Chronic toxicity of uranium to three benthic organisms in laboratory spiked sediment.

Due to mining activities, concentration of uranium (U) in the environment nearby former and operating sites can be higher than in other areas. The derivation of quality criteria for U in freshwater ecosystems, rivers and lakes includes the consideration of contaminated sediments and the associated risk to the benthic life. Therefore, the derivation of a quality criteria for sediment has been viewed as a logical and necessary extension of the work already done to establish water quality criteria.