An Evaluation of the Toxicity of Contaminated Sediments from Waukegan Harbor, Illinois, Following Remediation

Abstract

Waukegan Harbor in Illinois was designated as a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to high concentrations of sediment-associated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of 20 sediment samples collected after remediation (primarily dredging) of Waukegan Harbor for PCBs. A 42-day whole sediment toxicity test with the amphipod Hyalella azteca (28-day sediment exposure followed by a 14-day reproductive phase) and sediment toxicity tests with Microtox(R) were conducted to evaluate sediments from Waukegan Harbor. Endpoints measured were survival, growth, and reproduction (amphipods) and luminescent light emission (bacteria). Survival of amphipods was significantly reduced in 6 of the 20 sediment samples relative to the control. Growth of amphipods (either length or weight) was significantly reduced relative to the control in all samples. However, reproduction of amphipods identified only two samples as toxic relative to the control. The Microtox basic test, conducted with organic extracts of sediments identified only one site as toxic. In contrast, the Microtox solid-phase test identified about 50% of the samples as toxic. A significant negative correlation was observed between reproduction and the concentration of three polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) normalized to total organic carbon. Sediment chemistry and toxicity data were evaluated using sediment quality guidelines (consensus-based probable effect concentrations, PECs). Results of these analyses indicate that sediment samples from Waukegan Harbor were toxic to H. azteca contaminated at similar contaminant concentrations as sediment samples that were toxic to H. azteca from other areas of the United States. The relationship between PECs and the observed toxicity was not as strong for the Microtox test. The results of this study indicate that the first phase of sediment remediation in Waukegan Harbor successfully lowered concentrations of PCBs at the site. Though the sediments were generally not lethal, there were still sublethal effects of contaminants in sediments at this site observed on amphipods in long-term exposures (associated with elevated concentrations of metals, PCBs, and PAHs).

Sediment Toxicity of Industrialized Coastal Areas of Korea Using Bioluminescent Marine Bacteria

“…The EC50 values of sediments in this study were comparable to or lower than those in the following regions: Lake Geneva, USA (0.008-3.42 mg/mL) (Pardos et al, 1999), Southern Puget Sound, USA (0.31-175.30 mg/mL) (Long et al, 2002), Waukegan Harbor, USA (0.42-14.50 mg/mL) (Kemble et al, 2000), Ebro River, Spain (0.04-12.96 mg/mL) (Ocampo-Duque et al, 2008), Po River, Italy (0.46-36.80 mg/mL) (Viganò et al, 2003), and Irish marine sediments (>1,000 mg/mL) (Macken et al, 2008). However, our values were much higher than those in Barcelona Harbor, Spain (0.0002-0.0044 mg/mL) (Martínez-Lladó et al, 2007), which is associated with intensive marine and industrial activities.…”

“…This method has been widely used for ecotoxicological assays since 1979, and has been standardized internationally (ASTM D-5660, ISO 11348, DIN 38412-34). This assay has been used for the quality assessments of marine sediments in coastal areas of many countries (Long et al, 1996;Kemble et al, 2000;Beg et al, 2001;Long et al, 2002;Martínez-Lladó et al, 2007;Macken et al, 2008). In Korea, it has been standardized by MOMAF (2005).…”

Chemical Contamination and Toxicity of Sediments from the Gunsan Coast, Korea

“…The EC 50 values of sediments in this study were much higher than those reported in the following Korean coastal regions associated with intensive marine and industrial activities: Masan Bay (0.014-0.089 mg/mL), Lake Shihwa (0.018-0.061 mg/mL), Ulsan Bay (0.066-1.126 mg/mL) , and the outfall area of the Masan WWTP (0.014-0.148 mg/mL) (Choi et al, 2010c). However, Southern Puget Sound, USA (0.31-175.30 mg/mL) (Long et al, 2002), the Po River, Italy (0.46-36.80 mg/mL) (Viganò et al, 2003), Waukegan Harbor, USA (0.42-14.50 mg/mL) (Kemble et al, 2000), and the Ebro River, Spain (0.04-12.96 mg/mL) (Ocampo-Duque et al, 2008) were higher or comparable to our results. Therefore, sediment toxicity in the present study is considered within the middle range of toxicities reported worldwide.…”

The Microtox® biological test: Application in toxicity evaluation of surface waters and sediments in Poland

“…In Waukegan Harbor (Illinois, USA) the Microtox® aquatic test was sensitive to only one sample, whereas the Microtox® SPT identified 50% of samples as toxic (Kemble et al 2000).…”