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IDENTIFICATION OF TOXICANTS IN WHOLE MARINE SEDIMENTS: METHODS AND RESULTS
Citation:
Ho, K T., R M. Burgess, M Pelletier, J R. Serbst, S Ryba, M Cantwell, A Kuhn, AND P. Raczelowski. IDENTIFICATION OF TOXICANTS IN WHOLE MARINE SEDIMENTS: METHODS AND RESULTS. Presented at Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 11-15, 2001.
Description:
Identification of stressors in aquatic systems is critical to sound assessment and management of our nation's waterways. Information from stressor identification can be useful in designing effective sediment remediation methods, assessing options for sediment disposal, allowing managers to link stressors to specific dischargers to prevent further release of the toxicant and performing ecological risk assessments. The US Environmental Protection Agency has developed tools (Toxicity Identification and Evaluation (TIE)) which allow researchers to characterize and identify chemical causes of acute toxicity in sediments. Development of these methods for both interstitial waters and whole sediments is nearly complete, Newly developed whole sediment marine TIE methods include the use of a powdered - coconut charcoal to remove organic toxicity, cation-exchange resin beads to remove metals and the sea lettuce, U lactuca, to remove ammonia. Results from whole marine sediment TIEs
indicate organic toxicity plays a major role in marine sediments. Results from interstitial water marine TIEs indicate only ammonia and organics as toxicants, with metals playing a minor role. It is prudent to stress these results are from a limited data set (n < 20), and trends may change as more sediments are tested. The advantages, limitations and application and interpretations of both interstitial and whole sediment methods will be discussed.