Porewater Toxicity Tests Research Articles

Contamination and screening level toxicity of sediments from remediated and unremediated wetlands near Sydney, Australia

The present study assessed contamination and toxicity of sediments from seven remediated and remnant wetland sites within Sydney Olympic Park, Australia, and four unremediated sites adjacent to its boundary using chemical analysis and a luminescent bacterial biosensor assay (Escherichia coli). Concentrations of metals (Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, and As) and persistent organic chemicals (DDT and its metabolites, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; polychlorinated biphenyls; and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans) in sediments and their pore-water samples were determined. Zinc concentrations were the highest of the metals in the sediments (84-618 mg/kg), and at eight sites, metal concentrations in sediments exceeded the Australian ecological trigger values for Pb, Zn, and Ni. Concentrations of organic contaminants in the sediments exceeded the trigger values at all 11 sites for DDTs, at 6 sites for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 5 sites for polychlorinated biphenyls. Sediment samples from the four unremediated sites outside the Sydney Olympic Park had dioxin concentrations greater than 200 pg (toxic equivalency per gram). The same four sites were identified as contaminated in pore-water toxicity tests with the luminescent biosensor, generally consistent with the bioavailable fractions of the contaminants (pore-water and Tenax extraction data), as well as dioxin levels, in the sediments. Preliminary toxicity identification and evaluation tests of the pore water from the four sites outside the park demonstrated that organic contaminants were the main cause of toxicity to E. coli, with no evidence that metals contributed to the toxicity of the pore water.

Ecological impacts of lead mining on Ozark streams: Toxicity of sediment and pore water

We studied the toxicity of sediments downstream of lead–zinc mining areas in southeast Missouri, using chronic sediment toxicity tests with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, and pore-water toxicity tests with the daphnid, Ceriodaphnia dubia. Tests conducted in 2002 documented reduced survival of amphipods in stream sediments collected near mining areas and reduced survival and reproduction of daphnids in most pore waters tested. Additional amphipod tests conducted in 2004 documented significant toxic effects of sediments from three streams downstream of mining areas: Strother Creek, West Fork Black River, and Bee Fork. Greatest toxicity occurred in sediments from a 6-km reach of upper Strother Creek, but significant toxic effects occurred in sediments collected at least 14 km downstream of mining in all three watersheds. Toxic effects were significantly correlated with metal concentrations (nickel, zinc, cadmium, and lead) in sediments and pore waters and were generally consistent with predictions of metal toxicity risks based on sediment quality guidelines, although ammonia and manganese may also have contributed to toxicity at a few sites. Responses of amphipods in sediment toxicity tests were significantly correlated with characteristics of benthic invertebrate communities in study streams. These results indicate that toxicity of metals associated with sediments contributes to adverse ecological effects in streams draining the Viburnum Trend mining district.

The Influence of Biomass on the Toxicity of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants

Hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) enter the marine environment through several means, including industrial, urban, and agricultural runoff, and accumulate in sediments. Methods for measurement of sediment toxicity include porewater tests using sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) fertilization and embryological development assessments. Previous studies investigating sediments from Boston Harbor determined that significant binding of contaminants to organic matter led to insufficient evidence of the bioavailability of HOCs in porewater toxicity tests. It was hypothesized that excessive biomass in testing systems prevents a critical body residue of HOCs from forming, thus curbing toxic effects. In this study, the effect of biomass on the toxicity of phenanthrene (a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) and lindane (an organochlorine pesticide) were assessed individually and combined in a mixture. The fertilization toxicity test for phenanthrene and mixture solutions containing both compounds revealed less biomass in the test vial caused higher toxicity levels, the fact of which was enhanced with increased hydrophobicity. The 50% inhibition concentration (IC(50)) of phenanthrene to sea urchin fertilization success in test vials with 50 eggs/mL (lowest biomass concentration tested) was 3.72 micromol/L, but in vials with 100 to 400 eggs/mL, the IC(50) was >4.12 micromol/L. Toxicity of several concentrations of the phenanthrene and lindane mixture to sea urchin fertilization success and embryological development was significantly higher at lower biomasses (50 and 100 eggs or embryos/mL) than with biomasses > or =200 eggs or embryos/mL. The results suggest that when testing environmental samples that may contain HOCs, lowering the biomass can help better estimate sediment toxicity using porewater tests.

