A survey of indicators for reproductive endocrine disruption in Fundulus heteroclitus (killifish) at selected sites in the Chesapeake Bay

Plasma vitellogenin and related parameters in the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus were measured at selected sites in the Chesapeake Bay. In males, vitellogenin was above the detection limit 14% of the time, and detections did not differ between sites or seasons. Few differences in plasma vitellogenin levels were found between sites during fall in either male or female F. heteroclitus, the time of natural gonadal regression for this species. There was some variation in the ratio of male to female F. heteroclitus, but was not consistent at most sites. Significant negative correlations were found between reported sediment polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and GSI, and PAHs and plasma vitellogenin in females in both Spring 1999 and Spring 2000. Gonadal anomalies in F. heteroclitus included slight reductions in certain tissue types. Overall, reproductive endocrine disruption in the killifish F. heteroclitus at the sites sampled in the Chesapeake Bay appeared somewhat minimal.     

Biota: sediment partitioning of aluminium smelter related PAHs and pulp mill related diterpenes by intertidal clams at Kitimat, British Columbia

The question of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability and its relationship to specific PAH sources with different PAH binding characteristics is an important one, because bioavailability drives PAH accumulation in biota and ultimately the biochemical responses to the PAH contaminants. The industrial harbour at Kitimat (British Columbia, Canada) provides an ideal location to study the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of sediment hydrocarbons to low trophic level biota. Samples of soft shell clams (Mya arenaria) and intertidal sediment collected from multiple sites over six years at various distances from an aluminium smelter and a pulp and paper mill were analysed for 106 PAHs, plant diterpenes and other aromatic fraction hydrocarbons. Interpretation using PAH source ratios and multivariate data analysis reveals six principal hydrocarbon sources: PAHs in coke, pitch and emissions from anode combustion from the aluminium smelter, vascular plant terpenes and aromatised terpenes from the pulp and paper mill, petroleum PAHs from shipping and other anthropogenic activities and PAHs from natural plant detritus. Harbour sediments predominantly contain either pitch or pyrogenic PAHs from the smelter, while clams predominantly contain plant derived PAHs and diterpenes from the adjacent pulp mill. PAHs from the smelter have low bioavailability to clams (Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors; BSAFs <1 for pitch and coke; <10 for anode combustion, decreasing to ∼0.1 for the mass 300 and 302 PAHs), possibly due to binding to pitch or soot carbon matrices. Decreases in PAH isomer ratios between sediments and clams likely reflect a combination of variation in uptake kinetics of petroleum PAHs and compound specific metabolism, with the importance of petroleum PAHs decreasing with increasing molecular weight. Plant derived compounds exhibit little natural bioaccumulation at reference sites, but unsaturated and aromatised diterpenes released from resins by industrial pulping processes are readily accumulated by the clams (BSAFs >500). Thus while most of the smelter associated PAHs in sediments may not be bioavailable to benthic organisms, the plant terpenes (including retene, totarol, ferruginol, manool, dehydroabietane and other plant terpenes that form the chemical defence mechanism of conifers) released by pulp mills are bioavailable and possess demonstrated toxic properties. The large scale release of plant terpenes by some of the many pulp mills located in British Columbia and elsewhere represents a largely undocumented risk to aquatic biota.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) burden of mussels (Mytilus sp.) in different marine environments in relation with sediment PAH contamination, and bioavailability

Sediments and mussels (Mytilus edulis, Mytilus galloprovincialis) were sampled in different European coastal environments (Germany, France, Spain) and analysed for their polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Bioaccumulation factors of individual compounds from the sediment were calculated and discussed according to the compound solubility. The mussels showed different accumulation patterns according to the pollution source they were exposed to (dissolved fraction of PAHs, particulate fraction, petroleum present in the water column). The exposure source also depends on the geographical location of the mussels. In the Mediterranean Sea, the bivalves were mainly exposed to the dissolved fraction of PAHs, while in the Baltic Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean, the PAHs associated to the particles were significant sources.     

