Sediment quality assessment studies in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts
- National Biological Service, Corpus Christi, TX (United States). Texas Gulf Coast Field Station
- NOAA, Seattle, WA (United States)
- Science Applications International Corp., Narragansett, RI (United States)
- MacDonald Environmental Sciences Ltd., Ladysmith, British Columbia (Canada)
As part of NOAA`s National Status and Trends program, a bioeffects assessment study was conducted in the vicinity of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Surficial sediment samples were collected at 55 sites and subsamples were tested for toxicity using (1) the 10-day whole sediment test with Ampelisca abdita, (2) the sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) fertilization and embryological development assays with sediment pore water, and (3) Microtox{trademark} assay with organic sediment extracts. Eleven percent of the samples were significantly toxic in the amphipod test, only 4% were toxic in the sea urchin fertilization test whereas all of the samples were highly toxic in the sea urchin embryological development assay; the Microtox assay determined 56% of the organic sediment extracts to be significantly toxic. Sediment chemical analyses for metals, AVS/SEM, PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides were performed on 30 of the 55 samples. Twenty-seven of the 30 samples exceeded at least one probable effects level (PEL) value. For the 20 samples that exceeded 5 or more PELS, the concordance between the predicted and observed toxicity was 20% for the amphipod test, 60% for the Microtox test, and 100% for the sea urchin embryological development assay. There were no significant correlations among the different toxicity tests or between the tests and the contaminant concentrations in the bulk sediment. Possible explanations for the apparent lack of correlation between the sediment chemistry and the toxicity tests will be discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 203584
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9614%%96
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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