Research project Mobility, Bioavailability and Toxicity of Sediment Contaminants (MOBILITY)

Remediation of contaminated sediments is vital to reach national environmental goals of a non-toxic environment, yet challenging as current risk assessment largely depends on the total sediment concentrations of the contaminants while their bioavailability is governed by the dissolved fraction. Passive sampling approaches can quantify the dissolved fraction in natural waters and sediments but are not regularly used in monitoring or for risk assessment purposes. MOBILITY aims to demonstrate the applicability of these approaches by linking the dissolved fraction concentration of contaminants to their mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity. Generated knowledge will be used to develop recommendations for the use of passive sampling approaches of organic contaminants and metals in risk assessment and environmental monitoring of sediments. The expected outcome will further provide the missing link to integrate chemical and biological indicators within the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.