Predictions of Sediment Toxicity Using Consensus-Based Freshwater Sediment Quality Guidelines
01 Jul 2001-Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (Arch Environ Contam Toxicol)-Vol. 41, Iss: 1, pp 8-21
TL;DR: Analytical results indicate that the consensus-based PECs can be used to reliably predict toxicity of sediments on both a regional and national basis and that the different patterns in toxicity may be the result of unique chemical signals associated with individual contaminants in samples.
Abstract: The objectives of this study were to compare approaches for evaluating the combined effects of chemical mixtures on the toxicity in field-collected sediments and to evaluate the ability of consensus-based probable effect concentrations (PECs) to predict toxicity in a freshwater database on both a national and regional geographic basis. A database was developed from 92 published reports, which included a total of 1,657 samples with high-quality matching sediment toxicity and chemistry data from across North America. The database was comprised primarily of 10- to 14-day or 28- to 42-day toxicity tests with the amphipod Hyalella azteca (designated as the HA10 or HA28 tests) and 10- to 14-day toxicity tests with the midges Chironomus tentans or C. riparius (designated as the CS10 test). Mean PEC quotients were calculated to provide an overall measure of chemical contamination and to support an evaluation of the combined effects of multiple contaminants in sediments. There was an overall increase in the incidence of toxicity with an increase in the mean quotients in all three tests. A consistent increase in the toxicity in all three tests occurred at a mean quotient > 0.5, however, the overall incidence of toxicity was greater in the HA28 test compared to the short-term tests. The longer-term tests, in which survival and growth are measured, tend to be more sensitive than the shorter-term tests, with acute to chronic ratios on the order of six indicated for H. azteca. Different patterns were observed among the various procedures used to calculate mean quotients. For example, in the HA28 test, a relatively abrupt increase in toxicity was associated with elevated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alone or with elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) alone, compared to the pattern of a gradual increase in toxicity observed with quotients calculated using a combination of metals, PAHs, and PCBs. These analyses indicate that the different patterns in toxicity may be the result of unique chemical signals associated with individual contaminants in samples. Though mean quotients can be used to classify samples as toxic or nontoxic, individual quotients might be useful in helping identify substances that may be causing or substantially contributing to the observed toxicity. An increase in the incidence of toxicity was observed with increasing mean quotients within most of the regions, basins, and areas in North America for all three toxicity tests. The results of these analyses indicate that the consensus-based PECs can be used to reliably predict toxicity of sediments on both a regional and national basis.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the quality of bottom sediments of water reservoir Poraj was evaluated by applying a set of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and a spatial analysis, and the results indicated that low correlation between toxic effect and PERI or PECQ indicated that other factors that contribute to the toxicity of the sediments.
Abstract: Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of bottom sediments of water reservoir Poraj by applying a set of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and a spatial analysis. Samples of bottom sediments were collected at 46 measuring points. Collected samples were analyzed in terms of total trace element content, toxicity and organic matter. Concentrations of three trace elementss were above PEC value: Zn (22% of samples), Pb (17%) and Cd (17%). Considering mean PECQ value, 17% of samples were predicted to be toxic. For TEC value, 76% of bottom sediments samples were predicted to be non-toxic. Values of PECQ ranged from 0.04 to 2.08 with mean of 0.38. PERI from 4.36 to 323.62 with mean of 55.35. PERI above 150 was observed in 17% of collected samples. The Coefficient of determination were determined between studied factors: PERI and PECQ (R2= 0.98), PECQ and TEC (R2= 0.99), PERI and TEC (R2= 0.98), PERI and PE (R2= 0.06), PECQ and PE (R2= 0.07). Low correlation between toxic effect and PERI or PECQ indicated that