TABLE OF CONTENTS Jack Q. Word
Lucinda S. Word
MEC Analytical Systems
Sequim, Washington
Permitted and nonpermitted point and nonpoint sources of contamination enter the air, land, or aquatic environments and are then transported to rivers and harbors, with many of the contaminants flocculating with suspended particles and ultimately settling into the sediment of marine harbors and estuaries. Some of these contaminants are persistent and remain buried in harbor sediment while others are less persistent and may rapidly biodegrade to "inert" or nonbiologically available materials. The objectives of national and international legislation and agreements are to protect the marine environment so that it can be used by future generations for all current and projected uses (commercial as well as aesthetic). As a result, agreements have been made to protect the environment from persistent chemicals of ecological concern. These are the chemicals that, at concentrations in excess of "trace" levels, are predicted or known to cause adverse ecological impacts either directly, because of acute or chronic toxicity, or to cause indirect impacts on food webs through their uptake into tissues of exposed organisms.
Over the past 45 years, the study of marine pollution has extended beyond the simple description of changes that occur in association with sources of pollution to better understanding and the ability to predict the impacts of these persistent chemicals. However, precise estimates of the extent of exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment, and the projection of adverse health or ecological...
