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AMENDMENT OF SEDIMENTS WITH A CARBONACEOUS RESIN REDUCES BIOAVAILABILITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
Citation:
West, C W., P A. Kosian, D. R. Mount, E A. Makynen, M S. Pasha, P. K. Sibley, AND G T. Ankley. AMENDMENT OF SEDIMENTS WITH A CARBONACEOUS RESIN REDUCES BIOAVAILABILITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. SETAC Press, Pensacola, FL, 20(5):1104-1111, (2001).
Description:
A series of laboratory and field test studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Ambersorb, a carbonaceous resin, in reducing bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated sediments collected from the field. Amending contaminated sediments with resin reduced concentrations of eight, unsubstituted PAHs measured in sediment porewater, relative to sediments without resin, in both laboratory and field studies. Corresponding reductions in PAH concentrations were observed in oligochaete tissues from laboratory bioaccumulation exposures. Additional laboratory experiments with oligochaetes showed that resin treatment increased survival/reproduction and reduced photoenhanced toxicity and sediment avoidance. Although resin amendment decreased pore water PAHs in field deployments, increased colonization by benthic invertebrates was not observed. Unusual partitioning, possible related to coal or soot, was observed in untreated sediments, but accumulation of PAH by oligochaetes compared favorably with that expected based on pore water chemistry. Overall, these studies show that the addition of high affinity sorbents reduces pore water PAH concentrations, which supports their use as an indicator of bioavailability and suggests that sorbent addition may serve as as option for in situ remediation of contaminated sediments.