&EPA
United Suui
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
(4304)
EPA-822-F-93-006
October, 1993
Fact Sheet
Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of
Benthic Organisms: Acenaphthene
AUTHORITY
Sediment quality criteria are published pursuant to Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act and
may form the basis for enforceable standards if adopted by a State into water quality
standards The criteria present the U.S. EPA's best recommendation of the concentration of
acenaphthene that may be present in sediment while still protecting benthic organisms from
its effects They are developed using an approach described in the "Technical Basis for
Deriving Sediment Quality Criteria for Nonionic Organic Contaminants for the Protection of
Benthic Organisms by using Equilibrium Partitioning" (EPA-822-R-93-011).
BACKGROUND
Acenaphthene (Dihydro-acenaphthylene or 1,8 ethylenenaphthalene) occurs in coal and is
released during the high temperature carbonization or coking of coal. Acenaphthene is also
used as a dye intermediate in the manufacture of plastics, insecticides and fungicides, and has
been detected in cigarette smoke and gasoline condensates. It is a polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon. (CAS No. 83-32-9) '
CRITERIA VALUES
* Freshwater benthic organisms
should not be affected unacceptably
if the concentration of acenaphthene
in the sediment never exceeds
130 ug/g^.
* Saltwater benthic organisms should
not be affected unacceptabley if the
concentration of acenaphthene in
the sediment never exceeds
230 ug/g«.
IMPLEMENTATION INTO STATE
STANDARDS
Sediment quality criteria may form the
basis for enforceable standards if adopted
by a State into water quality standards.
States may opt to develop site specific
criteria (Guidelines for Deriving Site-
Specific Sediment Quality Criteria for the
Protection of Benthic Organisms, EPA-
822-R-017). Replacement of national
criteria with site specific criteria may be
necessary if (1) species at the site are more
or less sensitive than those included in the
national criteria data set or (2) the
sediment or chemical quality
characteristics at that site alter the
bioavailability and consequently the
toxicity of the sediment bound chemical
predicted by Equilibrium Partitioning
(EqP).
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AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENT
Copies of the criteria document, and other
referenced documents, may be obtained
from the address below.
Sediment Quality Criteria for the
Protection ofBenthic Organisms:
Acenaphthene (EPA-822-R-93-013)
Water Resource Center, (RC-4100)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C., 20460
For further information please contact:
Ms. Mary C. Reiley
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Ecological Risk Assessment Branch
(Man Code - 4304)
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
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