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TOXICITY TESTS FOR SEDIMENT QUALITY ASSESSMENTS
Citation:
Ireland, S. AND K T. Ho. TOXICITY TESTS FOR SEDIMENT QUALITY ASSESSMENTS. Chapter 1, PJ den Besten, M Munawar (ed.), Biological Testing in Marine and Frehwaters: Trends, Relevance and Linkages to Ecosystem Health. CRC Press - Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, Boca Raton, FL, , 1-42, (2005).
Description:
Toxic sediments have contributed to a wide-variety of environmental problems around the world. The observed effects include direct toxic effects to aquatic life, bio-magnification of toxicants in the food chain, and economic impacts. This chapter discusses the use of toxicity tests as an integral part of contaminated sediment assessments, and summarizes the use of sediment toxicity testing in existing tiered regulatory guidance for addressing toxic sediments and dredge spoils in several countries. Sampling design, collection, handling and storage of sediments for toxicity testing are discussed in relation to the project objectives. A number of sediment toxicity tests exist for both fresh and marine waters and a brief description of the type of test, collection method for the test organism, volume of test material needed, suitable test matrix, level of standardization and references where detailed methodology can be found are also included in this chapter. Several studies are highlighted discussing the ecological significance of toxicity testing and recommendations for future research in the area are discussed.