Review of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Sediment Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Benthic Life

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments can pose harm to the benthic community. Numerous sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for the protection of benthic life are available to assess the risk of individual PAHs and PAH mixtures in sediments. Sediment quality guidelines are derived using empirical or mechanistic approaches. Empirically based guidelines are derived using databases of paired sediment chemistry and biological responses and relating sediment concentration to the frequency of an adverse response. Mechanistically based SQGs are derived by considering the inherent aqueous toxicity of the chemical to different biota coupled with site-specific sediment characteristics (i.e., organic C) known to influence PAH bioavailability. Additionally, SQGs are derived to be either protective or predictive of adverse effects in benthic organisms. The objective of this critical review was to evaluate SQGs for use in screening-level risk assessments to identify sediments that may pose a risk to the benthic community. SQGs for PAHs were compiled and compared, and performance evaluated for predicting the presence and absence of toxicity using an extensive field data set. Furthermore, a 2-carbon equilibrium partitioning model and direct measurement of porewater via passive sampling were evaluated for improved performance in higher tiered risk assessments. Recommendations for the use of SQGs in screening evaluations, enhancements to current approaches, and opportunities to refine site risk estimate assessments using passive sampling measurements are discussed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:505-518. © 2019 SETAC.