Figure 1.
Sampling sites along the lower part of the Elbe River between the North Sea and Hamburg harbor.
Areas shaded in light grey are municipalities. Sampling was done in autumn 2006.
Figure 2.
Dose-response curves of the luciferase assay (A) and the RTL-W1 assay (B) to the 2,3,7,8-tretrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) standard.
Figure 3.
Dioxin-like activity of the crude sediment extracts in the RTL-W1 (grey bars; n = 3) and H4IIE.luc (black bars; n = 3) assays expressed as biological toxicity equivalents (Bio-TEQ; pg/g dw).
If no grey or black bar is given, no Bio-TEQ was detectable. River kilometers and the known highly contaminated reference site are given on the x-axis.
Table 1.
Dioxin-like activity of the crude sediment extracts and the multilayer fractions in the RTL-W1 and H4IIE.luc assays expressed as biological toxicity equivalents (Bio-TEQ) in pg/g dw.
Table 2.
Concentrations of the 16 US EPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH in sediment samples from the river Elbe estuary expressed as micrograms per gram of sediment n. n. = no number available.
Figure 4.
Comparison of the total biological response in the RTL-W1 assay (Bio-TEQs) of crude sediment extracts, the calculated contribution of the measured PAH toxic equivalents (TEQs) and the TEQs of non-acid-degradable compounds (e.g. PCB and PCDD/PCDF) out of the biological response to the multilayer fraction.
The unknown portion (in percent) of the overall activities is given in regard to the Bio-TEQs of the crude extracts. PAH-TEQs were calculated using the relative potency factors taken from Bols et al. 1999 and are given in pg/g dw [22]. (n.d. = not detectable).
Figure 5.
Comparison of the total biological response in the H4IIE.luc assay (Bio-TEQs) of crude sediment extracts, the calculated contribution of the measured PAH toxic equivalents (TEQs) and the TEQs of non-acid-degradable compounds (e.g. PCB and PCDD/PCDF) out of the biological response to the multilayer fraction.
The unknown portion (in percent) of the overall activities is given in regard to the Bio-TEQs of the crude extracts. PAH-TEQs were calculated using the relative potency factors taken from Machala et al. 2001 and are given in pg/g dw. (n.d. = not detectable).