Bioavailability and Toxicity of Ionic Organic Compounds in Estaurine Sediments

9810112 Burgos这是一个支持研究的奖项，其目标是开发一种方法，以科学可信的数学模型为基础，预测河口沉积物中离子有机化合物的吸附、生物有效性和毒性，这些模型将具有污染意义的化合物的化学性质与其对生物活性的影响(如降解率和毒性)联系起来。这项研究中采用的方法包括使用细粒有机涂层矿物作为与环境相关的模型吸着剂。这项工作中使用的矿物是高岭石和赤铁矿。选择用于研究的离子多环芳烃化合物在结构上相似，因此表现出类似的毒性作用模式，这是使用定量结构-活性关系分析结果的先决条件。将使用与普吉特湾海军造船厂的人员合作从普吉特湾辛克莱海湾获得的沉积物样本，准备测试化合物降解菌种的浓缩培养物。这项研究探讨了暴雨、河口和毒性模型在评估对沿海水域构成污染威胁的活动的生态风险以及对环境有重要影响的水生沉积物管理系统的工程设计中可能应用的问题。这项工作的结果预计将改进对河口沉积物中有机污染物去向的预测，并估计将这些物质留在原地和将它们转移到另一个地点所造成的环境风险。研究结果还有助于深入了解来自扩散和非点源的污染物在影响沉积物质量方面的作用，以及可用于减少或消除其对水质的不利影响的办法。***

9810112 Burgos This is an award to support research, the goal of which is to develop a means to predict the sorption, bioavailability and toxicity of ionic organic compounds in estuarine sediments based on scientifically credible mathematical models that relate chemical properties of chemical compounds of pollutional significance to their effect on biological activity such as their rate of degradation and toxicity. The approach being taken in this research involves use of fine-grained, organic-coated minerals as environmentally relevant model sorbents. The minerals to be used in this work are kaolinite and hematite. The ionic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds selected for study are structurally similar and consequently exhibit a similar mode of toxic action, a prerequisite for analyzing results using quantitative structure-activity relationships. Enrichment cultures of test compound-degrading cultures will be prepared using sediment samples from the Sinclair Inlet in Puget Sound obtained in cooperation with the personnel from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. This research addresses issues that may be applied in use of storm water, estuary and toxicity models in assessing ecological risk of activities posing a pollutional threat to coastal waters and in engineering design of systems for management of environmentally significant aquatic sediments. Results of this work are expected to improve prediction of the fate of organic contaminants in estuarine sediments and to estimate the environmental risk posed by leaving these materials in place and as a consequence of moving them to an alternative location. Results may also provide insights into the role pollutants from diffuse and non-point sources play in affecting sediment quality and approaches that can be used to reduce or eliminate their adverse impact on water quality. ***