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PB95-137030

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TECHNICAL B A S I S FOR D E R I V I N G SEDIMENT

Q U A L I T Y C R I T E R I A FOR N O N I O N I C ORGANIC

CONTAMINANTS FOR THE PROTECTION OF BENTHIC

ORGANISMS BY U S I N G E Q U I L I B R I U M P A R T I T I O N I N G

( U . S . ) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACENCY, WASHINGTON, OC 1 1 1

SEP 9 3

Notionol Techtiicol I t~for~l~otioal Service

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* 2. Report Dam 0 3. Report Type And Dates Covered 0 S . W - 3 3

n 4. Title And Subtitle 5. Funding NUIIIJX?~~ 0

n TECHNICAI. RASIS 1JOR DERIVING SEDIMENT QUALITY O U (.'KITERIA FOR NONIONIC ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS FOR ~iAd66A~6A66aA66da666~66dd6d6dii~6aa6666aaa~aa~66566aaC 11 b . Auchor(e) u

7 . Perfornling Orgallizatioil Name (6)And Address (es)O 8 . Performing OrggallizaLiu:*.f:

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r! OFFICE OF WATER D

401 M ST., S.W:

'1 WASHINGTON, DC 20460 o

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822/R-93-011

L' OFFICE OF WATER o

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" WASHING'PON, DC 20460

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1' 13. Abstract THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TECHNICAL BASIS FOR ESTABLISHING

L1 SEDIMENT QUALITY CRITERIA FOR NONIONIC ORGANIC CHEMICALS, USING EQUILIBRIW.1 I: 1' PARTITIONING (EqPl . EqP IS CHOSEN BECAUSE IT ADDRESSES THE TWO PRTNCIPAL 1 1

1' TECHNICAL ISSUES THAT MUST BE RESOLVED: THE VARYING JIOAVAILABILITY OF

0 CHEMICALS IN SEDIMENTS AND THE CHOICE OP THE APPROPRIAPE BIOLOGlCAL BPi.'EC15 1:

I? CONCENTN\TION .

* 15. Number Of Pages ' 1 BENTHIC ORGANISMS, EQUILIBRIUM PARTITIONING,

'7 NONIONIC ORGANIC CHEMICALS

* 16. Price Code

0 0

FL

111,I

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United Stales ~.IIL(IWater hYH.553)UI EPA-822.R.QJ.Otl EnnronmonlPl Ptoloclicn Washrglon. DC20060 Seplomber 1903 Apenol

Technical Basis for Deriving 1 Sediment Quality Criteria for I Nosrioaric Qrganic Contaminants 1 for the Protection of Benthic 1 Organisms by Using Equilibrium

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Partitioning . . .

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This d o ~ m e n t presents the technical basis EPA has used in establishing :he proposed niethod. ology for deriving sediment quality criteria for the pmteclion of ben!ttic organismr from non- ionic organic chemicals. It was issued in suppon of EPA regulations and policy initiatives involving the application of biological and chemical assessment techniques to control toxic pol- lution to surface waters and sediments. 1his document does not establish or affect legal rights or obligalions. It does not establish a binding norm and is not finally determinativeof the issues addressed. Agcncy decisions in any particular case will be made applying the law and reg&- lions on the basis of specific facts when permits am issued or regulations promulgated. This document is expecled to be revised periodically to reflect advances in this rapidly evolvingarea. .. .. . . .-...-

This report has been reviewed by the Health and Ecological Criteria Division, Office of Science and Technology, US.Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other perti~ient and interested offices in the Agency, and approved for publication. Menlion of trade names or com-mercial productsdoes not constitute endorsement or recommendations for use.

ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Toxicity and Bioavailability of Chemicals in Sediments . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Partitioning of Nonionic Organic Chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

EffectsConcentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Applications of SQC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.!jTOXICITY AND BlOAVAIUBtLIN OF CHEMICALS . . . . . . . 9 ..3IN SEDIMENTS 9

Toxicity Experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . Bioaccumulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

SORPTlONOFNONlONlCORGANlCCHEMlCALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Partitioning in Particle Suspensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Particle concentration effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Organic carbon fraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) Complexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Phase Distribution in Sediments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 !

Bioavailability of DOC Complexed Chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Field Observations of Partitioning in Sediments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Organic carbon normalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

SedimenlJpore water partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Laboratory toxicity tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Organic Carbon Normalization of Biologcal Responses . . . . . . . . . 26

Toxicity and bioaccumulation experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Bioaccumulation and organic carbon norn~al~zation . . . . . . . . . . 28

Determination of the Route of Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

APPLICABILITY OF WQC AS THE EFFECTS LEVELS FOR BENTHIC ORGANISMS . + . . 31

Method-Relative Acute Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Comparison of the Sensitivity of Benthic and Water Column Species . . . . . 32

Most sensitive species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

All species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Benthic Comnrunity Colonization Experiments . . . . . . . . . . 36

Water Quality Criteria (WQC) Concentrations Versus

Colonization Experim~nts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

aENERATlONOFsQC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Parameter Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Measurement of Kow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Literature Kow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Estimated Kow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Kow selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Ko~determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Species Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Quantification o i Uncertainty Associated with SQC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Minimum Requirements to Compute SQC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

. .Laboratory octanol-water partition coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 . . . . . . 'Final chronic value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Sediment toxicity test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Analytical procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Example Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

FieldDats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

STORET data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

National Status and Trends Program data . . . . . . . . . . 50

Corps of Engineers data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Research Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

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Abstract

The purpose of this report 1s to present t h ~ technical basis for es- tablishing sediment quality criteria for nonionic organic chemials, us. ing equilibrium partitioning (EqP). Equilibrium partitioning is chosen

., . . because i t addresses !he hvo principal technical issuer that must be re-solved: the varying bioavailability of chemicals in sediments and the choice of the appropriate biological effects concentration.

The data that are used to examine the question of varying bioavailabilitv across sediments are from toxicitv and bioaccumulation experiments "sing the same chemical and lest brganism but different sed~ments.It has been found that i f the different sed~mcnts in cach ex. oeriment are romoared. there i s essentiallv no relations hi^ behvcen ;cdlrnenl chc!ntcaiconcentrallons on a dry ivelght barls and b~ologtcal effects Hotvcver, if lhechrmical concentratson, in the pol@ !vale: of the sedimen~are used (for chcmicals that are not highlv hydroph