The in-place pollutants program: Volume VII - A synthesis of the program

Abstract

In 1983, the Ministry of the Environment initiated the In-Place Pollutants program in response to various concerns related to potential impacts of contaminants in sediment on the aquatic ecosystem. The major objective of the program was: "To determine the potential impacts of contaminants in sediment on overlying water quality and on aquatic biota with the aim of developing strategies for the management of contaminated sediment". The various studies launched towards achieving this objective have been reported in a series of In-Place Pollutants publications covering six volumes. This report, Volume VII in the series, summarizes the findings of the In-Place Pollutants studies and puts these findings in perspective with concurrent work of other research published in the literature. The combined information forms the basis of the conclusions outlined in this report.