Coal tar in Hamilton Harbour - Attempts at biological restoration guidelines

Sediments in Hamilton Harbour contain extremely high concentrations of poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other contaminants. Two bioassays w ere used initially to find areas with the worst contamination. Three bioass ays were used to develop criteria for cleanup. The bioassays in these sedim ents yielded the following 50% lethal and 50% effective concentrations for PAHs; Hexagenia 329 mug/g, Daphnia 254 mug/g, and Microtox(TM) 89 mug/g. Th e mean bioassay toxicity was rounded down to 200 mug/g and used to define a reas in need of treatment. Simple aspects like oil content, ship traffic, a nd water depth were also used to prioritize PAH cleanup. (C) 2000 by John W iley & Sons, Inc.