state predictions are presented. These include errors in the use of the total volume 

 versus the freshwater volume of an estuary and the assumption for dilution. The 

 necessity of considering the coastal system as a whole in calculating assimilative 

 capacity is highlighted. 



Toxic organics, including pesticides, compounds associated with petroleum or its 

 derivatives, and industrial compounds are introduced into coastal waters and can 

 adversely affect the biota and environment in which they live (Paper 5, Impact of 

 Toxic Organics on the Coastal Environment). This chapter focuses largely on pesti- 

 cides and selected organics used in industrial processes. The banning of DDT in 1972 

 led to the development and use of a variety of new chemical and biological pesticides. 

 In many instances, these compounds were more specific and less persistent than the 

 organochlorines used previously. Scientific expertise for development and applica- 

 tion of tests to measure fate and effects of toxic organics progressed during the 

 decade from simple static tests, with mortality as the only effect criterion, to chronic 

 evaluations, with growth, reproduction, behavior, and other sublethal criteria of 

 effect. 



As the assessment methods became more complex, so too did the types and 

 chemistry of the agents themselves. There emerged a group of materials and 

 synthetic chemicals known as "third-generation pesticides"that are insect hormones 

 or mimic the actions of hormones that control growth or metamorphosis. New toxi- 

 cological and exposure assessment techniques were developed to assess the effect of 

 these new compounds on coastal species. Sublethal effects of these compounds on 

 marine species, especially crustaceans, are described. Mention is made of the need to 

 expand from controlled laboratory tests that rely on conventional techniques to 

 detect low concentrations of pollutants to tests that measure biological response in 

 the environment. 



Large amounts of petroleum are produced and transported in the coastal zone, 

 and these activities combine to focus a major impact on this environment (Paper 6, 

 Impact of Oil on the Coastal Environment). The contribution of petroleum products 

 to coastal areas through production, transportation, river runoff, and municipal and 

 industrial wastes, as well as the chemical composition of various mixtures of oil, is 

 discussed. Evidently, biological and aesthetic damage by chronic or acute release of 

 petroleum into the environment is a function of the weathering of the oil, which 

 includes such factors as evaporation, emulsification, photochemical oxidation, and 

 biodegradation. The biological effects of oil are presented in a matrix, one side of 

 which represents the level of biological organization ( bacteria to fish), and the other, 

 individual petroleum compounds, various fuel oils, and crude oils. Data are given on 

 the toxicity of oil compounds to species and communities. Community studies with 

 plankton in open ocean waters showed that population structure and succession 

 patterns of plankton may be more useful as measurements of stress than are meta- 

 bolic functions. Information on the kinds and concentration of petroleum in the 

 environment has increased significantly during the past decade as a result of 

 increased petroleum activity and rapid development of analytical instrumentation. 

 Future research on this subject should include an understanding of the relationships 

 between the flow of petroleum carbon and the flow of synthetic carbon. 



In my opinion, the authors have met the charge previously stated and produced a 

 publication that will be of value to the scientific community. On behalf of the 

 Environmental Protection Agency, 1 thank them for taking time from busy 

 schedules to participate in our Decade Project. 



Thomas W. Duke 

 Editor 



VII 



