Sediment Bioaccumulation Test with Lumbriculus variegatus: Effects of Organism Loading.

At contaminated sediment sites, the bioavailability of contaminants in sediments is assessed using sediment-bioaccumulation tests with Lumbriculus variegates (Lv). The testing protocols recommend that ratio of total organic carbon (TOC) in sediment to L. variegatus (dry weight) (TOC/Lv) should be no less than 50:1.

Sediment bioaccumulation test with Lumbriculus variegatus: effects of feeding.

Standard sediment-bioaccumulation test methods specify that Lumbriculus variegatus should not be fed during the 28-day exposure. This lack of feeding can lead to decreases in L. variegatus weight and lipid content during the 28-day exposure period.

Evaluation of micro-colorimetric lipid determination method with samples prepared using sonication and accelerated solvent extraction methods.

Two common laboratory extraction techniques were evaluated for routine use with the micro-colorimetric lipid determination method developed by Van Handel (1985) [2] and recently validated for small samples by Inouye and Lotufo (2006) [1]. With the accelerated solvent extraction method using chloroform:methanol solvent and the colorimetric lipid determination method, 28 of 30 samples had significant proportional bias (α=1%, determined using standard additions) and 1 of 30 samples had significant constant bias (α=1%, determined using Youden Blank measurements). With sonic extraction, 0 of 6 samples had significant proportional bias (α=1%) and 1 of 6 samples had significant constant bias (α=1%).

Evaluation of PCB bioaccumulation by Lumbriculus variegatus in field-collected sediments.

Review of data from several contaminated sediment sites suggested that biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) declined with increasing contaminant concentrations in the sediment. To evaluate the consistency and possible causes of this behavior, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sediment samples from the Hudson, Grasse, and Fox River Superfund sites were used in sediment bioaccumulation tests with the freshwater oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, with PCB concentrations in interstitial water (IW) quantified using polyoxymethylene passive samplers. Measured BSAFs tended to decrease with increasing PCB concentration in sediment, especially for the more highly chlorinated congeners.