Microscale Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) for interstitial water of estuarine sediments affected by multiple sources of pollution

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 29; no. 7; pp. 10122 - 10137
• Main Authors: Alves, Aline Vecchio, Ferraz, Mariana Aliceda, Moreno, Beatriz Barbosa, Nobre, Caio Rodrigues, Antunes, Renata Medeiros, Pusceddu, Fabio Hermes, Bordon, Isabella Cristina da Costa Leal, Favaro, Deborah Inês Teixeira, Cotrim, Marycel Elena Barbosa, Choueri, Rodrigo Brasil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ammonia; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Contaminants; Contamination; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; embryotoxicity; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental science; Estuaries; Evaluation; Geologic Sediments; Industrial areas; labor; Metals; Metals - analysis; Organic compounds; pollution; Pollution sources; Research Article; Sediments; Sensitivity analysis; toxic substances; Toxicants; Toxicity; Urbanization; Waste Water Technology; Water; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Pollution Control; Pollution; Ecotoxicology; Porewater; Toxicity identification and evaluation; Toxicity test; Embryo-larval development; Effect-directed analysis; Contamination
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15389-x

Estuaries in the world are affected by different contamination sources related to urbanisation and port/industrial activities. Identifying the substances responsible for the environmental toxicity in estuaries is challenging due to the multitude of stressors, both natural and anthropogenic. The Toxicity Identification and Evaluation (TIE) is a suitable way of determining causes of toxicity of sediments, but it poses difficulties since its application is labour intensive and time consuming. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnosis provided by a TIE based on microscale embryotoxicity tests with interstitial water (IW) to identify toxicants in estuarine sediments affected by multiple stressors. TIE showed toxicity due to different combinations of metals, apolar organic compounds, ammonia and sulphides, depending on the contamination source closest to the sampling station. The microscale TIE was able to discern different toxicants on sites subject to different contamination sources. There is good agreement between the results indicated in the TIE and the chemical analyses in whole sediment, although there are some disagreements, either due to the sensitivity of the test used, or due to the particularities of the use of interstitial water to assess the sediment toxicity. The improvement of TIE methods focused on identifying toxicants in multiple-stressed estuarine areas are crucial to discern contamination sources and subsidise management strategies.