渤海湾中部表层沉积物中多环芳烃分布及其来源

通过对渤海湾中部海域19个站位表层沉积物样品中检测出的13种优控多环芳烃(EPAs)进行同分异构体、甲基菲、GC—MS定量等分析,探讨了研究区沉积物中多环芳烃分布特征、输入来源和污染水平,结果表明,研究区表层沉积物中多环芳烃总含量为2.1~374.8ng/g,平均值为33.1ng/g,多环芳烃总含量呈现出由近岸区向深海区递减的趋势,除最高值BG-60站位外,研究区与其他地区相比污染水平为中—低;化合物组成上以3~4环为主,5~6环次之,从多环芳烃组成以及异构体和甲基菲比值分析表明,研究区沉积物中PAHs以燃烧来源为主,石油类产品和石油化工燃料燃烧贡献最大,煤、木材燃烧贡献次之;高含量的菲和4个高成熟度异常点证实石油烃PAHs污染客观存在。     

Assessing degradation capability of aerobic indigenous microflora in PAH-contaminated brackish sediments

A study was conducted to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) distribution and microbial population changes in brackish sediments from an Italian lagoon included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The presence and level of PAH-degrading bacteria were estimated by the most probable number (MPN) enumeration technique, whereas degradation capability towards target compounds was checked against loss of spiked PAHs (Phenanthrene, Anthracene and Fluoranthene) in MPN tubes after incubation in optimal conditions. Chemical analyses and microbiological counts suggested a potential for PAHs biodegradation by natural occurring populations of sediment microorganisms, thus indicating an "optimal range" in sediment PAHs concentrations, outside of which the natural selection of the indigenous microflora did not occur. The MPN procedure here described, provided an effective and reliable way to simultaneously determine microbial population densities and subsequent confirmation of the biodegradation capability of sediment indigenous microflora when exposed to laboratory and environmental concentrations of PAHs.     

南大西洋沉积物中多环芳香化合物的组成特征研究

10 samples of sediments obtained from the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge were measured for the abundances and distributions of polycyclic aromatic compounds(PAHs). The total concentrations of PAHs(∑PAHs) ranged from 2.768 to 9.826 μg/g dry sediment. The ∑PAHs was higher in sample 22V-TVG10 and sample 26V-TVG05 which were close to hydrothermal fields, with the lowest value in sample 22V-TVG14 which was farthest from hydrothermal fields, suggesting a probable hydrothermal origin of ∑PAHs of samples. Approximately nine kinds of PAHs were identified, and low molecular mass tricyclic and tetracyclic aromatic compounds were predominant in the samples. The concentrations of fluoranthene which were typical as hydrothermal alteration compounds were the highest among PAHs with dry weight between 0.913–3.157 μg/g. The phenanthrene homologue was most abundant in the samples, and the ratios between parent phenanthrene and methylphenanthrene which probably reflected the degree of hydrothermal alteration ranged from 0.097 to 1.602. The sample 22V-TVG10 possessing a maximum ratio value showed the intense influence of the hydrothermal alteration on this sample, which might further imply that PAHs in sediments were mainly derived from the hydrothermal alteration.     

Cellular responses and disease expression in oysters (Crassostrea virginica) exposed to suspended field contaminated sediments.

Exposure of oysters to water soluble fractions derived from field-contaminated sediments (FCS) containing predominantly lower molecular weight organic aromatic compounds, has been previously demonstrated to enhance pre-existing infections caused by the protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus (Dermo), and the prevalence of experimentally induced infections. To further explore the role of pollution on the onset and progression of disease, effects of suspended FCS from an estuarine creek in Virginia, USA, dominated by higher molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on cellular responses and Dermo disease expression in oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were examined. Sediments were collected from a PAH polluted estuarine creek in Virginia, USA. To test effects on cellular response, oysters from Maine were exposed daily to 0, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g suspended FCS (corresponding to 0, 70.2, 105, or 140 microg PAHs, respectively) for 5, 10, 20, and 40 days. Hemocyte activities and plasma lipid, protein and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were then measured. Exposure stimulated neutral red uptake, MTT reduction, and 3H-leucine incorporation in oyster hemocytes at various exposure times, but did not affect the plasma protein, lipid and LDH levels. To test effects on Dermo expression, oysters from a Dermo enzootic area, with an initial estimated infection prevalence of 39%, were exposed daily to 0, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g suspended FCS (corresponding to 0, 75.0, 113, or 150 microg PAHs, respectively) for 30 days. Exposure enhanced disease expression in oysters. However, no significant change was noted in any measured cellular or humoral parameters.     

