Research Areas > Contaminants > Toxicity Assessment and Identification

Research Area: Toxicity Assessment and Identification

An understanding  the effects of chemical contaminants on plants and animals is essential to the development of effective regulations for environmental protection. The biological effects of contaminants are difficult to predict using chemistry data alone, because the effects can be influenced by many factors, such as differences in chemical sensitivity among species, variation in water or sediment characteristics that affect contaminant exposure, and the presence of complex mixtures of chemicals. Toxicity tests are used to investigate the connection between contaminant concentration and biological effects. These tests include a diverse array of laboratory methods that are used to study the effects of specific contaminants, as well as to evaluate toxicity of sediment or water quality in samples collected from the environment.

SCCWRP Research

Toxicity research at SCCWRP falls into two broad categories: assessment and identification. SCCWRP's toxicity assessment research uses marine invertebrates to test samples of sediment or water collected from coastal locations. The objective of this research is often to determine the relative toxicity at different coastal sites so that focused areas of concern can be identified for future management action. Toxicity assessment is also a key component of monitoring programs such as SCCWRP's Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Survey. In contrast, toxicity identification research aims to determine which individual contaminants cause toxicity within a single sample. This research uses a suite of specialized chemical treatments to modify the biological effects of specific types of contaminants, a process referred to as a Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE). TIE research emphasizes the development and application of methods for determining the causes of sediment toxicity.

Toxicity assessment and identification research projects include:

• Development of Whole Effluent Toxicity Implementation Guidance
• Development of Sediment Toxicity Idenitification Methods for Current-Use Pesticides
• Molecular Tools for Toxicity Identification Evaluation