there are other factors that contribute to the toxicity of the sediments. Spatial analysis performed in geostatistical software allowed determining areas with the highest ecological risk. Streszczenie Celem badań była ocena jakości osadów dennych zbiornika wodnego Poraj z zastosowaniem wytycznych dotyczących jakości osadów (ang. SQGs – Sediment Quality Guidelines) oraz analiz przestrzennych. Próbki osadów dennych zostały pobrane na podstawie regularnej siatki kwadratów zawierającej 46 punktów pomiarowych. Pobrane próbki zostały poddane analizom laboratoryjnym pod kątem zawartości metali śladowych, toksyczności oraz materii organicznej. Zawartość trzech metali śladowych przekroczyła odpowiadającą wartość PEC: Zn (22% próbek), Pb (17%) i Cd (17%). Porównując wartość PECQ, 17% próbek określa się jako prawdopodobnie toksyczne. Dla TEC w 76% badanego materiału nie wykryto toksyczności. Wartości PECQ zawierały się w przedziale od 0.04 do 2.08 z wartością średnią 0.38, PERI od 4.36 do 323.62 z wartością średnią 55.35. Wartość PERI ponad 150 została zaobserwowana w 17% próbek. Wyznaczono współczynnik determinacji pomiędzy badanymi wskaźnikami: PERI i PECQ (R2= 0.98), PECQ i TEC (R2= 0.99), PERI i TEC (R2= 0.98), PERI i PE (R2= 0.06), PECQ i PE (R2= 0.07). Niska wartość korelacji pomiędzy procentowym efektem toksyczności a analizowanymi wskaźnikami wskazuję na udział innych czynników wpływających na toksyczność osadów dennych zbiornika wodnego Poraj. Na podstawie rozkładów przestrzennych wyznaczono obszary z największym ryzykiem ekologicznym.
2 citations
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TL;DR: The SEDIVALD project as discussed by the authors has demonstrated the applicability of the H14 protocol to characterize the hazard level of sediments from the ecotoxicological point of view, but also showed the importance of further investigations to detect contaminants that are not usually taken into account.
Abstract: Community and national regulations impose to do not discharge harbor sediments into the sea without first measured the level of pollution and assessed the risk of impacts on the marine environment by the use of ecotoxicity tests on marine species. If the immersion is impossible, sediment has to be directed to inland areas where they have the status of waste. Then, it must identify whether the waste is hazardous or not. The H14 "ecotoxic" property of the EU Waste Directive, which is conventionally used for the characterization of hazardous waste in case of multiple contaminations, can be applied to sediments. In case of strong positive response to ecotoxicity tests on terrestrial species, the sediment must be managed as a hazardous waste and it must be oriented to regulated waste storage sites. For sediments that do not have a significant toxicity, two alternatives are available for the decision makers: the deposit of sediment in landfills or the valorization of sediments as secondary raw materials (SRM). The SEDIVALD project aimed to test the application of H14 protocol on a set of marine, lake and river sediments where the main regularly pollutants were dosed. The results of these tests showed first a large variability in levels of sediment pollution, which was fairly predictable because of the types of activities for the concerned ports and watersheds. In numerous cases, the H14 protocol was effective for characterizing the level of hazard of sediment and seemed correlated with the levels of pollutants measured. In contrast, other sediments were identified as ecotoxic by the H14 protocol without that the dosed pollution left it supposed. According to classical chemical analyzes, sediments appeared not to be polluted and logically should not have to meet H14 protocol. The origin of the pollution (pesticides or other) must be sought because these hazardous wastes could be used in beach nourishment. The SEDIVALD project has demonstrated the applicability of the H14 protocol to characterize the hazard level of sediments from the ecotoxicological point of view, but it also showed the importance of further investigations to detect contaminants that are not usually taken into account. This is particularly important because the sediments managed in land should be treated by physicochemical and biological processes to enable their valorization as SRM.
2 citations
01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: In this article, the main phase associations of Hg, Se, and As in sediments helps to understand the biogeochemical processes involved and to evaluate the risk and remobilization potential of these elements in the constructed wetland.
