Dioxin-like activity of sediments of the Elbe River and associated flood areas

The aim of the present study was the determination of cytotoxic hazard potential and dioxin-like activity of sediments from the riverbed of the Elbe River and of associated flood plains. Of peculiar interest were industrial locations with high contamination. Settled particulate matter samples from the flood areas of the Elbe River were taken after the flood disaster of 2003. The riverbed samples originate from the river head down to the estuary mouth and were sampled in the year 2008, after the flood. Freeze-dried sediments were extracted with n-hexane:acetone (1:1, v/v) by means of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The Neutral red assay on cytotoxicity and the EROD (7-ethoxy-resorufin-o-deethylase) assay on dioxin-like activity were then applied with the resulting extracts using the RTL-W1 permanent cell line. Within this study the main focus was set on polychlorinated biphenyles (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and -furanes (PCDDs/Fs), which interact with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and cause EROD induction. Moreover, in order to identify whether PAHs, PCDDs or PCBs cause the strongest effects in the EROD assay, a multilayer fractionation was performed. Finally, results of the bioassays were compared with available analytical data to evaluate the significance of the used in-vitro bioassays.

EICHBAUM Kathrin;  SEILER Thomas-Benjamin;  KEITER Steffen;  UMLAUF Gunther;  STACHEL Burkhard;  HOLLERT Henner; 

2011-08-29

SETAC Europe

JRC62290