ECOTOXICITY OF RIVER AND SPRING SEDIMENT ALONG THE HANFORD REACH

摘要

The Hanford Site was established in 1943 in order to produce plutonium for some of the nuclear weapons tested and used in World War II (Dirkes and Hanf 1997). These historic operations resulted in the production of both radiological and nonradiological wastes. In 1988, the Hanford Site was placed on the National Priorities List for environmental cleanup by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In recent years, efforts at the site have focused on characterizing and remediating contaminants in these wastes. Because some of the wastes were discharged directly into the Columbia River or have leached into the river via the groundwater pathway, several studies have examined risk to ecological receptors associated with the river (e.g., Friant and Brandt 1994; PNNL 1998). It is apparent that data gaps are extensive and additional data are needed to better characterize potential ecotoxicity of river sediments on the Hanford Site. Assessing sediment toxicity should provide integrated information on contaminant input from multiple sources (Power and Chapman 1992; Ingersoll 1995). The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential ecotoxicity of sediment samples collected primarily from areas where past operations were conducted along the Hanford Reach.