From sediment bioassay to fish biomarker--connecting the dots using simple trophic relationships.

Two common problems in applying and interpreting invertebrate bioassays and fish biomarkers in sediment toxicology are the wide gap between significant effects concentrations determined by these two approaches, and a general lack of ecological context. We have devised an exposure system that is able to reconcile much of the disparity between invertebrate bioassay and fish biomarker results by incorporating realistic ecological processes based on deposit feeding and predator-prey interactions. This system relates the disturbance of interest (sediment contamination) to biologically meaningful effects in a resource of interest (marine flatfish) via a realistic contaminant vector (a deposit-feeding polychaete worm). In this pilot study, polychaetes (Armandia brevis) were exposed for 28 days to clean sediments supplemented with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), para-para dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (pp'DDE), Aroclor 1254, or field sediments collected from two sites in Puget Sound, Washington, contaminated predominantly with polcyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or chlorinated compounds. Exposed worms were then fed live to juvenile English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) for 10 or 12 days. At the end of the exposure period, fish were measured for length and weight, sacrificed, and preserved for either routine histopathology and immunohistochemical analysis of cytochrome P450 1A induction, or 32P post-labeling determination of hepatic PAH-DNA adducts. Growth of predatory flatfish was lower than reference in all but one of eight groups fed contaminant-exposed polychaetes; however, statistically significant reductions in growth were only observed in three of these eight groups, at least in part due to low statistical power. Juvenile sole from all contaminant-exposed groups showed increased expression of CYP1A, and fish exposed to BaP-exposed worms showed clear evidence of hepatic PAH-DNA adducts. This method allows the concurrent evaluation of sediment contamination at multiple biological and ecological levels. These results indicate that sediments determined to be nontoxic by common invertebrate bioassays may have the potential to cause adverse effects at higher trophic levels.     

Comparison of toxicity effects of fuel oil treated by different dispersants on marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) embryo

This study aims to evaluate the subacute toxic effects of oil under different treatments on marine organism by simulating natural contaminative processes. In this study, 120# (RMD15) fuel oil was selected as the pollutant and marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) embryos as the experimental organism. The developmental toxicity of different volume concentrations (0.05%, 0.2%, 1% and 5%) of water-accommodated fractions, biologically-enhanced water-accommodated fractions, and chemically-enhanced water-accommodated fractions on the embryos in different exposure time (8, 15 and 22 d) were compared and the content of relevant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was studied (in dispersion and in vivo). The subacute toxic effects were assessed in terms of antioxidant activities of enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione S-transferase) and the blue sac disease (BSD) indexes.The results showed that the BSD indexes of the treatment groups were significantly higher than the respective control groups and showed positive correlations with both concentration and exposure time. The experiments with three antioxidant enzymes indicated that enzymatic activities of the embryos changed dramatically under the oxidation stress of petroleum hydrocarbons, especially after adding the dispersants. With the increase of petroleum hydrocarbon concentration and exposure time, the three enzymes showed different degrees of induction and inhibition effects.     

Use of QSAR and SSD methods on deriving predicted no-effect concentrations in seawater and sediment for ten individual parent- and alkyl-PAHs and a case study on the assessment of their ecological risks from the Dalian Bay,China

Parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (alkyl-PAHs), which are a class of important toxic components of crude oil especially in the marine environment, exhibit adverse effects on aquatic life and potentially pose a human health risk. However, the lack of chronic toxicity data is one of the hindrances for alkyl-PAHs when assessing their ecological risks. In this study, predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) in seawater and marine sediment for ten parent- and alkyl-PAHs were derived by applying species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) and quantitative structure?activity relationships (QSARs). The local area, Dalian Bay, where an oil-spilled accident happened in 2010, was chosen as a case site to assess ecological risks for ten PAHs in surface seawaters and marine sediments. Their PNECs in seawater and sediment for protecting aquatic organisms in marine ecosystems were calculated and recommended in the range of 0.012?2.79 μg/L and 48.2?1337 ng/g (dry weight), respectively. Overall, the derived PNECs for the studied PAHs in seawater and marine sediment were comparable to those obtained by classical methods. Risk quotient results indicate low ecological risks to ecosystems for ten parent- and alkyl-PAHs in surface seawaters and surface sediments from the Dalian Bay. These findings provide a first insight into the PNECs and ecological risks of alkyl-PAHs, emphasizing the role of the computational toxicology in ecological risk assessments. The use of QSARs has been identified as a valuable tool for preliminarily assessing ecological risks of emerging pollutants, being more predictable of real exposure scenarios for risk assessment purposes.     

