Metal Contamination in Aquatic Environments Science and Lateral Management

Metal contamination is one of the most ubiquitous, persistent and complex environmental issues, encompassing legacies of the past (e.g. abandoned mines) as well as impending, but poorly studied, threats (e.g. metallo-nanomaterials). Writing for graduate students, risk assessors and environmental managers, Drs Luoma and Rainbow explain why controversies exist in managing metal contamination and highlight opportunities for policy solutions stemming from the latest advances in the field. They illustrate how the 'lateral' approach offers opportunities in both science and management, making the case that the advanced state of the science now allows bridging of traditional boundaries in the field (e.g. between field observations and laboratory toxicology). The book has a uniquely international and interdisciplinary perspective, integrating geochemistry, biology, ecology, and toxicology, as well as policy and science. It explicitly shows how science ties into today's regulatory structure, identifying opportunities for more effective risk management in the future.

1. Introduction; 2. Conceptual underpinnings: science and management; 3. Historical and disciplinary context; 4. Sources and cycles of trace metals; 5. Concentrations and speciation of metals in natural waters; 6. Trace metals in suspended particulates and sediments: concentrations and geochemistry; 7. Trace metal bioaccumulation; 8. Biomonitors; 9. Manifestation of the toxic effects of trace metals: the biological perspective; 10. Toxicity testing; 11. Manifestation of metal effects in nature; 12. Mining and metal contamination: science, controversies and policies; 13. Selenium: dietary exposure, trophic transfer and food web effects; 14. Organometals: tributyl tin and methyl mercury; 15. Hazard rankings and water quality guidelines; 16. Sediment quality guidelines; 17. Harmonizing approaches to managing metal contamination: integrative and weight of evidence approaches; 18. Conclusions: science and policy.

This book is a uniquely international and interdisciplinary synthesis of metal contamination in aquatic environments. Integrating geochemistry, biology, ecology and toxicology as well as policy and science, it explicitly shows how science ties into today's regulatory structure and identifies opportunities for more effective risk management in the future.