Globally, sediment quality values (SQVs) for metals and metalloids vary over several orders of magnitude and can be below background. Regional SQVs can be useful as an initial step in a tiered sediment hazard/risk assessment approach such as anecological risk assessment (ERA). Further tiers are often needed to take into account site-specific data including background concentrations, factors influencing bioavailability, and essentiality Principles of sediment assessment for metal and metelloidsare proposed.
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