中国北部辽东湾表层沉积物中PAHs源解析和生态风险评价

研究于2014年和2015年对辽东湾表层沉积物中16种多环芳烃（PAHs）的来源和生态风险状况进行了调查和评估。辽东湾表层沉积物中16种PAHs的含量范围为88.5-347 ng/g,高值区主要分布在辽东湾中部海域。对辽东湾各站位沉积物中多环芳烃的含量进行中聚类分析结果表明,辽东湾的采样站位可分为两类,一类站位主要分布在辽东湾沉积物中部海域,另一类站位主要分布在受陆源污染较为严重的近岸海域。辽东湾表层沉积物中PAHs的来源为燃烧源和石油源的混合来源,其中燃烧源为主要来源。萘、苊、苊烯、菲、二苯并[a,h]蒽可能偶尔会引发有害生物效应;辽东湾表层沉积物为低致癌风险;辽东湾中部海域表层沉积物中PAHs的生态风险和毒性污染水平高于辽东湾近岸海域。     

单体分子放射性碳同位素分析在海洋科学及环境科学研究中的应用

单体分子放射性碳同位素分析(CSRA)是近十几年来发展起来的一项新兴的分析手段,将所需的单体分子(生物标志物)从复杂的环境样品基质中分离并富集,再进行加速质谱仪(AMS)的放射性碳(14C)测定。这种分子水平的放射性碳同位素测定技术能够揭示出总有机质同位素组成的异质性,为解释有机碳的来源、迁移和转化等提供了新型的手段。在海洋科学研究中,单体分子放射性碳同位素分析已应用于计算碳在全球各储库的逗留时间并揭示和定量估算化石源有机碳的输入、指示沉积物的搬运过程、示踪微生物的代谢途径、改进沉积物年代学等;在环境科学研究中,单体分子放射性碳同位素分析可用于有毒物质(如多环芳烃)的源解析,示踪有机污染环境中微生物的代谢途径等。伴随着单体分子分离技术的改进及AMS灵敏度的提高,CSRA技术的应用会更加广泛。     

菲与纳米银对胶州湾表层沉积物反硝化作用的复合毒性效应评价

多环芳烃(PAHs)与纳米材料污染已对沉积物生态系统和人类生存环境构成严重威胁,其复合污染的毒性效应环境危害可能更大。为了深入探讨PAHs与纳米材料对近岸表层沉积物反硝化作用的复合毒性效应,本文选取位于胶州湾(JZB)的大沽河河口区(DRE)E站和湾内S站,分别以菲和纳米银代表PAHs和纳米材料,通过测定不同剂量单一及复合污染下沉积物反硝化潜势(PDA)的变化,结合浓度相加模型(CA)、独立作用模型(IA)和中效/联合指数等效图法(CI)三种复合毒性评价方法,评价菲和纳米银对沉积物反硝化潜势的复合毒性效应,并对评价方法进行了优选。结果表明,两种污染物浓度越高,对研究区域反硝化潜势的抑制作用越大。菲、纳米银单一及复合作用下对河口区沉积物反硝化潜势的EC50值分别为44.62、112.49和64.86 mg·kg-1,对湾内分别为61.79、147.05和96.18 mg·kg-1。菲单一作用对反硝化潜势的抑制效应强于纳米银,但复合污染的抑制效应更强。两种污染物对河口区的沉积物反硝化潜势抑制效应强于湾内,可能与河口区具有较高Eh和沉积物颗粒度及较低的pH、盐度和有机质含量有关。三种毒性效应评价方法的结果表明,菲和纳米银的复合污染对2个站位反硝化潜势的毒性效应均为协同作用,且对大沽河河口区的协同作用更强。此外,CI法对复合效应的预测结果比CA和IA法更为接近实际观测值,且CI不需要考虑污染物作用模式的限制,因此认为CI法更适用于评价混合污染对沉积物反硝化作用复合影响的效果。本研究结果表明,菲和纳米银会增强彼此对反硝化菌及反硝化功能的毒性效应,由此推断,PAHs和纳米材料在环境中同时存在时比其单独存在对沉积环境的危害更大。     

The effect of PCBs on glycogen reserves in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica.

