Ecological risk assessment of freshwater sediments in Brazil

Abstract

During the past 40 years, ecological risk assessments (ERA) were beingperformed by different organizations, using different various principles andmethods, with little or no communication and inconsistencies betweenthe different many assessment methodologies. Brazil still does not have aregulation based on quality criteria for sediments. Also, ERA approach hasonly been introduced here, and detailed guidance on how to interpret andapply these frameworks is still generally inadequate. In our paper, ERAframework and its application around the globe is are presented. Also,some promising future directions in ERA are briefly discussed, and criticalchallenges to future success of this tool in Brazil are identified.