There have been numerous Sediment Quality Guidelines developed to monitor the Sediments. Sediment Quality Guidelines are very useful to screen Sediment contamination by comparing Sediment contaminant concentration with the corresponding Quality guideline, provide useful tools for screening Sediment chemical data to identify pollutants of concern and prioritise problem sites and relatively good predictors of contaminations. However, these Guidelines are chemical specific and do not include biological parameters. Aquatic ecosystems, including Sediments, must be assessed in multiple components (biological data, toxicity, physicochemistry) by using integrated approaches in order to establish a complete and comprehensive set of Sediment Quality Guidelines. Numerous Sediment Quality Guidelines Washington Department of Ecology Sediment Quality Guideline, Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, Swedish Environmental Sediment Quality, Screening Quick Reference Table, Portuguese Legislation on the Classification of Dredged Materials in Coastal Zones and Interim Sediment Quality Guideline for Hong Kong) have been applied to the Mengkabong lagoon mangrove Sediment and discussed. The most appropriate guideline that meets the prioritization criteria consistent with international initiatives and regulations is interim Sediment Quality values for Hong Kong. The guideline verifies that all the metals are below the Interim Sediment Quality Value-low. However, site-specific, biological testing and ecological analysis of existing benthic community structure related to Sediment contamination are needed for final decision making in the case of Mengkabong lagoon.

Pollution deriving from trace elements (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Hg, As and Cr) in Sediment samples (collected in 2009), belonging to rivers located in Catalonia and the Basque Country (Spain), was assessed according to Sediment Quality Guidelines. Sediment samples were ranked in terms of a pollution index that takes into account the presence of multiple pollutants such as trace elements. While only about 10% of samples located in rivers of Catalonia showed significant potential toxicity related to trace elements, about 53% of samples located in rivers of the Basque Country showed several potential toxicity issues related to these pollutants. Extremely high trace element concentrations were measured in some samples from this latter region, constituting a clear potential risk to the benthic fauna. The use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) such as Self-Organizing Map (SOM) to classify sites according to their similar Quality was found to be a reliable tool that can be incorporated in Sediment Quality assessments that include large datasets.

Background & Objectives: In recent years, enterance of oil contaminants especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to Anzali Wetland, has seriously threatened organisms life. Therefore, the current study was conducted to determine and compare concentration of PAH compounds with multiple Sediment Quality assessment indice to evaluate the ecological toxicity of surface Sediments of Anzali Wetland and present appropriate management strategy.Materials & Methods: We randomly collected 22 surface Sediment samples; each sample was dried and extracted based on the soxhlet method. Then during two-step of column chromatography the PAH compounds were separated and analyzed by gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS).Results: Total concentrations of these compounds ranged from 212 to 2674 ng g-1 d.w. with the mean of 907 ng g-1 d.w. The highest concentrations of PAHs was reported from stations (3-1 and 4-1) located in the vicinity of urban areas with shipping activities. In comparison with Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) used in this study, the concentrations of most PAH compounds in the majority of stations situated in low range values of adverse biological effects. Only in a few stations (3-1, 3-2 and 5-3), the concentrations of some of PAH compounds exceeded the low range of adverse biological effects.Conclusion: In comparison with Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) used in this study, the concentrations of most PAH compounds in Anzali Wetland rarely lead to adverse biological effects. However, concentrations of some of these compounds can cause acute toxic effects. Therefore, further studies including toxicity and bioaccumulation tests and survey of benthic community composition, especially in areas exceeded SQGs are essential for proper management.

Compost is a gradual process in nature by which organic materials are decomposed in the presence of air by microorganisms and fungi. The product is a valuable fertilizer that is used in different places even in home little gardens, so that it has signed as an unnoticed asset. With due attention to the importance of compost, its Guidelines and standards should be evaluated. It is pointed and compared, in this assay to standards and permitted limit of element concentrations in compost.Permitted extent and different standards are presented in different tables. It is important to consider the standards for Quality control of the final product in compost production process. Meantime, the product adverse effects on environment, food cycle and so on are prevented.