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WATER COLUMN TOXICITY FROM CONTAMINATED MARINE SEDIMENTS: EFFECTS ON MULTIPLE ENDPOINTS OF THREE MARINE SPECIES
Citation:
Burgess, R.M., R. Comelo, M. Tagliabue, K. Sheehan, A. Kuhn, AND D. Phelps. WATER COLUMN TOXICITY FROM CONTAMINATED MARINE SEDIMENTS: EFFECTS ON MULTIPLE ENDPOINTS OF THREE MARINE SPECIES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-93/311 (NTIS PB93229334), 1993.
Description:
Water quality monitoring programs often include toxicity testing of ambient waters with the assumption that observed toxicity is due to existing anthropogenic discharges. hese assessments rarely consider the potential that water column toxicity may originate from contaminated sediments. he objectives of this study were to (a) demonstrate that contaminated sediments can cause measurable water column toxicity and (b) illustrate the utility of short-term marine toxicity tests in these assessments. lean overlying seawater was exposed to five marine sediments, representing a wide range of contamination. o determine if sediment-associated contaminants were released into the water column in toxic concentrations, water column toxicity was measured using three marine toxicity tests: the red algal, Champis parvula, reproduction test; the echinoderm, Arbacia punctulata, fertilization, and development tests; and the mysid, Mysidopsis bahia, survival, fecundity, and growth test. ignificant water column toxicity was observed, with Champia exhibiting the greatest sensitivity followed by Arbacia, and Mysidopsis. he most sensitive endpoints were reproduction and development. xposure to New Bedford Harbor (USA) sediments cause the greatest water column toxicity while the relatively uncontaminated sediments elicited no detrimental effects. he approach used in this study demonstrates that contaminated sediments do have the potential to cause water column toxicity and that marine water column toxicity tests are sufficiently sensitive to detect this toxicity. n order to determine the contribution of the various sources of contamination to total water column toxicity, the data generated using this approach and other pertinent site information (hydrodynamic models, effluent and receiving water toxicity) can be integrated into a water column toxicity model.