Development and evaluation of a novel marine sediment pore water toxicity test with the polychaete dinophilus gyrociliatus

Abstract

As a candidate for future use in the National Status and Trends Program, a novel marine sediment pore water toxicity test procedure was developed and evaluated. The test procedure involves obtaining sediment pore water with a pressurized squeeze-extraction device, and then conducting a life-cycle toxicity test with the polychaete Dinophilus gyrociliatus. Recent studies have demonstrated that for certain nonpolar organic contaminants, the key route of exposure is from the interstitial (pore) water. Sediment samples were collected from 15 different stations in the San Francisco Bay area with varying amounts of contamination. The results from the San Francisco study and other studies conducted during the development of this test procedure are reported.