Toxicological benchmarks for screening potential contaminants of concern for effects on sediment-associated biota. Environmental Restoration Program ESD Publication 4107

Technical Report · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10121223· OSTI ID:10121223

Hull, R N; Suter, II, G W

Because a hazardous waste site may contain hundreds of chemicals, it is important to screen contaminants of concern for the ecological risk assessment. Often this screening is done as part of a Screening Assessment, the purpose of which is to evaluate the available data, identify data gaps, and screen potential contaminants of concern. Screening may be accomplished by using a set of toxicological benchmarks. These benchmarks are helpful in determining whether contaminants warrant further assessment or are at a level that requires no further attention. If a chemical concentration or the reported detection limit exceeds a proposed lower benchmark, more analysis is needed to determine the hazards posed by that chemical. If, however, the chemical concentration falls below the lower benchmark value, the chemical may be eliminated from further study. This report briefly describes three categories of approaches to the development of sediment quality benchmarks. These approaches are based on analytical chemistry, toxicity test results, and field survey data. A fourth integrative approach incorporates all three types of data.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 10121223
• Report Number(s): ORNL/ER--177; ES/ER/TM--95; ON: DE94006324
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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AQUATIC ORGANISMS
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CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
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