Figure 10.
(a) Distribution coefficients (Kd) for sorption of phenanthrene to UV-treated plastics from seawater. (b) Amount of phenanthrene-sorbed plastic required in sediment (0.2% organic carbon) to increase lugworm tissue concentration by 80%, compared with plastic-free sediment, predicted using equilibrium partitioning as described previously (Teuten et al. 2007). Plastics were exposed to a UV lamp for 9 and 16 days, equivalent to 208 and 460 days in natural sunlight. Note that plastic concentrations in sediment are well below the maximum reported amount of 81 ppm (Reddy et al. 2006).