United States
             Environmental Protection
             Agency
  Office of Water
  4305
              EPA-823-F-01-023
              October 2001
              FACT SHEET
  EPA  Methods for Collection, Storage and
             Manipulation of Sediments for Chemical and
	Toxicological Analyses: Technical Manual

Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing information and
recommendations for collecting, handling and manipulating sediment samples for
physicochemical characterization and biological testing. This technical manual provides a
compilation of methods that are most likely to yield accurate, representative sediment
quality data based on the experience of many monitoring programs and researchers.
Background

     Bottom sediments provide essential
     habitat for many freshwater,
     estuarine, and marine organisms.
In aquatic systems, many man-made
chemicals and waste materials,
particularly persistent organic and
inorganic chemicals, may accumulate in
sediments. These sediments become
repositories for many toxic chemicals.
The United States Environmental
Protection Agency's 1998 National
Sediment Inventory, a biennial report to
Congress on sediment quality in the
United States, identified sediment
contamination in every state of the
country.
     Contaminated sediments represent a
     hazard to aquatic life through direct
     toxicity as well as to aquatic life,
wildlife and human health through
bioaccumulation. Assessments of
sediment quality commonly include
analyses of man-made contaminants,
benthic community structure,
physicochemical characteristics, and
direct measures of whole sediment and
pore water toxicity.
Why is EPA publishing a manual
on the collection, storage and
manipulation of sediments?

     Accurate assessment of environmental
     hazards posed by sediment
     contamination depends in large part
on the accuracy and representativeness of
sediment collection and analyses. Accurate
assessment of sediment quality is needed to
trigger source controls and/or remediation
for a watershed.
T
his Manual addresses several needs
identified in EPA's 1998 Contaminated
Sediment Strategy  including:

 an organized discussion of activities
 involved in sediment sampling and
 sample processing;

 important issues that need to be
 considered within each activity; and

 recommendations on how to best
 address issues such as sampling
 design, proper sampling procedures,
 and sample manipulations.

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What does the manual contain?     How do I get this manual?
   Information is provided concerning
   appropriate sampling design, field and
   laboratory facilities needed, safety,
sampling equipment, sample storage and
transport procedures, and sample
manipulation issues common to chemical
or toxicological analyses. Information in
this manual reflects the knowledge and
experience of organizations that have
developed internationally recognized
procedures and protocols including:

      American Society for Testing  and
      Materials,
•     Puget Sound Estuary Program,
•     Washington State Department of
      Ecology,
      US Environmental Protection
      Agency,
      US Army Corps of Engineers,
      National Oceanic and Atmospheric
      Administration, and
•     Environment Canada.

This manual presents a set of
recommendations on field sampling
techniques and sediment/ interstitial water
sample processing using extensive
information in the current peer-reviewed
literature.

Who will use this manual?

     This manual provides technical
     support to those who design or
     perform sediment quality studies
under a variety of regulatory and non-
regulatory programs. The methods are
widely applicable to anyone wishing  to
collect consistent, high-quality sediment
data.  This manual is not guidance on
how to implement any specific regulatory
requirement.  Rather, it is a compilation of
technical methods on how to best collect
environmental samples that most
accurately reflect environmental
conditions.
Apdf version of this document is
     available for viewing or downloading
     from the EPA Office of Science and
Technology's web site at:
www.epa.gov/OST/cs.

A     limited number of copies of the
     complete document, entitled Methods
     for Collection, Storage and
Manipulation of Sediments for Chemical
and Toxicological Analyses: Technical
Manual are available from:

National Service Center for Environmental
Publications
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH., 45242.
1-800-490-9198
http://www.epa.gov/ncepi/

Water Resource Center
202-260-7786
center.water-resource@epa.gov

Request document # EPA-823-B-01-002.

Who  do I  contact for more
information?

    For more information on the Methods
    for Collection, Storage and
    Manipulation of Sediments for
Chemical and Toxicological Analyses:
Technical Manual contact:

Richard Healy,
Health Protection and Modeling Branch,
Office of Science and Technology,
Mail Code 4305,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Ariel Rios Building,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202)260-7812;
healy.richard@epa.gov.

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