Influence of Potentially Confounding Factors on Sea Urchin Porewater Toxicity Tests

The influence of potentially confounding factors has been identified as a concern for interpreting sea urchin porewater toxicity test data. The results from >40 sediment-quality assessment surveys using early-life stages of the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata were compiled and examined to determine acceptable ranges of natural variables such as pH, ammonia, and dissolved organic carbon on the fertilization and embryological development endpoints. In addition, laboratory experiments were also conducted with A. punctulata and compared with information from the literature. Pore water with pH as low as 6.9 is an unlikely contributor to toxicity for the fertilization and embryological development tests with A. punctulata. Other species of sea urchin have narrower pH tolerance ranges. Ammonia is rarely a contributing factor in pore water toxicity tests using the fertilization endpoint, but the embryological development endpoint may be influenced by ammonia concentrations commonly found in porewater samples. Therefore, ammonia needs to be considered when interpreting results for the embryological development test. Humic acid does not affect sea urchin fertilization at saturation concentrations, but it could have an effect on the embryological development endpoint at near-saturation concentrations. There was no correlation between sediment total organic carbon concentrations and porewater dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Because of the potential for many varying substances to activate parthenogenesis in sea urchin eggs, it is recommended that a no-sperm control be included with every fertilization test treatment.

Amphipod and Sea Urchin tests to assess the toxicity of Mediterranean sediments: the case of Portmán Bay

The sediment formed by the tailings of an abandoned mine, which discharged into Portman Bay, Murcia, SE-Spain, was tested to establish a possible gradient of heavy metals. The results were compared with tolerance limits of what was calculated from control sites. Whole sediment toxicity tests were performed on two amphipod species, Gammarus aequicauda and Microdeutopus gryllotalpa, while sediment-water interface and porewater toxicity tests were performed on three sea urchins species, Arbacia lixula, Paracentrotus lividus and Sphaerechinus granularis. The sensitivity of these marine organisms was evaluated by exposure tests using the reference substances: ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), cadmium chloride (CdCl2), potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7), sodium dodecyl sulfate (C12H25NaO4S) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). The concentration of heavy metals decreased along the pollution gradient. Amphipod 10 day acute toxicity tests clearly demonstrated the gradient of toxicity. The sediment-water interface tests conducted with sea urchins also pointed to a pollution gradient and were more sensitive than the tests involving amphipods.

Toxicological and chemical assessment of ordnance compounds in marine sediments and porewaters

Toxicological and chemical studies were performed with a silty and a sandy marine sediment spiked with 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine (tetryl), or 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid). Whole sediment toxicity was analyzed by the 10-day survival test with the amphipod Ampelisca abdita, and porewater toxicity tests assessed macro-algae ( Ulva fasciata) zoospore germination and germling growth, sea urchin ( Arbacia punctulata) embryological development, and polychaete ( Dinophilus gyrociliatus) survival and reproduction. Whole sediments spiked with 2,6-DNT were not toxic to amphipods. The fine-grained sediment spiked with tetryl was also not acutely toxic. The tetryl and picric acid LC 50 values in the sandy sediment were 3.24 and 144 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. The fine-grained sediment spiked with picric acid generated a U-shaped concentration–response curve in the amphipod test, with increased survival both in the lowest and highest concentration. Grain-size distribution and organic carbon content strongly influenced the behavior of ordnance compounds in spiked sediments. Very low concentrations were measured in some of the treatments and irreversible binding and biodegradation are suggested as the processes responsible for the low measurements. Porewater toxicity varied with its sedimentary origin and with ordnance compound. The sea urchin embryological development test tended to be the least sensitive. Tetryl was the most toxic chemical in all porewater tests, and picric acid the least toxic. Samples spiked with 2,6-DNT contained a degradation product identified as 2-methyl-3-nitroaniline (also known as 2-amino-6-nitrotoluene), and unidentified peaks, possibly degradation products, were also seen in some of the picric acid- and tetryl-spiked samples. Degradation products may have played a role in observed toxicity.