Recent declines in Chesapeake Bay oyster populations have been attributed to disease, and reduced water quality from pollution. The stress associated with pollutant exposure may reduce energy available for growth and reproduction. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are lipophilic contaminants that may potentially affect mobilization of lipid reserves, increasing reliance on glycogen stores, which could otherwise be utilized to supply energy for gametogenesis. Thus, PCBs may indirectly affect glycogen stores in oysters in a deleterious manner. To test for this effect, reproductively inactive oysters were exposed to PCBs by feeding individuals 0.7 g of algal paste containing 0, 0.35, or 3.5 micrograms PCBs daily for 8 weeks. Additionally, a group of oysters was exposed to PCBs (0, 0.35, and 3.5 micrograms) plus 0.3 g of non-toxic artificial sediment to examine interactive effects of sediment particles and PCBs. Adductor muscle, mantle, and gonadal tissues were analyzed for glycogen content. Results suggest that glycogen content is reduced in the adductor muscle with increasing PCB exposure, but there are no effects of PCBs in the mantle and gonadal tissues.     

The effect of PCBs on glycogen reserves in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica

Recent declines in Chesapeake Bay oyster populations have been attributed to disease, and reduced water quality from pollution. The stress associated with pollutant exposure may reduce energy available for growth and reproduction. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are lipophilic contaminants that may potentially affect mobilization of lipid reserves, increasing reliance on glycogen stores, which could otherwise be utilized to supply energy for gametogenesis. Thus, PCBs may indirectly affect glycogen stores in oysters in a deleterious manner. To test for this effect, reproductively inactive oysters were exposed to PCBs by feeding individuals 0.7 g of algal paste containing 0, 0.35, or 3.5 μg PCBs daily for 8 weeks. Additionally, a group of oysters was exposed to PCBs (0, 0.35, and 3.5 μg) plus 0.3 g of non-toxic artificial sediment to examine interactive effects of sediment particles and PCBs. Adductor muscle, mantle, and gonadal tissues were analyzed for glycogen content. Results suggest that glycogen content is reduced in the adductor muscle with increasing PCB exposure, but there are no effects of PCBs in the mantle and gonadal tissues.     

Sorption of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by natural estuarine colloids

The sorptive behaviour of natural estuarine colloids was investigated with benzene, naphthalene and anthracene. The equilibrium sorption isotherms were linear. Freundlich partition coefficients normalized to the organic content of the colloids for benzene, naphthalene, and anthracene were 920, 4060 and 510000, respectively. These values are at least an order of magnitude higher than those reported for corresponding soil/sediment systems. This suggests that hydrophobic compounds are more strongly bound to estuarine colloidal organic material.The effect of pH on sorption waas also studied. A significant decrease in sorption was observed when the ambient pH (8·01) of natural water was decreased by a factor of 2. The experimentally determined K_oc values were regressed against the water solubilities of PAHs and compared with a corresponding predictine relationship developed for a soil/sediment system. Such information greatly facilitates prediction of PAH phase partitioning in natural waters.     

台州湾海域表层沉积物中多环芳烃的浓度水平、富集规律及来源

研究了台州湾海域海水和表层沉积物中15种多环芳烃(PAHs)的浓度水平,评价了表层沉积物对多环芳烃的富集规律,探讨其可能来源.结果表明,表层沉积物中PAHs的浓度范围为85.4 ～ 167.6 ng/g,平均值为138.62 ng/g,总多环芳烃的最大值是椒江码头.表层沉积物中二环、三环、四环、五环和六环多环芳烃占总多环芳烃的百分含量平均值分别为7.8 %,42.1 %, 33.3 %, 9.6 %和 7.2 %,三环多环芳烃的含量最高;表层沉积物对多环芳烃的富集系数为532.7 ～ 1068.9,平均值为807.5,单组分菲的富集系数最高为122.7,最小的是苯并(a)芘为2.7;台州湾表层沉积物中的多环芳烃主要来源于燃煤污染,部分来源于石油烃类物质的直接污染.     

