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Issues Relating to Sediment Toxicity Testing and Bioaccumulation of Persistent Chemicals in SRS Sediments.

DE2005838803

Publication Date	2005
Personal Author	Specht, W. L.
Page Count	40
Abstract	Many chemical contaminants that enter a water body in an aqueous form are ultimately deposited to the sediments. Over time, the concentrations of contaminants in sediments may build up to concentrations that are much higher than those found in the water column. However, not all chemicals present in sediments are toxic/bioavailable. Factors that affect bioavailability include aqueous solubility, pH, redox, and composition of the sediment matrix (grain size, mineral constituents, organic matter), and for metals, the quantity of acid volatile sulfides that are present in the sediments. Many sediments contain multiple chemical contaminants, which may interact synergistically or antagonistically with respect to toxicity. Because the toxicity of a sediment cannot be determined simply by measuring the concentrations of chemical contaminants present in the sediment, laboratory toxicity testing methods have been developed to measure the toxicity and bioavailability of chemicals in sediment.
Keywords	Toxicity testing Sediment Contaminants Chemical contaminants Water pollution Contamination Bioavailability Laboratory testing Chemicals Savannah River Site (SRS)
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC. Savannah River Site.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200603

Issues Relating to Sediment Toxicity Testing and Bioaccumulation of Persistent Chemicals in SRS Sediments.

Issues Relating to Sediment Toxicity Testing and Bioaccumulation of Persistent Chemicals in SRS Sediments.
DE2005838803

Publication Date	2005
Personal Author	Specht, W. L.
Page Count	40
Abstract	Many chemical contaminants that enter a water body in an aqueous form are ultimately deposited to the sediments. Over time, the concentrations of contaminants in sediments may build up to concentrations that are much higher than those found in the water column. However, not all chemicals present in sediments are toxic/bioavailable. Factors that affect bioavailability include aqueous solubility, pH, redox, and composition of the sediment matrix (grain size, mineral constituents, organic matter), and for metals, the quantity of acid volatile sulfides that are present in the sediments. Many sediments contain multiple chemical contaminants, which may interact synergistically or antagonistically with respect to toxicity. Because the toxicity of a sediment cannot be determined simply by measuring the concentrations of chemical contaminants present in the sediment, laboratory toxicity testing methods have been developed to measure the toxicity and bioavailability of chemicals in sediment.
Keywords	Toxicity testing Sediment Contaminants Chemical contaminants Water pollution Contamination Bioavailability Laboratory testing Chemicals Savannah River Site (SRS)
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC. Savannah River Site.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200603