Perron Monique M, Burgess Robert M, Ho Kay T, Pelletier Marguerite C, Friedman Carey L, Cantwell Mark G, Shine James P
Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Environ Toxicol Chem. 2009 Apr;28(4):749-58. doi: 10.1897/08-229.1.
Marine and estuarine sediments accumulate contaminants and act as a sink for a wide range of toxic chemicals. As a result, the sediments themselves can become a source of contamination. At sufficient levels, contaminated sediments can cause benthic impairments and toxicity to marine organisms. Among the wide range of contaminants, nonionic organic contaminants (NOCs) are a primary cause of toxicity in marine sediments. Toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) are used to characterize and identify chemicals causing toxicity in effluents, interstitial waters, and whole sediments using whole-organism endpoints. Phase I whole-sediment TIE methods for NOCs exist, but the development of phase II TIE methods for NOCs is a current research challenge. In the present study, the use of reverse polyethylene samplers (RePES) for phase II methods is examined. Various RePES designs were evaluated in an experimental design study with NOC chemical solutions. Based on equilibration time and proximity of measured NOC water concentrations in the reconstituted system to theoretical concentrations, a nontriolein design with loading of chemical solutions on the inside of the polyethylene tubing was chosen as most effective. A partitioning study demonstrated NOCs partitioned between the RePES and water as well as between the water and air, as expected using this nontriolein RePES design. Finally, a sediment toxicity study comparing the nontriolein RePES to contaminant-spiked sediments was conducted. The nontriolein RePES design was capable of successfully recreating the toxicity and water concentrations observed with the intact sediments.
海洋和河口沉积物会积累污染物，并成为多种有毒化学物质的汇。因此，沉积物本身可能会成为污染源。当污染物达到足够浓度时，受污染的沉积物会对底栖生物造成损害并对海洋生物产生毒性。在众多污染物中，非离子有机污染物（NOCs）是海洋沉积物中毒性的主要成因。毒性鉴定评估（TIEs）用于利用全生物体终点来表征和识别导致废水、间隙水和整个沉积物中毒性的化学物质。针对NOCs的第一阶段全沉积物TIE方法已经存在，但开发针对NOCs的第二阶段TIE方法是当前的一项研究挑战。在本研究中，对用于第二阶段方法的反向聚乙烯采样器（RePES）的使用进行了研究。在一项针对NOC化学溶液的实验设计研究中评估了各种RePES设计。基于平衡时间以及重构系统中测得的NOC水浓度与理论浓度的接近程度，选择了一种在聚乙烯管内部加载化学溶液的非三油酸甘油酯设计，认为其最为有效。一项分配研究表明，正如使用这种非三油酸甘油酯RePES设计所预期的那样，NOCs在RePES和水之间以及水和空气之间进行分配。最后，进行了一项沉积物毒性研究，将非三油酸甘油酯RePES与添加了污染物的沉积物进行比较。非三油酸甘油酯RePES设计能够成功重现完整沉积物所观察到的毒性和水浓度。
