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Using an Integrated Approach to Assess the Sediment Quality of an Mediterranean Lagoon, the Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia)

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Abstract

The present study investigates the quality of surface sediments from the Bizerte lagoon (North Tunisia) using an integrated approach including chemical contaminant analysis, bioassays and sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Sediment samples were collected at 9 sites and analyzed for eight heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Fe and Mn). PAHs, PCBs, OCPs were measured previously in the same sediment samples. Our results indicated that the highest concentrations of metals were found near urban areas due to the municipial and industrial wastewater discharges. Sediment pollution assessment was carried out using geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor, which indicate a widespread pollution by Cd, Pb, Ni and Zn in the studied sediments. For bioassays, aqueous and organic extracts were used to assess toxicity and genotoxicity in sediments by using Microtox® and SOS Chromotest, respectively. Toxicity levels were compared to metallic and organic pollutants contents. Our results highlight differences in the pattern of responses between the different assays and show no correlation with all the studied contaminants, emphasizing the influence of other contaminants not analyzed in the present study. Based on SQGs, the results of toxicity assessment indicated that adverse effects caused by Ni and Zn would be expected frequently. Nickel was found to have the highest predicted acute toxicity, followed by Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu and Cr. There was no significant relationship between sediment toxicity calculated from heavy metal concentrations (SQG approach) and those measured with bioassays. These findings support the use of integrated approachs for evaluating the environmental risks of sediments.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the PhD. grant of B. Barhoumi. This study was funded by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) (http://www.mesrst.tn).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, Laboratory of Heteroatom Organic Chemistry, University of Carthage, 7021, Jarzouna, Tunisia

    Badreddine Barhoumi, Soufiane Touil & Mohamed Ridha Driss

  2. University of Bordeaux, Avenue des Facultés CNRS EPOC 5805, 33405, Talence Cedex, France

    Badreddine Barhoumi, Christelle Clérandeau & Jérôme Cachot

  3. Department of Earth Sciences Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, University of Carthage, 7021, Jarzouna, Tunisia

    Anis Elbarhoumi

  4. Department of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Abdulla M. Al-Rawabdeh

  5. Office National des Mines, Siège social de l’ONM 24, rue de L’Energie, 2035 La Charguia – Tunis, 1080, Tunis, Tunisia

    Atef Atyaoui

Authors
  1. Badreddine Barhoumi
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  2. Anis Elbarhoumi
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  3. Christelle Clérandeau
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  4. Abdulla M. Al-Rawabdeh
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  5. Atef Atyaoui
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  6. Soufiane Touil
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  7. Mohamed Ridha Driss
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  8. Jérôme Cachot
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Correspondence to Badreddine Barhoumi.

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Barhoumi, B., Elbarhoumi, A., Clérandeau, C. et al. Using an Integrated Approach to Assess the Sediment Quality of an Mediterranean Lagoon, the Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia). Ecotoxicology 25, 1082–1104 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1664-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1664-4

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