Validating Pathway Analysis of Organic Contaminants from Aged Dredged Material Using Plants and Worms
Abstract
Contaminants in dredged material (DM) placed in an upland situation, such as a confined disposal facility (CDF), may move from substrates into food webs because of their contact with CDF-colonizing or inhabiting plants and animals, and therefore may cause unacceptable risks outside the CDF. The primary goal of this technical note is to provide guidance on evaluating bioaccumulation of organic contaminants and toxicological effects in test species representing two trophic levels of a food web. Placement of DM in CDFs and its removal from CDFs for beneficial use require assessment of environmental risk. To this end the decision-making framework and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Technical Framework may require exposure and effects assessments for plants and animals of relevant contaminant pathways prior to dredging. Currently no specific guidelines for contaminant residues in plants and animals exist. The purpose of this study, sponsored by the Dredging Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) Program, was to develop and validate methods or further validate existing methods to assess the potential for unacceptable environmental risk outside a CDF filled with contaminated DM, and to assess the suitability of aged materials for beneficial use outside the CDF.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA427519
Entities
People
- Elly P.H. Best
- H. E. Fredrickson
- H. L. Richmond
- K. Geter
- M. Furey
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center