Time-integrated contaminant monitoring in an aquatic ecosystem using semipermeable membrane devices and Dreissena polymorpha

Traditional monitoring techniques use grab samples to characterize chemical contamination in biota, sediment, and water. Grab samples are inadequate to detect contaminant pulses that may occur between samples. Traditional monitoring neither provides biological endpoints such as survival, growth, and reproduction to evaluate ecosystem status nor evaluates the impact of a suite of contaminants on biota.; Simultaneous exposure of Semipermeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) and D. polymorpha was used to compare time-integrated concentrations of chlorinated pesticides in a diked marsh and a bay area at Winous Point, Ohio. The bay site was downstream from the County Line Landfill and a 1997 dredging operation. The marsh sites were subject to drainage from agricultural fields.; Mussel growth, lipid content, and survival (n = 685) were determined. Sorption constants were measured for simultaneously detected contaminants. Reductions in mussel growth and survival were associated with high TSS loads and multiple contaminant detections in water at the parts per trillion level. Chlorinated pesticides were analyzed in the water, sediment, and in mussel tissue. SPMD-derived water concentrations and mussel tissue concentrations were used to calculate bioconcentration factors. Survival and growth rates were lowest at the two sites closest to agricultural drainage. Sorption constants (BCF) were determined for p,p'-DDT, p,p' -DDD, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, and heptachlor epoxide. Calculated values differed 1--50% from those reported in the literature.; The results suggest that time-integrated monitoring with SPMDs and a biomonitor provides more information about ecosystem status than chemical analysis based on grab samples and integrates the impact of a suite of contaminants on biota.