Sediment quality in Los Angeles Harbor, USA: A triad assessment

Sediment quality in the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor area of southern California, USA, was assessed from 1992 to 1997 as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board's Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Status and Trends Program. The assessment strategy relied on application of various components of the sediment quality triad, combined with bioaccumulation measures, in a weight-of-evidence approach to sediment quality investigations. Results of bulk-phase chemical measurements, solid-phase amphipod toxicity tests, pore-water toxicity tests with invertebrate embryos, benthic community analyses (presented as a relative benthic index), and bioaccumulation measures indicated that inner harbor areas of this system are polluted by high concentrations of a mixture of sediment-associated contaminants and that this pollution is highly correlated with toxicity in laboratory experiments and degradation of benthic community structure. While 29% of sediment samples from this system were toxic to amphipods (Rhepoxynius abronius or Eohaustorius estuarius), 79% were toxic to abalone embryos (Haliotis rufescens) exposed to 100% pore-water concentrations. Statistical analyses indicated that amphipod survival in laboratory toxicity tests was significantly correlated with the number of crustacean species and the total number of species measured in the benthos at these stations. Triad measures were incorporated into a decision matrix designed to classify stations based on degree of sediment pollution, toxicity, benthic community degradation, and, where applicable, tissue concentrations in laboratory-exposed bivalves and feral fish.

Sediment toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) studies at marine sites suspected of ordnance contamination.

A sediment quality assessment survey and subsequent toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) study was conducted at several sites in Puget Sound, Washington. The sites were previously suspected of contamination with ordnance compounds. The initial survey employed sea urchin porewater toxicity tests to locate the most toxic stations. Sediments from the most toxic stations were selected for comprehensive chemical analyses. Based on the combined information from the toxicity and chemical data, three adjacent stations in Ostrich Bay were selected for the TIE study. The results of the phase I TIE suggested that organics and metals were primarily responsible for the observed toxicity in the sea urchin fertilization test. In addition to these contaminants, ammonia was also contributing to the toxicity for the sea urchin embryological development test. The phase II TIE study isolated the majority of the toxicity in the fraction containing nonpolar organics with high log K(ow), but chemical analyses failed to identify a compound present at a concentration high enough to be responsible for the observed toxicity. The data suggest that some organic or organometallic contaminant(s) that were not included in the comprehensive suite of chemical analyses caused the observed toxicological responses.

Sediment-contact and survival of fingernail clams: Implications for conducting short-term laboratory tests

ABSTRACT: Porewater toxicity tests have been used as indicators of whole sediment toxicity. However,many species commonly tested in porewater predominately reside in the water column and otherwisehave little to no direct contact with sediment and associated porewater. We assessed the feasibility ofporewater toxicity tests with fingernail clams Musculium transversum , a benthic macroinvertebrate thatinhabits soft bottom sediments and feeds by filtering surface and porewater. Fingernail clams wereexposed to water or sediment in a 96 h laboratory test with a 5=2 factorial experimental design. Thefive treatments included sediments from four sites in the Mississippi River and one sediment-free control()well water . In all treatments, clams were exposed to the sediments or water either directly no(enclosure or indirectly enclosure, suspended above the sediment surface . There were three replicates)( )for each of the ten treatment combinations. Overall, survival of fingernail clams did not vary among thefive treatments ()

Use of power analysis to develop detectable significance criteria for sea urchin toxicity tests

When sufficient data are available, the statistical power of a test can be determined using power analysis procedures. The term “detectable significance” has been coined to refer to this criterion based on power analysis and past performance of a test. This power analysis procedure has been performed with sea urchin ( Arbacia punctulata) fertilization and embryological development data from sediment porewater toxicity tests. Data from 3100 and 2295 tests for the fertilization and embryological development tests, respectively, were used to calculate the criteria and regression equations describing the power curves. Using Dunnett’s test, a minimum significant difference (MSD) ( β=0.05) of 15.5% and 19% for the fertilization test, and 16.4% and 20.6% for the embryological development test, for α≤0.05 and α≤0.01, respectively, were determined. The use of this second criterion reduces type I (false positive) errors and helps to establish a critical level of difference based on the past performance of the test.

