ASTM E1706-20

Standard Test Method for Measuring the Toxicity of Sediment-Associated Contaminants with Freshwater Invertebrates

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Sediment provides habitat for many aquatic organisms and is a major repository for many of the more persistent chemicals that are introduced into surface waters. In the aquatic environment, most anthropogenic chemicals and waste materials including toxic organic and inorganic chemicals can accumulate in sediment, which can in turn serve as a source of exposure for organisms living on or in sediment. Contaminated sediments may be directly toxic to aquatic life or can be a source of contaminants for bioaccumulation in the food chain.  
5.2 The objective of a sediment test is to determine whether chemicals in sediment are harmful to or are bioaccumulated by benthic organisms. The tests can be used to measure interactive toxic effects of complex chemical mixtures in sediment. Furthermore, knowledge of specific pathways of interactions among sediments and test organisms is not necessary to conduct the tests. Sediment tests can be used to: (1) determine the relationship between toxic effects and bioavailability, (2) investigate interactions among chemicals, (3) compare the sensitivities of different organisms, (4) determine spatial and temporal distribution of contamination, (5) evaluate hazards of dredged material, (6) measure toxicity as part of product licensing or safety testing, (7) rank areas for clean up, and (8) estimate the effectiveness of remediation or management practices.  
5.3 Results of toxicity tests on sediments spiked at different concentrations of chemicals can be used to establish cause and effect relationships between chemicals and biological responses. Results of toxicity tests with test materials spiked into sediments at different concentrations may be reported in terms of a LC50 (median lethal concentration), an EC50 (median effect concentration), an IC50 (inhibition concentration), or as a NOEC (no observed effect concentration) or LOEC (lowest observed effect concentration). However, spiked sediment may not be representative of chemicals a...
SCOPE
1.1 Relevance of Sediment Contamination—Sediment provides habitat for many aquatic organisms and is a major repository for many of the more persistent chemicals that are introduced into surface waters. In the aquatic environment, both organic and inorganic chemicals may accumulate in sediment, which can in turn serve as a source of exposure for organisms living on or in sediment. Contaminated sediments may be directly toxic to aquatic life or can be a source of contaminants for bioaccumulation in the food chain.  
1.2 Sediment Assessment Tools—Several types of information may be useful in assessing the risk, or potential risk, posed by sediment contaminants, including: (1) chemical analysis of sediment contaminants; (2) sediment toxicity tests, (3) bioaccumulation tests; and (4) surveys of benthic community structure. Each of these provides a different type of information to the assessment, and integrating information from all four lines of evidence may often provide the most robust assessments.  
1.3 Strengths of Toxicity Testing of Contaminated Sediments—Directly assessing the toxicity of contaminated sediments provides some of the same advantages to sediment assessment that whole effluent toxicity testing provides to management of industrial and municipal effluents. As for effluent tests, direct testing of sediment toxicity allows the assessment of biological effects even if: (1) the identities of toxic chemicals present are not (or not completely) known; (2) the influence of site-specific characteristics of sediments on toxicity (bioavailability) is not understood; and (3) the interactive or aggregate effects of mixtures of chemicals present are not known or cannot be adequately predicted. In addition, testing the response of benthic or epibenthic organisms exposed via sediment provides an assessment that is based on the same routes of exposure that would exist in nature, rather than only through water column expos...

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 31-Mar-2020
• ICS: 07.100.20 - Microbiology of water
• Technical Committee: E50 - Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action
• Drafting Committee: E50.47 - Biological Effects and Environmental Fate

Standards Content (Sample)

This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: E1706 − 20
Standard Test Method for
Measuring the Toxicity of Sediment-Associated
1
Contaminants with Freshwater Invertebrates
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1706; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope* 1.4 Relating Sediment Exposure to Toxicity—One of the
challenges with sediment assessment is that the toxicity of
1.1 Relevance of Sediment Contamination—Sediment pro-
sediment contaminants can vary greatly with differences in
vides habitat for many aquatic organisms and is a major
sediment characteristics; a bulk sediment concentration (nor-
repository for many of the more persistent chemicals that are
malized to dry weight) may be sufficient to cause toxicity in
introduced into surface waters. In the aquatic environment,
one sediment, while the same concentration in another sedi-
both organic and inorganic chemicals may accumulate in
ment does not cause toxicity (for example,Adams et al. 1985)
sediment, which can in turn serve as a source of exposure for
2
(1). Factors such as the amount and characteristics of the
organisms living on or in sediment. Contaminated sediments
organiccarbonpresentinsedimentcanalterthebioavailability
may be directly toxic to aquatic life or can be a source of
of many chemicals (Di Toro et al. 1991 (2); Ghosh 2007 (3)),
contaminants for bioaccumulation in the food chain.
as can other characteristics such as acid volatile sulfide or iron
1.2 Sediment Assessment Tools—Several types of informa-
and manganese oxides (Di Toro et al. 1990 (4), Tessier et al.
tionmaybeusefulinassessingtherisk,orpotentialrisk,posed
1996 (5)). Direct measurement of toxicity in contaminated
by sediment contaminants, including: (1) chemical analysis of
sediments can provide a means to measure the aggregate
sediment contaminants; (2) sediment toxicity tests, (3) bioac-
effects of such factors on the bioavailability of sediment
cumulation tests; and (4) surveys of benthic community
toxicants.
structure.Eachoftheseprovidesadifferenttypeofinformation
1.5 Understanding the Causes of Sediment Toxicity—While
to the assessment, and integrating information from all four
direct testing of sediment toxicity has the advantage of being
lines of evidence may often provide the most robust assess-
able to detect the effects of any toxic chemical present, it has
ments.
the disadvantage of not providing any specific indication of
1.3 Strengths of Toxicity Testing of Contaminated
what chemical or chemicals are causing the observed re-
Sediments—Directly assessing the toxicity of contaminated
sponses. Other techniques, such as spiked-sediment toxicity
sediments provides some of the same advantages to sediment
tests or Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) methods for
assessment that whole effluent toxicity testing provides to
sediments have been developed and are available to help
management of industrial and municipal effluents. As for
evaluate cause/effect relationships (USEPA 2007) (6).
effluent tests, direct testing of sediment toxicity allows the
1.6 Uses of Sediment Toxicity Tests—Toxicity tests con-
assessment of biological effects even if: (1) the identities of
ducted on sediments collected from field locations can be used
toxic chemicals present are not (or not completely) known; (2)
to: (1) conduct surveys of sediment quality as measured by
the influence of site-specific characteristics of sediments on
sediment toxicity; (2) prioritize areas of sediment for more
toxicity (bioavailability) is not understood; and (3) the inter-
detailed investigation of sediment contamination; (3) deter-
activeoraggregateeffectsofmixturesofchemicalspresentare
mine the spatial extent of sediment toxicity; (4) compare the
not known or cannot be adequately predicted. In addition,
sensitivity of different organisms to sediment contamination;
testing the response of benthic or epibenthic organisms ex-
(5) evaluate the relationship between the degree of sediment
posedviasedimentprovidesanassessmentthatisbasedonthe
contamination and biological effects along a contamination
same routes of exposure that would exist in nature, rather than
gradient; (6) evaluate the suitability of sediments for removal
only through water column exposure.
andplacementatotherlocation(forexample,dredgedmaterial
disposal); (7) help establish goals for remedial actions; and (8)
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This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E50 on
assess the
...

