Biological test method for determining toxicity of sediment using luminescent bacteria: chapter 9

Section 7: Reporting Requirements

• 7.1 Minimum Requirements for a Test-Specific Report
  • 7.1.1 Test Material
  • 7.1.2 Test Organisms
  • 7.1.3 Test Facilities and Apparatus
  • 7.1.4 Reconstitution Solution and Solid-Phase Diluent
  • 7.1.5 Test Method
  • 7.1.6 Test Conditions and Procedures
  • 7.1.7 Test Results
• 7.2 Additional Reporting Requirements
  • 7.2.1 Test Material
  • 7.2.2 Test Organisms
  • 7.2.3 Test Facilities and Apparatus
  • 7.2.4 Reconstitution Solution and Solid-Phase Diluent
  • 7.2.5 Test Method
  • 7.2.6 Test Conditions and Procedures
  • 7.2.7 Test Results

Each test-specific report must indicate if there has been any deviation from any of the “must” requirements delineated in Sections 2 to 6 of this reference method, and, if so, provide details of the deviation. The reader must be able to establish from the test-specific report whether the conditions and procedures preceding and during the test rendered the results valid and acceptable for the use intended.

Section 7.1 provides a list of the items that must be included in each test-specific report. A list of items that must either be included in the test-specific report, provided separately in a general report, or held on file for a minimum of five years, is found in Section 7.2. Specific monitoring programs or regulations might require selected test-specific items listed in Section 7.2 (e.g., details regarding the test material and/or explicit procedures and conditions during sample collection, handling, transport, and storage) to be included in the test-specific report, or might relegate certain test-specific information as data to be held on file.

Procedures and conditions common to a series of ongoing tests (e.g., routine toxicity tests for monitoring or compliance purposes) and consistent with specifications herein, may be referred to by citation or by attachment of a general report outlining standard laboratory practice.

Details on the conduct and findings of the test, which are not conveyed by the test-specific report or general report, should be kept on file by the laboratory for a minimum of five years so that the appropriate information can be provided if an audit of the test is required. Filed information might include:

• a record of the chain-of-continuity for field-collected or other samples tested for regulatory or monitoring purposes;
• a copy of the record of acquisition for the sample(s);
• chemical analytical data on the sample(s) which are not included in the test-specific report;
• bench sheets for the observations and measurements recorded during the test;
• bench sheets and warning chart(s) for the reference toxicity tests;
• detailed records of the source of the test organisms, their lot number, expiry date, factory reference toxicity test(s), date of receipt, and temperature during storage or holding; and
• information on the calibration of equipment and instruments.

Original data sheets must be signed or initialed, and dated by the laboratory personnel conducting the tests.

7.1 Minimum Requirements for a Test-Specific Report

The following sections list items that must be included in each test-specific report.

7.1.1 Test Material

• brief description of sample type (e.g., dredged material, reference sediment, contaminated or potentially contaminated field-collected sediment, negative control sediment, or positive control sediment) or coding, as provided to the laboratory personnel;
• information on labelling or coding of each sample; and
• date of sample collection; date sample(s) received at test facility.

7.1.2 Test Organisms

• species, strain, lot number and expiry date.

7.1.3 Test Facilities and Apparatus

• name and address of test laboratory;
• name of person(s) performing the test; and
• name and model number of Analyzer (photometer) used for measuring light emissions.

7.1.4 Reconstitution Solution and Solid-Phase Diluent

• type and source.

7.1.5 Test Method

• citation of biological test method used (i.e., as per this report); and
• name and citation of program(s) and methods used for calculating statistical endpoints.

7.1.6 Test Conditions and Procedures

• design and description if any deviation from or exclusion of any of the procedures and conditions specified in this report;
• number of discrete samples per treatment; number of replicates (if any) for each treatment; number and description of treatments in each test including the control solution(s), positive control sediment(s), and field-collected reference sediment(s);
• date when test was performed;
• for each sample--percent very coarse-grained sediment (i.e., particles >1.0 mm), percent sand, percent fines, percent water content, total organic carbon; porewater salinity, porewater pH, and porewater ammonia;
• indicate if any samples of test sediment (including reference sediment) were press-sieved to remove large particles and/or detritus or indigenous organisms, including the procedure and mesh size used if applied; and
• appearance (colour, turbidity) of filtrates in cuvettes, for each treatment.

7.1.7 Test Results

• light readings (mean, SD, CV) for replicate control solutions;
• any IC50s and their 95% confidence limits, with method of calculation and units (mg/L), expressed to three significant figures;^Footnote 17
• all statistical results for “pairwise” or other comparisons of endpoint values;
• a statement as to whether or not a test sediment is judged to be toxic, including a description of the guidelines used to reach that judgement;
• results for each IC50 (including its 95% confidence limits) with the reference toxicant(s) determined using the same lot of Bacterial Reagent as that used in the sediment toxicity test, determined within one month of the test and when the lot was first tested; together with the geometric mean value (± 2 SD) for the reference toxicant(s) as derived previously at the laboratory; and
• anything unusual about the test, any deviation from these procedures and conditions, any problems encountered, any remedial measures taken.

7.2 Additional Reporting Requirements

The following sections list items that must be either included in the test-specific report or the general report, or held on file for a minimum of five years.

7.2.1 Test Material

• identification of person(s) who collected and/or provided the sample(s);
• records of sample chain-of-continuity and log-entry sheets; and
• conditions (e.g., temperature, in darkness, in sealed container) of sample(s) upon receipt and during storage.

7.2.2 Test Organisms

• source, lot number, expiry date, factory reference toxicity test(s), date of receipt, temperature during storage or holding.

7.2.3 Test Facilities and Apparatus

• description of laboratory's previous experience with this reference method;
• description of systems for providing lighting and regulating temperature during the incubation of test concentrations;
• description of test chambers during incubation phase (i.e., test tubes) and during the stabilization and reading phase of the test (i.e., cuvettes);
• description of pipettes and disposable tips used to prepare and transfer test concentrations;
• description and calibration record of balance used for weighing sediments;
• temperature in oven used for drying sediment subsamples;
• description of disposable filters; and
• description of procedures used to clean and rinse test apparatus.

7.2.4 Reconstitution Solution and Solid-Phase Diluent

• type and quantity of any chemical(s) added to Reconstitution Solution or Diluent;
• results of tests to confirm that either solution does not inhibit light production by V. fischeri; and
• storage conditions and expiry date (or date prepared).

7.2.5 Test Method

• methods used (with citations) for chemical analyses of test material (sediment and pore water); including details concerning aliquot sampling, preparation, and storage before analysis.

7.2.6 Test Conditions and Procedures

• temperature as monitored in the water bath during incubation of test concentrations;
• temperature as monitored in the Analyzer (photometer) during holding of Reconstituted Reagent and test filtrates; and
• measurements of concentrations of chemicals in test materials and test concentrations, other than those included in the test-specific report.

7.2.7 Test Results

• records of the presence of indigenous organisms in each sample of field-collected reference and test sediment, their removal manually or by press sieving, and their description including type (family, genus, species?) and approximate size and numbers per unit volume of sample if known;
• warning chart showing the most recent and historic results for toxicity tests with the reference toxicant(s); and
• original bench sheets (see example, Appendix F) and other data sheets, signed and dated by the laboratory personnel performing the test and related analyses.