PCB in muscle tissue ranged from 461 to 1060 ng/g lipid weight and in fat from 776 to 1779 ng/g lipid weight. p,p′-DDE had concentrations ranging from 106 to 205 ng/g lipid weight in muscle and from 201 to 348 ng/g lipid weight in fat. HCB concentrations were very low, ranging from ND to 7.0 ng/g lipid weight in fat. We found significant differences among study sites in the concentration of Σ PCB and of almost all individual congeners in both muscle and fat tissue. Concentrations of p,p′-DDE in muscle and fat of great tit nestlings tended to differ among sites. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the study sites with the highest Σ PCB level had a different PCB profile than the two other sites. Our study illustrates that insectivorous passerines with a limited home range, such as the great tit, are suitable biomonitors for terrestrial organochlorine contamination.
The Influence of Diet Properties and Feeding Rates on PCB Toxicokinetics in the Ring Dove by K. G. Drouillard; R. J. Norstrom (pp. 0097-0106).
The influence of diet properties and feeding rate on the uptake and elimination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated in ring doves (Streptopelia rissoria). Elimination rates of PCBs were determined in birds dosed with an Aroclor mixture (1242:1248:1260, 1:1:1) and allowed to depurate on uncontaminated high-lipid or low-lipid/high-fiber diets for 105 days. Uptake rates for seven additional PCBs not found within the above Aroclor mixtures were studied in the same birds by feeding high- or low-lipid PCB-spiked diets for 15 days. The two diet treatments contributed to differences in feeding rates, fecal egestion rates, and total fat volume of the birds. Uptake rate constants of PCBs were higher for the low-lipid diet group, whereas PCB assimilation efficiencies were similar between the two groups. Whole-body elimination rates of Aroclor PCBs were most strongly influenced by the chlorine substitution pattern of the congeners, such that PCBs containing an open meta-para site on one of the phenyl rings were rapidly cleared from the animal. Whole-body elimination rates for persistent PCBs could only be determined for PCB 28; other congeners exhibited negligible elimination over the depuration period. For the latter compounds, fecal elimination rates were estimated using the excreta/carcass distribution coefficient and excreta production rates. For PCB 28, the fecal elimination rate was similar to the whole-body elimination rate, suggesting that fecal elimination of persistent PCBs dominates whole body elimination of these compounds. Diet treatment effects were less evident for PCB elimination rates compared to uptake rates. Steady-state biomagnification factors were estimated to range from 1.0 to 5.1 for rapidly cleared PCBs and from 27 to 97 for persistent congeners.
Lead Speciation in Artificial Human Digestive Fluid by A. G. Oomen; J. Tolls; A. J. A. M. Sips; M. A. G. T. Van den Hoop (pp. 0107-0115).
For children, soil ingestion via hand-to-mouth behavior can be a main route of exposure to contaminants such as lead. The ingested lead can be mobilized from the soil and form new species during the digestion process. Speciation is known to affect the availability of metals for transport across biological membranes. In the present study, in vitro digestions were performed with (artificially contaminated) standard soil. Lead speciation was investigated in the artificial human intestinal fluid, i.e., chyme, to gain insight into the lead species and lead fractions that may be available for transport across the intestinal epithelium. To that end, both a lead ion selective electrode (Pb-ISE) and a voltammetric technique (differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, DPASV) were used. The results indicate that in chyme only a negligible lead fraction is present as free Pb2+, whereas lead phosphate and lead bile complexes are important fractions. The lead phosphate complexes appear to be voltammetrically labile, i.e., in dynamic equilibrium with Pb2+. Labile complexes can dissociate and the produced metal ions can subsequently be transported across the intestinal epithelium. Lead bile complexes may behave in a similar manner, or this organometal complex may be able to traverse the intestinal membrane. Therefore, substantially more than only the free metal ion should be considered available for transport across the intestinal epithelium.
