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Equilibrium Sampling of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Sediments

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In Situ Bioavailability and Toxicity of Organic Chemicals in Aquatic Systems

Part of the book series: Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology ((MIPT))

Abstract

Passive samplers are useful novel tools for assessing contaminant exposure and evaluating its potential for adverse environmental effects. Passive equilibrium samplers enable the quantification of freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of organic contaminants in sediments. Cfree allows a direct assessment of (1) contaminant exchange and equilibrium status between sediment and overlying water, (2) benthic bioaccumulation, and (3) potential toxicity to benthic organisms. Thus, the use of equilibrium samplers improves the mechanistic understanding of fate and transport processes in sediments. Equilibrium samplers can be applied for hazard and risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments of aquatic environments.

The objective of this chapter is to provide introductory guidance on the use of passive equilibrium samplers for sediments contaminated with hydrophobic organic contaminants, whereby three different approaches are recommended: (1) silicone-coated glass jars, (2) SPME fibers that can be used ex situ with sediments that had been sampled in the field, and (3) SPME fibers that can be exposed directly in the field (in situ) when they are installed in a protective housing that is buried in the sediment. After reading this chapter, users will have a fundamental understanding of equilibrium passive samplers and their potential applications to sediments.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Anna-Jorina Wicht and Christel Möhlenkamp for helpful comments on the manuscript. We thank Marietta Kahlenberg for proofreading the manuscript. Julia Bachtin and Sabine Schäfer were financed by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Gesine Witt by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (contract number 03F0742, project NOAH Synthesis) and the German Research Foundation (contract number WI1410/10-1, project PASSEDOBLE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Environmental Engineering, Faculty Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Gesine Witt

  2. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Julia Bachtin & Sabine Schäfer

Authors
  1. Gesine Witt
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  2. Julia Bachtin
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  3. Sabine Schäfer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gesine Witt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hygiene-Institut des Ruhrgebiets, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

    Thomas-Benjamin Seiler

  2. Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Markus Brinkmann

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Witt, G., Bachtin, J., Schäfer, S. (2019). Equilibrium Sampling of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Sediments. In: Seiler, TB., Brinkmann, M. (eds) In Situ Bioavailability and Toxicity of Organic Chemicals in Aquatic Systems. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/7653_2019_39

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/7653_2019_39

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2352-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2353-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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