This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Because
it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation: E1706 − 19 E1706 − 20
Standard Test Method for
Measuring the Toxicity of Sediment-Associated
1
Contaminants with Freshwater Invertebrates
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1706; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope*
1.1 This test method covers procedures for testing freshwater organisms in the laboratory to evaluate the toxicity of
contaminants associated with whole sediments. Sediments may be collected from the field or spiked with compounds in the
laboratory.
1.1.1 Test methods are described for two toxicity test organisms, the amphipod Hyalella azteca (H. azteca) (see 13.1.2) and the
midge Chironomus dilutus (formerly known as C. tentans; Shobanov et al. 1999.(1) (see 14.1.2). The toxicity tests are conducted
for 10 days in 300-mL chambers containing 100 mL of sediment and 175 mL of overlying water. Overlying water is renewed daily
and test organisms are fed during the toxicity tests. Endpoints for the 10-day toxicity tests are survival and growth. These test
methods describe procedures for testing freshwater sediments; however, estuarine sediments (up to 15 ppt salinity) can also be
tested with H. azteca. In addition to the 10-day toxicity test method outlined in 13.1.2 and 14.1.2, general procedures are also
described for conducting 10-day sediment toxicity tests with H. azteca (see 13.1.2) and C. dilutus (see 14.1.2).
NOTE 1—Morphological comparison of populations of Chironomus (Camptochironomus) tentans(Fabricius) from Europe, Asia, and North America
have confirmed cytogenetic evidence that two distinct species inhabit the Palearctic and Nearctic under this name. The Palearctic species is the true C.
tentans and the Nearctic populations constitute a new species described under the name Chironomus (Camptochironomus) dilutus (Shobanov et al. 1999
(1).”
1.1.2 Guidance for conducting sediment toxicity tests is outlined in Annex A1 for Chironomus riparius, in Annex A2 for
Daphnia magna and Ceriodaphnia dubia, in Annex A3 for Hexagenia spp., in Annex A4 for Tubifex tubifex, and in Annex A5 for
the Diporeia spp. Guidance is also provided in Annex A6 for conducting long-term sediment toxicity tests with H. azteca by
measuring effects on survival, growth, and reproduction. Guidance is also provided in Annex A7 for conducting long-term
sediment toxicity tests with C. dilutus by measuring effects on survival, growth, emergence, and reproduction. 1.6 outlines the data
that will be needed before test methods are developed from the guidance outlined in Annex A1 to Annex A7 for these test
organisms. General procedures described in Sections 1 – 14 for sediment testing with H. azteca and C. dilutus are also applicable
for sediment testing with the test organisms described in Annex A1 to Annex A7.
1.2 Procedures outlined in this test method are based primarily on procedures described in the United States Environmental
2
Protection Agency (USEPA) (2-9) , Test Method E1367, and Guides E1391, E1525 and E1688.
1.3 Additional research and methods development are now in progress to: (1) evaluate additional test organisms, (2) further
evaluate the use of formulated sediment, (3) refine sediment dilution procedures, (4) refine sediment toxicity identification
evaluation (TIE) procedures (10), (5) refine sediment spiking procedures, (6) develop in situ toxicity tests to assess sediment
toxicity and bioaccumulation under field conditions, (7) evaluate relative sensitivities of endpoints measured in tests, (8) develop
methods for new species, (9) evaluate relationships between toxicity and bioaccumulation, and (10) produce additional data on
confirmation of responses in laboratory tests with natural populations of benthic organisms. Some issues that may be considered
in interpretation of test results are the subject of continuing research including the influence of feeding on bioavailability,
nutritional requirements of the test organisms, and additional performance criteria for organism health. See Section 6 for additional
detail. This information will be described in future editions of this standard.
1.4 The USEPA (2) and Guide E1688 also describes 28-day bioaccumulation methods for the oligochaete Lumbriculus
variegatus.
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This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E50 on Environment
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