Comparison of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for the assessment of metal contamination in marine and estuarine environments

Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) are an important tool for the assessment of contamination in marine and estuarine sediments. Although such guidelines are not definitive indicators of toxicity, they can have a high predictive ability and are a vital tool for identifying areas with potentially adverse biological effects. In the present study, 15 sets of common SQGs have been compared, including values for Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Norway, the Netherlands, the USA and regions within the USA (Puget Sound/Washington, New York and Florida). The majority of these SQGs are based on the weight-of-evidence approach. In particular, the sub-group of TEL/PEL-based values have a very high degree of comparability; values not belonging to this uniform group show substantial variations.