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Chemico/biological investigation of contaminated sediment from the hamilton harbour area of Western Lake Ontario
Author(s) -
Marvin C. H.,
Allan L.,
McCarry B. E.,
Bryant D. W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
environmental and molecular mutagenesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1098-2280
pISSN - 0893-6692
DOI - 10.1002/em.2850220203
Subject(s) - harbour , sediment , environmental science , contamination , environmental chemistry , ecology , biology , chemistry , paleontology , computer science , programming language
Highly contaminated sediment from the Hamilton Harbour area of western Lake Ontario was examined using a bioassay‐directed fractionation methodology. A sediment sample was extracted using a Soxhlet apparatus and the resulting extract was fractionated into compound classes using an alumina clean‐up step and high performance liquid chromatographic techniques. The resulting fractions were subjected to bioassays using TA98‐ and TA100‐like strains modified by the inclusion of genes for the activating enzymes nitroreductase and O‐acetyl‐transferase. The majority of the mutagenic activity displayed by the sample extract was found to be present in the fraction containing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Extracts of the PAH‐containing fraction displayed dramatically higher responses with the TA100 type strains with metabolic activation. Further separation of the PAH‐containing fraction showed the majority of the biological activity coeluted with PAH having molecular masses of 276, 278, and 302 amu. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.