In Vitro Intestinal Lead Uptake and Transport in Relation to Speciation by A. G. Oomen; J. Tolls; A. J. A. M. Sips; J. P. Groten (pp. 0116-0124).
Children might be exposed substantially to contaminants such as lead via soil ingestion. In risk assessment of soil contaminants there is a need for information on oral bioavailability of soilborne lead. Oral bioavailability can be seen as the result of four steps: (1) soil ingestion; (2) mobilization from soil during digestion, i.e., bioaccessibility; (3) transport across the intestinal epithelium; and (4) first-pass effect. Lead bioaccessibility and speciation in artificial human small intestinal fluid, i.e., chyme, have been investigated in previous studies. In the present study, transport of bioaccessible lead across the intestinal epithelium was investigated using the Caco-2 cell line. Cell monolayers were exposed to (diluted) artificial chyme. In 24 h, approximately 27% of the lead were associated to the cells and 3% were transported across the cell monolayer, without signs of approaching equilibrium. Lead associated to the cells showed a linear relationship with the total amount of lead in the system. Bile levels did not affect the fraction of lead associated to Caco-2 cells. Extrapolation of the lead flux across the Caco-2 monolayer to the in vivo situation indicates that only a fraction of the bioaccessible lead is transported across the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore, the results indicate that as the free Pb2+ concentration in chyme was negligible, lead species other than the free metal ion must have contributed to the lead flux toward the cells. On the basis of lead speciation in chyme, this can be attributed to dissociation of labile lead species, such as lead phosphate and lead bile complexes, and subsequent transport of the released free metal ions toward the intestinal membrane.
Human Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls in a Residential Community by K. G. Orloff; S. Dearwent; S. Metcalf; S. Kathman; W. Turner (pp. 0125-0131).
Blood serum concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in members of a residential community who lived near a chemical plant that formerly manufactured PCBs. Elevated blood serum PCB concentrations were detected in some of the older adults who were long-term residents of the community. Congener-specific analyses indicated that PCB congeners 153, 138/158, 180, 118, and 187 contributed 60–67% of the total PCBs detected in blood from adults and children. Blood PCB concentrations correlated strongly with age and length of residency in the neighborhood. However, blood PCB concentrations did not correlate with PCB concentrations in soil or house dust samples from the homes. Past exposures to PCBs may be a significant contributor to the elevated PCB concentrations detected in some adult members of the community.
Assessment of PCB Congener Analytical Methods: Do They Meet Risk Assessment Needs? by N. L. Judd; W. C. Griffith; D. A. Kalman; E. M. Faustman (pp. 0132-0139).
Congener-specific PCB analysis allows use of toxic equivalency (TEQ) TCDD-based risk assessment approaches when analytical methods are sufficiently sensitive. Many efforts to analyze fish samples for PCB congeners report the majority of samples as non-detects; these data are of little use for human health risk assessment if the limits of analytical detection exceed levels of potential health concern. However, increasing analytical sensitivity is costly and technically difficult. An approach to assess analytical sensitivity needs for risk assessment by defining toxicological endpoints of concern and acceptable risk levels is presented. This framework was applied to assessment of potential PCB TEQ cancer risks to the general United States population and tribal consumers of Columbia River fish, but may be easily adjusted for other situations. A probabilistic model was used to calculate the necessary analytical sensitivity for PCB TEQ cancer risk assessment using the Environmental Protection Agency's new draft cancer risk slope factor for TCDD and fish consumption data. Desired levels of analytical sensitivity were estimated for the congener expected to contribute the most to PCB TEQ, PCB 126, and compared to limits of detection for various analytical methods. The financial and health value of methods with different levels of analytical sensitivity were compared using a value of information approach, which includes analytical cost and cost of potential health outcomes, and a proposed risk assessment utility approach which considers the relative health protectiveness of analytical options non-monetarily. Sensitivity analyses indicate that average consumption rate, cancer risk slope factor choice, and knowledge of existing PCB contamination are important considerations for planning PCB congener analysis.