Toxicity Potency Assessment of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Sediments and Sludges

Abstract

In the last decades, emphasis has been placed on evaluating the dioxin toxic potency of different environmental samples. The commonly named dioxin-like compounds (DLCs such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polychlorinated naphthalenes) were studied in order to determine their relative toxic potency. Recently, some studies indicated that another group of contaminants, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), can dominate equivalent estimations for samples containing PAHs and DLCs. Other emerging contaminants, such as brominated flame retardants, also exhibited dioxin-like activities. Knowledge of the relative contribution of each contaminant to the total dioxin-like activity associated with environmental samples could aid in identifying the most important contributory pollutants. This chapter presents an overview of current data for these estimates.