Abstract: In a pilot-scale constructed wetland treatment system, Hg, Se, and As were removed from flue gas desulfurization wastewater through a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes that resulted in their accumulation in the sediment. The first objective of this research was to characterize sediment-associated Hg, Se, and As into operationally-defined fractions using sequential extraction procedures. All measurements were taken after 17 months of wastewater treatment. Mercury concentrations in the sediment varied from 0.025 to 0.035 mg kg in the treatment system, while concentrations of Se and As in the sediment increased from 3.57 to 8.79 mg kg and 11.91 to 14.08 mg kg, respectively. Results suggest that Hg and As are stable, immobile, and non-bioavailable in the sediment, as long as current sediment conditions such as pH and redox potential remain stable. Approximately half of the total selenium in the sediment is mobile and bioavailable, while the other half is stable and not bioavailable to plants and organisms. Identification of the main phase associations of Hg, Se, and As in sediments helps to understand the biogeochemical processes involved and to evaluate the risk and remobilization potential of these elements in the constructed wetland. A toxicity assessment of this sediment was then performed to obtain the information needed to support environmental management decisions related to mitigating risks associated with FGD wastewater. The second objective of this research was to evaluate the toxicity of these sediments to Hyalella azteca. Despite the use of this constructed wetland treatment system to treat simulated FGD wastewater for over a year, the sediment was not toxic to H. azteca. It was apparent from this research that measuring sediment toxicity and total concentrations of Hg, Se, and As in sediment cannot provide the required information about mobility, bioavailability, and the potential impact on the aquatic system. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, matching biological and chemical data were compiled from numerous modeling, laboratory, and field studies performed in marine and estuarine sediments, and two guideline values (an effects range low and an effects range median) were determined for nine trace metals, total PCBs, two pesticides, 13 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and three classes of PAHs.
Abstract: Matching biological and chemical data were compiled from numerous modeling, laboratory, and field studies performed in marine and estuarine sediments. Using these data, two guideline values (an effects range-low and an effects range-median) were determined for nine trace metals, total PCBs, two pesticides, 13 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and three classes of PAHs. The two values defined concentration ranges that were: (1) rarely, (2) occasionally, or (3) frequently associated with adverse effects. The values generally agreed within a factor of 3 or less with those developed with the same methods applied to other data and to those developed with other effects-based methods. The incidence of adverse effects was quantified within each of the three concentration ranges as the number of cases in which effects were observed divided by the total number of observations. The incidence of effects increased markedly with increasing concentrations of all of the individual PAHs, the three classes of PAHs, and most of the trace metals. Relatively poor relationships were observed between the incidence of effects and the concentrations of mercury, nickel, total PCB, total DDT and p,p′-DDE. Based upon this evaluation, the approach provided reliable guidelines for use in sediment quality assessments. This method is being used as a basis for developing National sediment quality guidelines for Canada and informal, sediment quality guidelines for Florida.
3,869 citations
"Predictions of Sediment Toxicity Us..." refers background in this paper
...…concentrations because previous studies have demonstrated that normalization of SQGs for PAHs or PCBs to total organic carbon (Barrick et al. 1988, Long et al. 1995, Ingersoll et al. 1996) or normalization of metals to acidvolatile sulfides (Long et al. 1998b) did not improve the predictions of…...
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...Similarly, Long et al. (1998a) reported a 56 to 71% incidence of toxicity at mean quotients of >1....
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TL;DR: It was concluded that the consensus-based SQGs provide a reliable basis for assessing sediment quality conditions in freshwater ecosystems.
Abstract: Numerical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for freshwater ecosystems have previously been developed using a variety of approaches. Each approach has certain advantages and limitations which influence their application in the sediment quality assessment process. In an effort to focus on the agreement among these various published SQGs, consensus-based SQGs were developed for 28 chemicals of concern in freshwater sediments (i.e., metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and pesticides). For each contaminant of concern, two SQGs were developed from the published SQGs, including a threshold effect concentration (TEC) and a probable effect concentration (PEC). The resultant SQGs for each chemical were evaluated for reliability using matching sediment chemistry and toxicity data from field studies conducted throughout the United States. The results of this evaluation indicated that most of the TECs (i.e., 21 of 28) provide an accurate basis for predicting the absence of sediment toxicity. Similarly, most of the PECs (i.e., 16 of 28) provide an accurate basis for predicting sediment toxicity. Mean PEC quotients were calculated to evaluate the combined effects of multiple contaminants in sediment. Results of the evaluation indicate that the incidence of toxicity is highly correlated to the mean PEC quotient (R(2) = 0.98 for 347 samples). It was concluded that the consensus-based SQGs provide a reliable basis for assessing sediment quality conditions in freshwater ecosystems.
