Toxicity of water‐soluble fractions derived from whole creosote and creosote‐contaminated sediments

Abstract

Abstract-Creosote, a complex mixture of aromatic compounds (ACs), contaminates numerous sites in the USA and elsewhere. In addition to pollution of the water column directly after a creosote spill, contaminated sediments can continue to act as source of pollution for many years, because natural and anthropogenic perturbations may redissolve or resuspend sediment-associated contaminants. A 48-h static renewal assay compared survival of the bay mysid, Mysidopsis bahia, exposed to water-soluble fractions (WSFs) generated from two different sources: whole creosote and creosote-contaminated sediment. Sediment was obtained from a Super Fund site located on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Virginia, USA. Whole creosote, contaminated sediment, and WSFs derived from these source materials were characterized. Median lethal concentrations of WSFs generated from whole creosote and sediment (expressed as total identified ACs) were 180 g/L and 700 g/L, respectively. The creosote-derived WSF consisted of more than 70% low molecular weight nitrogen heterocyclics. These heterocyclics were below detectable limits in the sediment-generated WSF, suggesting that losses of these compounds had occurred via weathering. Nitrogen heterocyclics likely contributed to the acute toxicity of the whole creosote WSF.

Heritable Adaptation and Fitness Costs in Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus) Inhabiting a Polluted Estuary

“…Killifish were trapped from the Elizabeth River (Atlantic Wood Industries site) and King's Creek. The Atlantic Wood site is on the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, in Norfolk, Virginia; PAH concentrations in the sediments have been previously published and in some cases have been Ͼ1000 ppm total PAH (parts of PAH per million parts of sediment [Bieri et al 1986, Vogelbein et al 1990, Padma et al 1998]). King's Creek is a tributary of the York River (Gloucester County, Virginia) that has been used previously as a reference site for the Elizabeth River (Van Veld and Westbrook 1995); total sediment PAH concentrations were reported as three parts per million at this site.…”

“…This study focuses on a population of killifish that inhabits an inlet adjacent to a former wood treatment plant (Atlantic Wood Industries) on the Elizabeth River (Virginia, USA), which has a history of decades of heavy contamination and is currently a United States Environmental Protection Agency-designated Superfund site. Previous research has documented very high levels of creosote-associated and other chemicals in sedi-ments at the site (Bieri et al 1986, Huggett et al 1992, Padma et al 1998), a high prevalence of liver lesions and tumors (Vogelbein et al 1990), as well as altered enzyme expression and activity , Van Veld and Westbrook 1995, Armknecht et al 1998 in the killifish from the site, and heritable resistance to the teratogenic effects of Elizabeth River sediments in Elizabeth River killifish (Ownby et al 2002).…”

Effects of contaminated sediment on the epidermis of mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus

“…Fine grain sediments were collected from Carter Creek and from a Superfund site heavily contaminated by cyclic aromatic compounds [18], a former creosote wood treatment facility in the Elizabeth River. They were homogenized and stored in a cold room at ϳ4ЊC.…”

The Role of Traditional and Novel Toxicity Test Methods in Assessing Stormwater and Sediment Contamination

“…Testing has involved a wide range of organisms (microbial to amphibian) covering a wide range of trophic levels (Burton 1991). Many of the sediment contamination assessments have shown water column species to be sensitive and effective tools (Burton, 1991;Burton, 1992b;Burgess and Scott, 1992;Carr et al, 1996;Kemble et al, 1994;Padma et al, 1998). While responses measured generally have focused on lethality and growth, more sensitive sublethal effects are the focus of more recent studies (e.g., Burton, 1991, Day et al, 1997Ingersoll et al, 1998).…”