Flumentepido area (Sardinia): integrated chemical and ecotoxological approach for sediment assessment

In this booklet a case study based on evaluation of freshwater sediment status is reported. A  methodology based on an integrated chemical and ecotoxicological approach is proposed. Ecotoxicological results are integrated with weighted criteria in order to obtain an overall judgment of the ecotoxicological hazard related to the sediment. Chemical levels are associated to ecotoxicological hazard and are used to implement environmental management measures.

The integrated approach, although not based on ecological assessments, represents a suitable tool to relate the chemical approach to an estimate of the potential effects on organisms. Therefore it offers an operational support to the management of environmental problems related to a chemical contamination.

This procedure cannot be used in order to define environmental quality standards for freshwater sediments, not foreseen by the 2000/60 Directive, but can offer an opportunity for discussion and comparison to fill this regulatory gap.

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