CRC Press Contaminated Sediments in Freshwater Systems

Assessment of freshwater sediments can determine whether chemical concentrations are sufficient to cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms or organisms higher in the food chain, including humans. This book presents methods for assessing sediments and includes an integration of physical, chemical, and biological information. It examines the elements of quality assurance and control programs, considerations for the conduct of field surveys, screening-level analyses, chemical analyses, toxicity tests for assessing biological impacts, assessments of benthic invertebrate community structure, surveys of fish tumors and abnormalities, and data presentation and interpretation techniques. Review "Contaminated Sediments in Freshwater Systems is a book that fills an important gap in the contaminated sediment assessment literature, as previously information on various aspects of sediment sampling and the physical, biological, and chemical damage assessment of contaminated sediments were typically presented in guidance manuals published by various state and federal agencies. This is an excellent book for those who would like to develop a general understanding of the previously mentioned topics, and of what contaminated sediments are and how they are formed in freshwater systems, without going into much technical detail." ― Emese Hadnagy, University of New Haven, Connecticut, USA "This text is quite readable and is written in an interesting style. I really like the inclusion of sediment and sediment porewater sampling approaches. This is something that is unique to the field of contaminated sediments, so deserves (and here receives) special treatment. The book chapters do intrigue me and it does seem like a good book to have on the shelf." ― Kevin Gardner, University of New Hampshire, USA "Contaminated Sediments in Freshwater Systems brings a new and reflective approach to looking at the topic. It combines an easy-to-read conversational style with a highly descriptive and novel-like opening chapter to draw the reader in. Thereafter, technical and scientific aspects of sediment formation, sampling and analysis and how to evaluate contamination are given a clear and concise treatment that will suit students and professionals alike. The text is thorough in coverage and includes several highly relevant (but mainly U.S.) examples of sediment contamination in freshwater systems." ― Rob Mortimer, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom About the Author Frank R. Spellman, PhD, is a retired assistant professor of environmental health at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. He is the author of more than 90 books covering topics in environmental science and occupational health, and has been cited in more than 450 publications. Dr. Spellman holds a BA in public administration, a BS in business management, an MBA, and both an MS and a PhD in environmental engineering.