2,732 citations
"Predictions of Sediment Toxicity Us..." refers background or methods or result in this paper
...The TECs were calculated by determining the geometric mean of the SQGs that were included in this category (MacDonald et al. 2000a)....
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...…results of these three previous investigations demonstrated that the consensus-based SQGs provide a unifying synthesis of the existing guidelines, reflect causal rather than correlative effects, and account for the effects of contaminant mixtures in sediment (Swartz 1999, MacDonald et al. 2000a,b)....
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...A second paper developed and evaluated consensus-based SQGs for total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to address a similar mixture paradox for that group of contaminants (MacDonald et al. 2000b)....
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...The consensus-based PECs listed in Table 1 were critically evaluated by MacDonald et al. (2000a) to determine if they would provide effective tools for assessing sediment quality conditions in freshwater ecosystems....
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...Therefore, the differences in this “MPP approach” from the approach used by MacDonald et al. (2000a) are: (1) an average quotient for metals was used instead of the individual quotients for metals and (2) sum DDE was not used in the calculation....
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TL;DR: The ERhls and PELs indicated high predictive ability in samples in which many substances exceeded these concentrations, and the incidence of toxicity increased with increases in concentntions of mixtures of chemicals normalized to the SQGs.
Abstract: .-Mat~hing'syno~tically collected chemical and laboratory bioassay data (n = 1.068) were compiled from analyses of surficial sediment samples collecred during 1990 to 1993 to evaluate the predictive ability of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). specifically, effects range-low (ERL). effects range-median (ERM). threshold effects level (TELL and probable eifects level (PEL) values. Dam were acquired from surveys of sediment quality periomed in estuaries along the Atlantic. Pacific. and Gulf of hlexico coasts. Samples were classified as either nontoxic (p > 0.05 re!ative to controls). marginally toxic @ < 0.05 only). or highly toxic @ < 0.05 and response greater than minimum significant difference :elalive to controls). This analysis indic-red that. when nor exceeded. [he ERLs and TELs were highly predictive of nontoxicity. The percenrages of samples that were highly toxic generally increased with increasing numbers of guidelines (panicularly the EX.\.ls and PELS) that were exceeded. Also. the incidence of toxicity increased with increases in concentntions of mixtures of chemicals normalized to (divided by) the SQGs. The ERhls and PELs indicated high predictive ability in samples in which many substances exceeded these concentrations. Suggestions are provided on the uses of these estimates of the predictive ability oi sediment ~uidelines.
771 citations
"Predictions of Sediment Toxicity Us..." refers background or methods or result in this paper
...Alternatively, Long et al. (1998a) classified sediments in a marine amphipod database as either marginally toxic (significantly reduced relative to the control) or as highly toxic (significantly reduced relative to the control with a reduction greater than a minimum significant difference; MSD)....
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...Long et al. (1998a) and Field et al. (1999) reported reduced variability in the relationship between toxicity and sediment contamination when toxicity was evaluated using a standardized approach....
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...The incidence of toxicity was only 12% at mean quotients of <0.1 (quotients calculated using either marine effect range median (ERM) or probable effect level (PEL) guidelines; Long et al. 1998a)....
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...Long et al. (1998a) also observed an elevated incidence of toxicity with marine amphipods at low mean quotients....
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...For this reason, the evaluation of the predictive ability of the SQGs in the present study was conducted to determine the incidence of effects above and below various mean PEC quotients (mean quotients of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0; Ingersoll et al. 1998, Long et al. 1998a, Fairey et al. 2000)....
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01 Mar 1990
657 citations
"Predictions of Sediment Toxicity Us..." refers background or methods in this paper
...Alternatively, Long et al. (1998a) classified sediments in a marine amphipod database as either marginally toxic (significantly reduced relative to the control) or as highly toxic (significantly reduced relative to the control with a reduction greater than a minimum significant difference; MSD). The MSD was established by Long et al. (1998a) using a power analysis of data from 10-day marine amphipod tests (Thursby et al....
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...Alternatively, Long et al. (1998a) classified sediments in a marine amphipod database as either marginally toxic (significantly reduced relative to the control) or as highly toxic (significantly reduced relative to the control with a reduction greater than a minimum significant difference; MSD)....
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01 Jan 1993
613 citations