Identification of toxicants from marine sediment using effect-directed analysis.
Effect-directed analysis (EDA) has been reported to be a powerful tool for the identification of the responsible toxicants in contaminated, hazardous environmental samples. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it also is possible to use currently available EDA methodology to identify potentially relevant toxicants in samples that do not pose obvious problems. For this purpose, compounds extracted from a marine sediment sample from the west coast of Sweden were separated into distinct fractions, using two preparative chromatographic techniques. One algal bioassay using Scenedesmus vacuolatus and two bacterial bioassays using Vibrio fischeri were applied as detectors of toxicity, representing acute and chronic end points. Chronic algal toxicity was a powerful tool for discriminating between toxic and nontoxic fractions, whereas acute and chronic bacterial toxicity failed to identify toxic fractions. Eight compounds were identified as potentially relevant toxicants by chemical analysis of toxic fractions: anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene.
Grote
Matthias
M
UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig Halle, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany. matthias.grote@ufz.de
Brack
Werner
W
Altenburger
Rolf
R
D048908:Aliivibrio fischeri / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000873:Anthracenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005449:Fluorenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D044444:Scenedesmus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D013548:Sweden; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*
D000873:Anthracenes; D005449:Fluorenes; D011721:Pyrenes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C007738:fluoranthene; C030984:pyrene; C034020:anthracene