Evaluating Ecological Risk To Invertebrate Receptors From PAHs In Sediments At Hazardous Waste Sites (Final Report)
EPA's Ecological Risk Assessment Support Center (ERASC) announced the release of the final report, Evaluating Ecological Risk to Invertebrate Receptors from PAHs in Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites. The report provides an overview of an approach for assessing risk to invertebrate receptors resulting from exposure to PAHs in contaminated sediments.
This report was written in response to a request from EPA’s Ecological Risk Assessment Forum (ERAF) relating to the evaluation of ecological risk to vertebrate and benthic invertebrate receptors from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs) in sediment at hazardous waste sites. The report addressing this request provides an overview of an approach for assessing risk to invertebrate receptors resulting from exposure to PAHs in contaminated sediments. [Reaching a consensus scientific position on vertebrate risk issues is a longer-term prospect.]
The approach, based on procedures described in U.S. EPA (2003), involves the use of equilibrium partitioning techniques to determine exposure/bioavailability and narcosis theory to estimate sublethal toxicity of PAHs. Examples of how to use this approach with analytical data resulting from the analysis of contaminated sediments are provided. Additionally, this approach, particularly when used with other contaminated sediment assessment methods, offers risk assessors a useful tool for assessing the risk of PAHs to benthic invertebrates at hazardous waste sites.
This report was written in response to a request from EPA’s Ecological Risk Assessment Forum (ERAF) relating to the evaluation of ecological risk to vertebrate and benthic invertebrate receptors from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs) in sediment at hazardous waste sites. The report addressing this request provides an overview of an approach for assessing risk to invertebrate receptors resulting from exposure to PAHs in contaminated sediments. [Reaching a consensus scientific position on vertebrate risk issues is a longer-term prospect.]
The approach, based on procedures described in U.S. EPA (2003), involves the use of equilibrium partitioning techniques to determine exposure/bioavailability and narcosis theory to estimate sublethal toxicity of PAHs. Examples of how to use this approach with analytical data resulting from the analysis of contaminated sediments are provided. Additionally, this approach, particularly when used with other contaminated sediment assessment methods, offers risk assessors a useful tool for assessing the risk of PAHs to benthic invertebrates at hazardous waste sites.
Impact/Purpose
This report was written in response to a request from EPA’s Ecological Risk Assessment Forum (ERAF) relating to the evaluation of ecological risk to vertebrate and benthic invertebrate receptors from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs) in sediment at hazardous waste sites.
Citation
BURGESS, R. M. Evaluating Ecological Risk To Invertebrate Receptors From PAHs In Sediments At Hazardous Waste Sites (Final Report). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ecological Risk Assessment Support Center, Cincinnati, OH, EPA/600/R-06/162F, 2009.
History/Chronology
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Jul 2005 | An Internal Review Draft was completed. |
| Dec 2006 | Internal review was completed and comments were addressed to produce the Sediment PAH External Review Draft. |
| Mar 2007 | A Federal Register Notice was published to elicit public comments on the ERASC Sediment PAH External Review Draft. |
| Oct 2009 | EPA published the final report incorporating external public and peer review comments. |
This document has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Related Link(s)
- U.S.EPA. 2003. Procedures for the Derivation of Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Benchmarks (ESBs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms: PAH Mixtures (PDF) (175 pp, 100 KB, about PDF)
- Evaluating Ecological Risk to Invertebrate Receptors from PAHs in Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites (External Review Draft)