Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Chemico/biological investigation of contaminated sediment from the Hamilton Harbour area of western Lake Ontario

Journal Article · · Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis; (United States)
; ; ;  [1]
  1. McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)

Highly contaminated sediment from the Hamilton Harbour area of western Lake Ontario was examined using a bioassay-directed fractionation methodology. A sediment sample was extracted using a Soxhlet apparatus and the resulting extract was fractionated into compound classes using an alumina clean-up step and high performance liquid chromatographic techniques. The resulting fractions were subjected to bioassays using TA98- and TA100-like strains modified by the inclusion of genes for the activating enzymes nitroreductase and O-acetyl-transferase. The majority of the mutagenic activity displayed by the sample extract was found to be present in the fraction containing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Extracts of the PAH-containing fraction displayed dramatically higher responses with the TA100 type strains with metabolic activation. Further separation of the PAH-containing fraction showed the majority of the biological activity coeluted with PAH having molecular masses of 276, 278, and 302 amu.

OSTI ID:
5952768
Journal Information:
Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis; (United States) Vol. 22:2; ISSN EMMUEG; ISSN 0893-6692
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English