BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Marine and coastal sediments can accumulate substantial concentrations of metals and hydrocarbons, yet the consequences of this contamination for exposed biota in situ can be difficult to establish. Here, we examine the hypothesis that exposure to contaminated sediments can lead to detrimental effects in sediment-dwelling species. The combination of chemical and biological assessment allows the identification of the impact of chemical contamination, and their use as assessment tools is becoming increasingly important. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was applied to marine sediments from the Bay of Algeciras (S Spain) impacted by multiple, low-level contaminant inputs, and the Galician Coast (NW Spain), historically impacted by an oil spill (Prestige 2002), with two reference sites selected in UK and Spain. The common lugworm Arenicola marina was exposed in the laboratory for 14 days to the marine sediments, and a suite of biomarkers of sublethal toxicity was combined with analytical chemistry to test for relationships between sediment contamination and effect. RESULTS: Moderate to strong correlations between organics, metals, and biological responses were observed, with DNA damage as measured using the Comet assay forming the largest contribution toward the observed differences (p < 0.05). The responses of worms from sites experiencing different contamination loads were clearly distinguishable. DISCUSSION: We show how a combination of multibiomarkers with analytical chemistry can be used to investigate the toxicity of marine sediments, enabling the differentiation of sites showing different types of contamination. There are clear relationships in sublethal assays that can be related to the putative mode of toxicity of the contaminants. CONCLUSIONS: The use of A. marina in this way provides a sensitive, holistic approach to sediment toxicity assessment, enabling comparisons between oil-polluted sites to be quantified. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: These tools provide a relatively simple, rapid, and economic way to test the environmental status of oil-contaminated sediment.
BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Marine and coastal sediments can accumulate substantial concentrations of metals and hydrocarbons, yet the consequences of this contamination for exposed biota in situ can be difficult to establish. Here, we examine the hypothesis that exposure to contaminated sediments can lead to detrimental effects in sediment-dwelling species. The combination of chemical and biological assessment allows the identification of the impact of chemical contamination, and their use as assessment tools is becoming increasingly important. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was applied to marine sediments from the Bay of Algeciras (S Spain) impacted by multiple, low-level contaminant inputs, and the Galician Coast (NW Spain), historically impacted by an oil spill (Prestige 2002), with two reference sites selected in UK and Spain. The common lugwormArenicola marina was exposed in the laboratory for 14 days to the marine sediments, and a suite of biomarkers of sublethal toxicity was combined with analytical chemistry to test for relationships between sediment contamination and effect. RESULTS: Moderate to strong correlations between organics, metals, and biological responses were observed, with DNA damage as measured using the Comet assay forming the largest contribution toward the observed differences (p < 0.05). The responses of worms from sites experiencing different contamination loads were clearly distinguishable. DISCUSSION: We show how a combination of multibiomarkers with analytical chemistry can be used to investigate the toxicity of marine sediments, enabling the differentiation of sites showing different types of contamination. There are clear relationships in sublethal assays that can be related to the putative mode of toxicity of the contaminants. CONCLUSIONS: The use of A. marina in this way provides a sensitive, holistic approach to sediment toxicity assessment, enabling comparisons between oil-polluted sites to be quantified. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: These tools provide a relatively simple, rapid, and economic way to test the environmental status of oil-contaminated sediment.
Authors: Cyril Durou; Brian D Smith; Michèle Roméo; Philip S Rainbow; Catherine Mouneyrac; Mohamed Mouloud; Mauricette Gnassia-Barelli; Patrick Gillet; Bruno Deutch; Claude Amiard-Triquet Journal: Ecotoxicol Environ Saf Date: 2006-04-18 Impact factor: 6.291
Authors: Carmen Morales-Caselles; Natalia Jiménez-Tenorio; M Luisa González de Canales; Carmen Sarasquete; T Angel DelValls Journal: Arch Environ Contam Toxicol Date: 2006-06-20 Impact factor: 2.804
Authors: F Quiniou; G Damiens; M Gnassia-Barelli; A Geffard; C Mouneyrac; H Budzinski; M Roméo Journal: Environ Int Date: 2006-07-21 Impact factor: 9.621
Authors: C Martínez-Gómez; J A Campillo; J Benedicto; B Fernández; J Valdés; I García; F Sánchez Journal: Mar Pollut Bull Date: 2006-03-28 Impact factor: 5.553
Authors: Carmen Morales-Caselles; María Laura Martín-Díaz; Inmaculada Riba; Carmen Sarasquete; Tomás Angel Delvalls Journal: Environ Toxicol Chem Date: 2008-01-16 Impact factor: 3.742
Authors: C Morales-Caselles; J Kalman; C Micaelo; A M Ferreira; C Vale; I Riba; T A Delvalls Journal: Chemosphere Date: 2008-02-11 Impact factor: 7.086