Development of Bioassay Procedures for Defining Pollution of Harbor Sediments - Project Summary

Abstract

This research investigates bioassay methods which may be useful in assessing the degree of pollution of harbor sediments. Procedures studied include 96 hr toxicity tests employing Hexagenia limbata, Daphnia magna and Pontoporeia affinis as biological probes, monitoring cough frequencies of bluegill sunfish (Leporilis macrochirus) in interstitial water derived from sediments, chemical analyses of sediment-water systems, and chemical analysis of chironomids and Hexagenia limbata exposed to the sediments. Additional experiments involved investigation of the degree of removal of chemical constituents from sediments due to extraction with Lake Superior water and the use of reverse phase liquid chromatography in detecting the presence of chemical compounds with high bioaccumulation potential in the sediments.