Application of Dioxin Analysis to
Dredged Material Management in NY

Dredged materials are naturally occurring bottom sediments/materials that have been dredged or excavated from the navigation channels in order to create and maintain a sufficient depth that is safe and efficient for vessel operations. Dredged materials are primarily natural sediments, but they may be contaminated by municipal or industrial wastes, or by runoff from terrestrial sources from urban areas or agricultural lands.

Management of dredged materials from the 240 miles of federal channels and waterways of the New York and New Jersey Harbors is the joint responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District, and Region 2 of the Environmental Protection Agency. Appropriate placement of this dredged material must ensure that disposal activities will not unreasonably degrade or endanger human health, welfare, the marine environment, or economic potentialities. In compliance with the regulatory authorities of the Clean Water Act and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, specific biological tests and chemical and physical analyses of the dredged material are required to determine if the material is suitable for placement in ocean waters at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS), an area in the New York Bight that was designated by the EPA to remediate adverse impacts caused by historical ocean disposal of dredged material.

Since 1993, Battelle has supported the dredged material management program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District in the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans, as well as other persistent organic and inorganic pollutants. Dioxins and furans are analyzed in the bulk sediment as well as in the tissues of clams and worms that have been exposed to the sediment. Analysts in Battelle’s dioxin laboratories employ high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) methods for dioxins/furans and dioxin-like PCB congeners.

Analysis of dioxins and furans pose a particular analytical challenge because the detection limit for dioxin, as set by the Army Corps of Engineers New York District and EPA Region 2, in marine animal tissue is exceptionally low. If dioxin concentrations exceed the set limit, then the sediment in question is not considered suitable for HARS placement. In cases like these, it is essential that clients involved with the management of dredged materials have the utmost confidence in their laboratory services. It is for this reason that Battelle’s dioxin lab has continued to be a key contributor to dredged material evaluations in New York for the past 10 years.

For more information on Battelle’s support for dredged material management, please contact Betsy Barrows at (631) 941-3213, barrowse@battelle.org. For more information on Battelle’s analytical support for dioxins and related compounds, please contact Mary Schrock at (614) 424-4976, schrock@battelle.org, or Karen Tracy at (614) 424-4028, tracyk@battelle.org.