EROD activity in fish as an independent measure of contaminant-induced mortality of invertebrates in sediment bioassays

The survival of amphipods in sediment bioassays was compared to the induction of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in speckled sanddabs ( Citharichthys stigmaeus) to investigate the relative importance of physical and chemical characteristics of sediment in toxicity bioassays. Sediments from San Francisco Bay containing 1–30 ppm (dry) of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 3–20 ppb (dry) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and variable concentrations of several trace elements were used in separate exposure assays for sanddabs (60 d) and the amphipod Eohaustorius estuarius (10 d). A highly significant correlation ( r 2 = 0.90, p