PARENT SESSION

3B - Marine toxicity evaluation: current practice and applications
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Monday, 28 April 2003

(MOP/166) Comparative investigations on the toxicity of a highly contaminated sediment on Corophium volutator.

Noack, Udo¹, Del Valls, Angel², Riba, Inmaculata², Casado-Martinez, Carmen, Kraetzig, Gwendolin¹, ¹ DR. U. Noack-LABORATORIUM FÜR ANGEWANDTE BIOLOGIE, Sarstedt, Niedersachsen, Germany² Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Facultat de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cadiz, Cadiz, Andalucia, Spain

ABSTRACT- Determination of the toxicity of sediments by exposing organisms in the laboratory to field-collected samples is a routinely used method. The marine/estuarine amphipod Corophium volutator is more and more used in marine ecotoxicity testing with marine sediments. Although ammonium chloride is to be seen as a recommendable toxic standard for acute tests in the aqueous phase up to now no suitable reference substance is established for spiking procedures of sediments. In present studies in different laboratories the toxicity of a highly contaminated sediment with known contamination grade on C. volutator will be investigated. Dilution experiments with sediments from an uncontaminated place of the Northern Sea (Norderneyer Surfbucht, Germany) and a reference area located in the Bay of Cadiz (Spain) are carried out to determine a range for a LL₅₀ value for the sediment and to approach a non-toxic level by dilution. Afterwards it has to be examined whether this sediment recommends a suitable positive control when it is used as reference in later sediment tests with marine or estuarine sediments. Further aims of the investigations are to make a comparison of different sediment samples possible and to get practice in handling with highly contaminated sediments. First results will be presented.

Key words: contaminated sediments, Corophium volutator, toxicity, exposure tests