Preface
As only a few books have been published on the matter of toxic materials in water it
occurred to the author that a comprehensive volume dealing with all aspects of this
subject was overdue. In this book there is a complete discussion of world literature on
the determination of metals, non-metals, organic substances, organometallic compounds, together with organic carbon parameters and radioactive elements in river,
stream, lake and pond sediments, marine and estuarine sediments, river and sea fish,
crustacea and molluscs, phytoplankton and sea and river weeds.
Much very detailed work has been carried out on this subject over the past 20
years and a review of this work is timely in view of the increasing interest to
chemists, environmentalists and others concerned with the quality of our environment.
The presence of organic and inorganic substances in river and oceanic sediments is
due in part to man-made pollution, and monitoring the levels of these substances in
sediment and sediment core samples provides an indication of the time dependence
of element concentration over large time spans. Contamination of sediments is found
not only in rivers but also in estuarine sediments and sometimes in oceanic sediments, and this sediment analysis provides a means of tracking elements from their
sources through the ecosystem. Another consideration is that fish, particularly bottom feeding fish in rivers and oceans, pick up contaminants when sediments enter
their gills and the contamination of fish by toxic substances has definite toxicological
implications in the case of fish that are eaten both by man and, in the case of
fish-meal, by animals. The analysis of fish samples is therefore of great importance
and is dealt with fully here. Crustacea which, by their nature are bottom feeding, also
pick up toxic substances from water and sediments, and, moreover, have the characteristic of concentrating such substances in their tissues at levels much higher than
those occurring in their surroundings. Whereas analysis of water samples provides a
spot check on the concentration of a particular substance at one point in time,
analysis of crustacea provides, with much greater sensitivity, an integrated concentration level over a considerable time span. This is highlighted by the mussel watch
programme instigated in the USA wherein samples of living mussels are taken regularly at specified points around the coast and analysed for metals and organics. Such
studies provide vital information on whether contaminant levels are increasing or
decreasing and it is expected, for example, that lead levels in mussels will soon start to
fall dramatically as a result of the introduction oflead-free petroleum. Much the same
can be said for the analysis of algae. These too have the property of concentrating
As only a few books have been published on the matter of toxic materials in water it
occurred to the author that a comprehensive volume dealing with all aspects of this
subject was overdue. In this book there is a complete discussion of world literature on
the determination of metals, non-metals, organic substances, organometallic compounds, together with organic carbon parameters and radioactive elements in river,
stream, lake and pond sediments, marine and estuarine sediments, river and sea fish,
crustacea and molluscs, phytoplankton and sea and river weeds.
Much very detailed work has been carried out on this subject over the past 20
years and a review of this work is timely in view of the increasing interest to
chemists, environmentalists and others concerned with the quality of our environment.
The presence of organic and inorganic substances in river and oceanic sediments is
due in part to man-made pollution, and monitoring the levels of these substances in
sediment and sediment core samples provides an indication of the time dependence
of element concentration over large time spans. Contamination of sediments is found
not only in rivers but also in estuarine sediments and sometimes in oceanic sediments, and this sediment analysis provides a means of tracking elements from their
sources through the ecosystem. Another consideration is that fish, particularly bottom feeding fish in rivers and oceans, pick up contaminants when sediments enter
their gills and the contamination of fish by toxic substances has definite toxicological
implications in the case of fish that are eaten both by man and, in the case of
fish-meal, by animals. The analysis of fish samples is therefore of great importance
and is dealt with fully here. Crustacea which, by their nature are bottom feeding, also
pick up toxic substances from water and sediments, and, moreover, have the characteristic of concentrating such substances in their tissues at levels much higher than
those occurring in their surroundings. Whereas analysis of water samples provides a
spot check on the concentration of a particular substance at one point in time,
analysis of crustacea provides, with much greater sensitivity, an integrated concentration level over a considerable time span. This is highlighted by the mussel watch
programme instigated in the USA wherein samples of living mussels are taken regularly at specified points around the coast and analysed for metals and organics. Such
studies provide vital information on whether contaminant levels are increasing or
decreasing and it is expected, for example, that lead levels in mussels will soon start to
fall dramatically as a result of the introduction oflead-free petroleum. Much the same
can be said for the analysis of algae. These too have the property of concentrating