Sorensen Mary T, Conder Jason M, Fuchsman Phyllis C, Martello Linda B, Wenning Richard J
ENVIRON International Corporation, 1600 Parkwood Circle, Suite 310, Atlanta, Georgia 30339, USA.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2007 Jul;53(1):36-49. doi: 10.1007/s00244-006-0165-5. Epub 2007 Apr 23.
A Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) study consisting of chemical characterization in sediment, sediment toxicity and bioaccumulation testing, and benthic community assessments was performed in the Lower Hackensack River, New Jersey. Chemistry data in sediment and porewater were evaluated based on the equilibrium partitioning approach and other published information to investigate the potential for chemical effects on benthic organisms and communities. Relationships were supported by laboratory toxicity and bioaccumulation experiments to characterize chemical effects and bioavailability. Benthic community results were evaluated using a regional, multimetric benthic index of biotic integrity and four heterogeneity indices. Evidence of slight benthic community impairment was observed in five of nine sediment sample stations. Severe lethal toxicity to amphipods (Leptocheirus plumulosus) occurred in four of these five stations. Although elevated total chromium concentrations in sediment (as high as 1900 mg/kg) were the rationale for conducting the investigation, toxicity was strongly associated with concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) rather than total chromium. PAH toxic units (SigmaPAH TU) in sediment and SigmaPAH concentrations in laboratory organisms from the bioaccumulation experiment showed a clear dose-response relationship with toxicity, with 0% survival observed in sediments in which SigmaPAH TU > 1-2 and SigmaPAH concentrations in Macoma nasuta were >2 micromol/g, lipid weight. Metals detected in sediment and porewater, with the possible exception of copper, did not correlate with either toxicity or levels in tissue, likely because acid-volatile sulfide levels exceeded concentrations of simultaneous extracted metals at all sample locations. The study reinforces the value of using multiple lines of evidence approaches such as the SQT and the importance of augmenting chemical and biological analyses with modeling and/or other approaches to evaluate chemical bioavailability and toxicity of sediments.
在新泽西州下哈肯萨克河开展了一项沉积物质量三元组（SQT）研究，该研究包括沉积物化学特征分析、沉积物毒性和生物累积测试以及底栖生物群落评估。基于平衡分配方法和其他已发表信息，对沉积物和孔隙水中的化学数据进行了评估，以研究化学物质对底栖生物和群落产生影响的可能性。实验室毒性和生物累积实验为表征化学物质的影响和生物可利用性提供了支持。使用区域多指标生物完整性底栖指数和四个异质性指数对底栖生物群落结果进行了评估。在九个沉积物采样站中的五个站点观察到了轻微的底栖生物群落受损迹象。在这五个站点中的四个，对双足虾（Leptocheirus plumulosus）出现了严重的致死毒性。尽管沉积物中总铬浓度升高（高达1900毫克/千克）是开展该调查的原因，但毒性与多环芳烃（PAH）浓度密切相关，而非总铬。沉积物中的PAH毒性单位（ΣPAH TU）以及生物累积实验中实验室生物体内的ΣPAH浓度与毒性呈现出明显的剂量反应关系，当ΣPAH TU＞1 - 2且长吻沙蚕（Macoma nasuta）体内的ΣPAH浓度＞2微摩尔/克（脂重）时，观察到存活率为0%。沉积物和孔隙水中检测到的金属，铜可能除外，与毒性或组织中的含量均无相关性，这可能是因为在所有采样点，酸挥发性硫化物的含量均超过了同时提取的金属的浓度。该研究强化了使用如SQT这样的多证据线方法的价值，以及通过建模和/或其他方法加强化学和生物学分析以评估沉积物的化学生物可利用性和毒性的重要性。
