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IDENTIFICATION OF STRESSORS IN TOXIC SEDIMENTS: WHOLE SEDIMENT AND INSTITIAL WATER RESULTS
Citation:
Ho, K T., R M. Burgess, M Pelletier, J R. Serbst, S Ryba, M Cantwell, AND A Kuhn. IDENTIFICATION OF STRESSORS IN TOXIC SEDIMENTS: WHOLE SEDIMENT AND INSTITIAL WATER RESULTS. Presented at North Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Plymouth, MA, April 27 & 28, 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 Development of these methods for both interstitial waters and whole sediments is nearly complete, and a draft guidance document is expected by the end of 2001.
Results from interstitial water TIEs indicate certain patterns in the causes of sediment toxicity. Among all sediments tested, there is no one predominant cause of toxicity; however, if sediments are divided into marine or freshwater sediments, TIEs performed on freshwater sediments indicate a variety of toxicants in fairly equal proportions, while TIEs performed on marine sediments have identified only ammonia and organics as toxicants, with metals playing a minor role. Results from whole sediment TIEs will be presented along with recent developments in whole sediment TIE methodology. The advantages, limitations and application of both interstitial and whole sediment methods will be discussed.