Sediment contamination in two German estuaries: A biomarker-based toxicity test with the ragworm Hediste diversicolor under intermittent oxygenation.

Toxicity testing is an important tool for risk assessment of sediment contamination in estuaries. However, there has been a predominant focus on fitness parameters as toxic endpoints and on crustaceans as test organisms, while effects at the sub-organismal level and on other benthic taxa have received less attention. Also, interactions between sediment contamination and natural stressors such as oxygen are often neglected in traditional toxicity tests.