Use of power analysis to develop detectable significance criteria for sea urchin toxicity tests

Abstract When sufficient data are available, the statistical power of a test can be determined using power analysis procedures. The term “detectable significance” has been coined to refer to this criterion based on power analysis and past performance of a test. This power analysis procedure has been performed with sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) fertilization and embryological development data from sediment porewater toxicity tests. Data from 3100 and 2295 tests for the fertilization and embryological development tests, respectively, were used to calculate the criteria and regression equations describing the power curves. Using Dunnett's test, a minimum significant difference (MSD) (β = 0.05) of 15.5% and 19% for the fertilization test, and 16.4% and 20.6% for the embryological development test, for α ≤ 0.05 and α ≤ 0.01, respectively, were determined. The use of this second criterion reduces type I (false positive) errors and helps to establish a critical level of difference based on the past performance of the test.

The use of biomarkers in [formula omitted] toxicity testing— III. Rapid toxicity testing of pure chemicals and sediment pore waters using ingestion and digestive enzyme activity

In this study, 4 rapid (90 min) toxicity tests were developed using ingestion and digestive enzyme activity of Daphnia magna juveniles. Ingestion activity was assessed using fluorescent labelled latex micro-beads and digestive enzyme activity (trypsin, β-galactosidase and esterase) was measured in homogenates using chromogenic (N-benzoyl-L-arginine-4-nitroanilide) and fluorogenic (4-methylumbelliferyl-B-D-galactoside and fluorescein diacetate) substrates. All assays and toxicity endpoints were evaluated for their potential use as routine toxicity testing tools for pure chemicals and sediment pore waters. The observed high correlation coefficients (r 2>0.9) between the short-term toxicity values and the acute toxicity endpoint (24h EC 50) for pure chemicals suggests that these biomarker-based assays are good predictors of acute toxicity levels to D. magna . In the sediment pore water toxicity tests, ingestion activity was generally more sensitive than the conventional endpoint, while the enzymatic endpoints were less sensitive than the 24h immobility criterion. The use and limitations of the developed toxicity tests are discussed in the light of their application in ecotoxicity monitoring programmes.

SEDIMENT TOXICITY AND BENTHIC COMMUNITIES IN MILDLY CONTAMINATED MUDFLATS

Sediment physicochemical characteristics, benthic community structure, and toxicity were measured at reference and contaminated intertidal mudflats around the North Island of New Zealand. Chronic whole-sediment toxicity tests were conducted with the estuarine amphipod Chaetocorophium lucasi and the marine bivalve Macomona liliana, and pore-water toxicity tests were conducted with embryos of the echinoid Fellaster zelandiae. Although concentrations of organic chemicals and heavy metals were up to several orders of magnitude higher at the sites considered to be contaminated, levels of contamination were relatively low compared to internationally based sediment quality guidelines. Although no pronounced difference was found in benthic community structure between reference and contaminated sites, multivariate analysis indicated that natural sediment characteristics (total organic carbon, acid-volatile sulfide, ammonium) and factors related to contamination (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, sediment toxicity) may have been affecting community structure. Although benthic effects caused by present levels of contamination are not yet dramatic, subtle changes in community structure related to pollution may be occurring. The two whole-sediment and the pore-water toxicity tests presented different response patterns. Growth of C. lucasi and M. liliana was a less sensitive endpoint than survival. None of the three toxicity tests responded more strongly to the contaminated than to the reference sites, that is, neither natural-sediment and pore-water characteristics nor unmeasured contaminants affected the test organisms. It is possible that sediment collection and handling may have induced chemical changes, confounding interpretation of toxicity tests.

Comparison of Solid-Phase and Pore-Water Approaches for Assessing the Quality of Marine and Estuarine Sediments

Abstract As part of our continuing evaluation of the pore-water approach for assessing sediment quality, we made a series of side-by-side comparisons between the standard 10-day amphipod whole sediment test with the corophiid Grandidierella japonica and a suite of tests using pore water extracted from the same sediments. the pore-water tests evaluated were the sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) sperm cell test and morphological development assay, the life-cycle test with the polychaete Dinophilus gyrociliatus, and acute exposures of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) embryo-larval stages. Sediment and surface microlayer samples were collected from contaminated sites. Whole-sediment, pore-water, and surface microlayer toxicity tests were performed. Pore-water toxicity tests were considerably more sensitive than the whole-sediment amphipod test, which is currently the most sensitive toxicity test now recommended for determining the acceptability of dredged material for open ocean disposal.