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Harmonised framework for ecological risk assessment of sediments from ports and estuarine zones of North and South Atlantic

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Abstract

This paper presents a harmonised framework of sediment quality assessment and dredging material characterisation for estuaries and port zones of North and South Atlantic. This framework, based on the weight-of-evidence approach, provides a structure and a process for conducting sediment/dredging material assessment that leads to a decision. The main structure consists of “step 1” (examination of available data); “step 2” (chemical characterisation and toxicity assessment); “decision 1” (any chemical level higher than reference values? are sediments toxic?); “step 3” (assessment of benthic community structure); “step 4” (integration of the results); “decision 2” (are sediments toxic or benthic community impaired?); “step 5” (construction of the decision matrix) and “decision 3” (is there environmental risk?). The sequence of assessments may be interrupted when the information obtained is judged to be sufficient for a correct characterisation of the risk posed by the sediments/dredging material. This framework brought novel features compared to other sediment/dredging material risk assessment frameworks: data integration through multivariate analysis allows the identification of which samples are toxic and/or related to impaired benthic communities; it also discriminates the chemicals responsible for negative biological effects; and the framework dispenses the use of a reference area. We demonstrated the successful application of this framework in different port and estuarine zones of the North (Gulf of Cádiz) and South Atlantic (Santos and Paranaguá Estuarine Systems).

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Comissão de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Brazil) and Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia/Dirección General de Universidades (Spain) for the financial support to this research (CAPES #099/06; BEX 3238/06-7; BEX 3239/06-3; BEX2492/08-03; BEX2300/08-7/MEC-Spain PHB 2005-0100-PC). The work was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education project (CTM2005-07282-C03-C01/TECNO; PET2006-0685-00 and PET2006-0685-01) and partially supported by UNITWIN/UNESCO/WiCop.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cátedra UNESCO/UNITWIN/WiCop, Departmento De Química-Física, Facultad De Ciencias Del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, CP. 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    R. B. Choueri, I. Riba, C. D. S. Pereira & T. A. DelValls

  2. Departmento de Ecotoxicologia, Universidade Santa Cecília, Rua Oswaldo Cruz, no. 266, Santos, SP, 11045-907, Brazil

    R. B. Choueri, A. Cesar, C. D. S. Pereira & R. D. Morais

  3. Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista, Núcleo de Estudos sobre Poluição e Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, São Vicente, SP, 11330-900, Brazil

    D. M. S. Abessa

  4. Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, DQ/UFSCar, Rod. Washington Luis km 235, Caixa Postal 676, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    R. J. Torres & A. A. Mozeto

  5. Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalucía, CSIC. Avda. Saharaui s/n. Campus, Universitario de Puerto Real, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    I. Riba

  6. CNEN, Laboratório de Poços de Caldas, Rod. Andradas km 13, Caixa Postal 913, Poços de Caldas, MG, 173771-970, Brazil

    M. R. L. Nascimento

  7. Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Universidade Positivo, Rua Professor Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, no. 5300, bloco marrom, sala 208, Curitiba, PR, 81280-330, Brazil

    R. D. Morais

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  1. R. B. Choueri
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  2. A. Cesar
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  3. D. M. S. Abessa
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  6. C. D. S. Pereira
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  7. M. R. L. Nascimento
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  8. R. D. Morais
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  9. A. A. Mozeto
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  10. T. A. DelValls
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Correspondence to R. B. Choueri.

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Choueri, R.B., Cesar, A., Abessa, D.M.S. et al. Harmonised framework for ecological risk assessment of sediments from ports and estuarine zones of North and South Atlantic. Ecotoxicology 19, 678–696 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-009-0442-y

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