Monitoring chemical contaminants in the Gulf of Maine, using sediments and mussels (Mytilus edulis): An evaluation.

The objective of this paper is to determine whether contaminant data on mussels and sediments can be used interchangeably, or not, when assessing the degree of anthropogenic contamination of a water body. To obtain adequate coverage of the entire Gulf of Maine, Bay of Fundy sediment samples were collected, analyzed and combined with similar data from four coastal monitoring programs. This required careful interpretation but provided robust results consistent with published literature. A strong correspondence was found between sediment and mussel concentrations for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, moderate to weak correspondence for polychlorinated biphenyls, and except for mercury and zinc, little to no correspondence was found for metals. We conclude that mussel contaminant data are likely sufficient for providing information on the spatial and temporal distribution of chemical contaminants, in coastal waters, under a broad range of environmental conditions and contaminant levels, and unlike sediments, provide direct information on contaminant bioavailability.

Photocatalytic degradation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the presence of TiO2-doped zeolite.

Current design limitations and ineffective remediation techniques in wastewater treatment plants have led to concerns about the prevalence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in receiving waters. A novel photocatalyst, TiO2-doped low-silica X zeolite (TiO2-LSX), was used to study the degradation of the pharmaceutical compound, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). The catalyst was synthesized and characterized using XRD, BET surface analysis, SEM-EDAX, and ICP-OES. The effects of different UV light intensities, initial EE2 concentrations, and catalyst dosages on the EE2 removal efficiency were studied. A higher EE2 removal efficiency was attained with UV-TiO2-LSX when compared with UV-TiO2 or UV alone. The EE2 degradation process followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. A comprehensive empirical model was developed to describe the EE2 degradation kinetics under different conditions using multiple linear regression analysis. The EE2 degradation mechanism was proposed based on molecular calculations, identification of photoproducts using HPLC-MS/MS, and reactive species quenching experiments; the results showed that oxidative degradation pathways initiated by hydroxyl radicals were predominant. This novel TiO2-doped zeolite system provides a promising application for the UV disinfection process in wastewater treatment plants.

Tests of bioaccumulation models for polychlorinated biphenyl compounds: a study of young-of-the-year bluefish in the Hudson River estuary, USA.

A field-based study regarding uptake of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) by young-of-the-year (YOY) bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) was initiated to test a steady-state model of bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in a rapidly growing fish. Determination of prey composition as well as size-dependent growth and specific consumption rates for YOY bluefish from separate field and laboratory studies enabled the input of these species-specific parameters into the model. Furthermore, the time and duration of the exposure of YOY bluefish to dissolved PCBs from a well-characterized system (Hudson River, USA) was well known. Patterns of accumulation of individual PCB congeners differed relative to the accumulation of total PCBs, with the greatest net accumulation occurring for the higher-molecular-weight congeners. Comparison of lipid-normalized bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) with the octanol-water partition coefficients of individual PCB congeners revealed bluefish to be above the BAFs predicted by lipid-based equilibrium partitioning, suggesting that uptake from food is an important source of PCBs in YOY bluefish. Comparison of measured BAFs with values predicted by a steady-state, food-chain model showed good first-order agreement.

The influence of sediment resuspension on the degradation of phenanthrene in flow-through microcosms.

The effect of sediment resuspension on the mineralization of phenanthrene was examined in microcosms and sediment slurries. In computer-controlled, flow-through microcosms, 14C-phenanthrene-amended sediments were resuspended into overlying oxic water at frequencies of 12, 4, 1, 0.25 and 0 d(-1). In slurry bottle experiments 14C-phenanthrene-amended sediments were continuously resuspended under oxic (excess air headspace) and anoxic (N2 headspace) conditions and mineralization was measured at periods from 2 h to 7 days. Our main findings were: (1) mineralization rate constants from the microcosms ranged from 0.001 to 0.01 d(-1) and increased with frequency of resuspension, (2) these rates fell between those measured in oxic and anoxic slurries and were predicted within a factor of 2.5 by a model in which mineralization depended on the degree of oxygen exposure, and (3) the phenanthrene-degrading bacterial community was more active in resuspended sediments incubated in the microcosms than in sediments which were not resuspended, or which were stored under refrigeration. We conclude from these experiments that the effects of sediment resuspension on phenanthrene degradation are consistent with a primary role of average oxygen exposure, and also an alteration in the PAH-degrading activity of microbial populations.