Abstract
The sediments in the Calcasieu Estuary are contaminated with a wide variety of chemicals of potential concern (COPCs), including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates, chlorinated benzenes, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans. The sources of these COPCs include both point and non–point source discharges. As part of a baseline ecological risk assessment, the risks to benthic invertebrates posed by exposure to sediment-associated COPCs were assessed using five lines of evidence, including whole-sediment chemistry, pore-water chemistry, whole-sediment toxicity, pore-water toxicity, and benthic invertebrate community structure. The results of this assessment indicated that exposure to whole sediments and/or pore water from the Calcasieu Estuary generally posed low risks to benthic invertebrate communities (i.e., risks were classified as low for 68% of the sampling locations investigated). However, incremental risks to benthic invertebrates (i.e., compared with those associated with exposure to conditions in reference areas) were indicated for 32% of the sampling locations within the estuary. Of the three areas of concern (AOCs) investigated, the risks to benthic invertebrates were highest in the Bayou d’Inde AOC; risks were generally lower in the Upper Calcasieu River AOC and Middle Calcasieu River AOC. The areas showing the highest risks to sediment-dwelling organisms were generally located in the vicinity of point source discharges of COPCs. These results provided risk managers with the information required to make decisions regarding the need for remedial actions at the site.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank three anonymous reviewers for their helpful review comments on an earlier draft of this article. The authors also thank a number of individuals who supported the collection and analysis of environmental samples in the Calcasieu Estuary, including Mitch Goldberg, Scott Stone, Jerome Jackson (CDM Federal Programs Corporation), John Martin, Bill Marsh, Jason Kase, Gary Tourtellotte, Isaac Lynch, Mike Letson, Chris McCarthy, Melanie Wiggins, Angelica Malta, John Burgess, Martha Klein, Winthrop Allen, Mitch Elcan, Rich Reeves, Kevin Sanders, Herb Kelly, Mark Stinnett, Bill Stanton (CH2 M HILL), Capt. Sammie Faulk (Heberts Marina), Frank Kelly, Mark Wood (PPG Industries), K. M. Bagawandoss, Gina Smith, Kristie Olexy, Teresa Marino, Shannon Gautreau (American Analytical and Technical Services, Inc.), Robert Taylor, Terry Wade (Texas A&M University), Bill Luksemburg (ALTA Laboratories), Brad Craig (ACZ Laboratories), Anne Shortelle, Hugh Thomas (Harding ESE, Inc.), James Biedenbach, Tom May, Nile Kemble, Doug Hardesty, Tom Johnson, and Bill Brumbaugh (USGS). Compilation, translation, validation, and auditing of laboratory data were conducted by Dana Michel (Integrate, Inc.), Greg George (CH2 M HILL), Cherie Zakowski, and Amanda Burton (CDM Federal Program Corporation). Funding for this project was provided by the USEPA (Region VI), through a contract with CDM Federal Programs Corporation (Dallas, TX). Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the United States Government.
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MacDonald, D.D., Ingersoll, C.G., Kemble, N.E. et al. Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment of the Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana: Part 3. An Evaluation of the Risks to Benthic Invertebrates Associated With Exposure to Contaminated Sediments. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 61, 29–58 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9638-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9638-7