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CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS - ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS RESEARCH
Impact/Purpose:
The EPA Office of Research and Development has written, in collaboration with the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, a multi-year research plan, entitled Contaminated Sites Multi-Year Plan, to resolve critical science issues at Superfund sites. One of four long term goals of this plan is focused on improving the scientific basis for remedy selection and management at contaminated sediments Superfund sites. The objective of the science activity listed here is to perform the ecological effects research necessary for ORD to achieve the contaminated sediments long term goal.
Description:
NHEERL's research in this area focuses on ecological effects of bioaccumulative chemicals, such as PCBs. The research is designed with recognition that sites of different size and complexity require bioaccumulation models with correspondingly complex and/or extensive data requirements. Research is intended to develop a tiered suite of bioaccumlation models amenable to the range of contaminated sediment sites. Expected products of this research include: Provide an approach to long-term ecological monitoring to assess the effectiveness of contaminated sediment remediation at the New Bedford Harbor, MA Superfund site; Provide procedures for deriving Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Benchmarks (ESBs) for the Protection of Benthic Organisms from: Metal Mixtures; PAH mixtures and selected other organic compounds; Provide a hybrid modeling/empirical approach for predicting BAFs, BSAFs, and resulting risks from metabolized chemicals such as dioxins and PAHs; and Provide a fully field validated hybrid modeling/empirical approach for extrapolating BAFs, BSAFs, and predicting the ecological effects of mixtures of PBTs with differing rates of metabolism on a site-specific basis.