Predicting the acute toxicity of copper in freshwater sediments: Evaluation of the role of acid‐volatile sulfide

Abstract

Acid‐volatile sulfide (AVS) has been proposed as an important partitioning phase determining the bioavailability of cationic metals in sediments. The objective of this research was to evaluate the role of AVS in determining copper toxicity in sediments from two sites heavily contaminated with copper: Steilacoom Lake, Washington, and the Keweenaw Watershed, Michigan. Sediments from the two sites were used in 10‐d toxicity tests with the amphipod Hyalella azteca, and results of the toxicity tests were compared to bioavailability predictions based on copper and AVS concentrations in the test sediments, as well as copper concentrations in the sediment interstitial (pore) water. Normalization of sediment copper concentrations to AVS accurately predicted sediments that were nontoxic when molar copper‐to‐AVS ratios were less than one; however, toxicity also was frequently not observed in samples with molar copper‐to‐AVS ratios significantly greater than one. In contrast, measurement of pore‐water copper concentrations and subsequent comparison of these concentrations to water‐only copper toxicity data for Hyalella azteca resulted in accurate predictions of the presence and extent of copper toxicity in the test sediments. These results indicate that AVS alone is not an appropriate partitioning phase for predicting copper bioavailability in freshwater sediments.

Overview of Environmental Management by Drill Cutting Re-Injection Through Hydraulic Fracturing in Upstream Oil and Gas Industry

“…Both toxic and nontoxic heavy metals tend to accumulate in bottom sediments, from which they may be released by various processes of remobilization. Frequently, these metals can move up the biological chain, eventually reaching humans, where they can cause chronic and acute ailments (Ankley et al, 1993). As presented in the previous sections, routine drilling wastes such as drilling muds and cuttings contain a variety of toxic chemicals; they are known to be hazardous to wildlife, livestock, and human health.…”

Sulfetos volatilizáveis por acidificação e metais extraídos simultaneamente na avaliação de sedimentos de água doce

“…[49][50][51] Uma atenção especial começou a ser dispensada à determinação dos sulfetos de ferro lábeis no sedimento, fase esta responsável por ser a fonte de sulfeto para a complexação dos demais metais com potencial contaminante. Estipulou-se então, para efeitos operacionais, uma classe chamada acid volatile sulfide (AVS) que são aqueles sulfetos capazes de se transformar em ácido sulfídrico (H 2 S) e serem liberados do sedimento na forma gasosa, mediante acidificação do meio com ácido clorídrico (HCl) na concentração final de 1 mol L -1 e a frio, sob purga de gás inerte.…”

“…Acredita-se que aqueles metais ligados à fase sulfeto, bem como os adsorvidos em óxidos de ferro ou em carbono orgânico particulado são extraídos nesse processo. 15, 50,52 Tanto o AVS quanto o SEM ganharam várias traduções em português, sendo consagradas pelo uso aquelas que recebem a denominação de sulfetos volatilizáveis por acidificação (SVA) e metais extraídos simultaneamente (MES), respectivamente. Essa extração mais branda, assim como outros tipos de extração sequencial relatados na literatura, não é capaz de recuperar os metais ligados às estruturas de silicato e às formas geoquímicas ou minerais mais recalcitrantes da matriz, apresentando por isso uma boa indicação da biodisponibilidade destes metais às populações bentônicas 4 .…”

The biospheric life support system: a unifying concept for ecotoxicologists and ecologists

“…In anaerobic sediments in wetlands, lakes, and depositional areas of rivers, metals can be bound as insoluble sulfides. In these sediment systems, if the metal concentration remains less than the concentration of acid volatile sulfide (AVS), no toxicity is observed (e.g., Ankley et al, 1993), and deleterious effects in contaminated systems are most pronounced where AVS concentrations are lowest (Pascoe et al, 1994).…”