Characterization of Chemical Waste Site Contamination and Determination of Its Extent Using Bioassays

摘要

The purpose of using bioassays to evaluate soils, soil elutriates, and surface and subsurface water from hazardous chemical waste sites is to provide a more direct, integrated estimate of environmental toxicity. Based on bioassay data, chemical waste sites can be ranked according to their toxic potential or mapped for cleanup operations. The objectives of the study were to (a) assess the comparative sensitivity of test organisms to known chemicals, (b) determine if the chemical components in field soil and water samples of unknown composition could be inferred from laboratory studies using pure chemicals and (c) investigate kriging (a relatively new statistical 'mapping' technique) of bioassay results as a method to define the areal extent of contamination. In support of these objectives, data are presented on the response of the organisms listed in the Hazardous Materials Assessment Team (HMAT) test protocol (3) to pure chemicals from three chemical subgroups (heavy metals, insecticides and herbicides).