Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) jointly published the Ocean Testing Manual, a national testing manual for the evaluation of dredged material proposed for ocean dumping (also known as the Green Book). The purpose of the evaluation procedures is to ensure efficient and reliable protection against toxicity and bioaccumulation that otherwise may impair the marine environment or human health. If biologically available, such contaminants may be ingested or absorbed by marine organisms, resulting in toxicity (e.g., death) or bioaccumulation (accumulation of pollutants in the organism’s tissues), which, in turn, exposes other organisms in the food web and ultimately humans when contaminated seafood is eaten.Įvaluation of dredged material for ocean disposal under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), sometimes referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act, relies on standardized testing using biological organisms (bioassays). The sediments dredged from our nation’s waterways sometimes are contaminated by historic chemical pollutants. EPA Region 6 staff taking sediment from a sediment grab sample at an ocean disposal site.ĭredged material proposed for ocean disposal is evaluated and tested to ensure that the material will not adversely affect human health and the marine environment.
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