Can PAHs influence Cu accumulation by salt marsh plants?

The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may change the mechanisms of metal uptake, thus influencing kinetics and extent of metal phytoextraction. Studies on the subject are scarce, particularly for salt marsh plants. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of PAHs on the uptake of Cu by Halimione portulacoides, a plant commonly found in salt marshes. Experiments were carried out in the laboratory, either in hydroponics (sediment elutriate) or in sediment soaked in elutriate, which were prepared with sediment and water from a salt marsh of the Cavado river estuary (NW Portugal). Groups of H. portulacoides (grown in a greenhouse) were exposed to those media during six days. Cu(2+) (as Cu(NO(3))(2)), 10(2) and 10(4)mugl(-1), was added to the media as well as 1.6mugl(-1) of the sixteen EPA priority PAHs (0.1mugl(-1) of each PAHs). Cu was assayed in solutions, sediments and different plant tissues before and after experiments. After exposure, photosynthetic efficiency and levels of chlorophylls were also measured, indicating that plant stress indicators were identical in all plants independently of the media to which the plants were exposed. PAHs influenced both the soluble Cu fraction and Cu uptake by plants. The amounts of metal accumulated in both roots and stems were significantly higher when the 10(4)mugl(-1) of Cu enriched elutriate was amended with PAHs. Thus, results suggest that PAHs may modify Cu solubility, the Cu sorption by plants and/or the passive penetration of Cu into the root cells. Therefore, the combined effects of different types of pollutants should be taken in consideration when studying the remediation potential of plants, namely in terms of phytoextraction.     

Bioenergetic responses of the marine bivalve Venus verrucosa on long-term exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons

A number of physiological responses of the bivalve Venus verrucosa on exposure to low levels of water accommodated fractions of Kuwait crude oil (100 μg litre⁻¹) for 145 days were investigated in the laboratory. Such exposure led to significant decreases in clearance or feeding rates and in the food absorption efficiencies, as well as enhanced oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion. The integration of such physiological responses to assess the scope for growth, as well as the oxygen to nitrogen ratio, indicated that such exposure led to a significant drop in the energy available for somatic growth and reproduction and enhanced protein catabolism (this being indicative of stressed conditions). These results were also confirmed by significant reductions in several body condition indices of the exposed bivalves relative to the controls. The ecological significance of such results is discussed.     

Chronic exposure of Leptocheirus plumulosus to Baltimore Harbor sediment: bioenergetic and population-level effects

We investigated the long-term effects of contaminants in sediment from Baltimore Harbor, MD, USA, on a burrowing amphipod (Leptocheirus plumulosus) via a full life-cycle laboratory exposure. Contaminants in the Baltimore Harbor sediment included PAHs (10,800 ng/g), PCBs (152 ng/g), and heavy metals (including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, and Zn). Exposures were initiated with neonate amphipods, placed in microcosms containing either contaminated or reference sediment, and were maintained for 42 days, allowing ample time for the initial cohort to mature and reproduce. At the end of the exposure period, the populations of amphipods were surveyed to ascertain the number and size of amphipods in each size class (neonate, juvenile, and adult), and bioenergetic measurements were performed on adults, including metabolic rate, lipid content, and fecundity. Contaminated sediment from Baltimore Harbor caused lower growth and reproductive rates; in Baltimore Harbor sediment, the average dry weight of amphipod offspring in each size class was significantly lower and there were less than one-third as many individuals in each size class, compared to reference sediment. By the end of the exposure, the total amphipod biomass in Baltimore Harbor sediment was less than one quarter of that in reference sediment. On average, gravid females in reference sediment produced at least twice as many viable offspring as those in contaminated sediment. Adult male amphipods in Baltimore Harbor sediment possessed significantly lower lipid concentrations. Lipid content in neonates also appeared to be negatively affected by parental exposure to contaminants. Metabolic rate was elevated in adult amphipods exposed to Baltimore Harbor sediment. Overall, the results suggest that contaminated sediment conditions in the urban estuary may chronically affect L. plumulosus by diverting energy from production to maintenance pathways, resulting in slower growth and reduced fecundity, and ultimately leading to retarded population growth rates. The results of this study reinforce the need for long-term toxicological exposures to reveal chronic effects.