Enrichment of elements in detritus from a constructed wetland and consequent toxicity to Hyalella azteca.

In a pilot constructed wetland treatment system specifically designed to treat constituents of flue gas desulfurization wastewater, detritus adsorbs significantly high concentrations of Hg, Se, and As. Results of this research indicate that Hg, Se, and As were enriched in detritus from Schoenoplectus californicus and Typha angustifolia collected from the constructed wetland by factors up to 4600, 26,300, and 15,600, respectively. As an important food source for many organisms, element enrichment makes the detritus an even greater source of contaminants to the food web. Results demonstrate that the natural decomposition of plants in this constructed wetland treatment system produces detritus enriched with Hg, Se, and As at levels potentially hazardous to aquatic organisms. To completely assess ecological risks associated with the use of constructed wetland treatment systems, contaminant enrichment, bioavailability, and toxicity in detritus must be considered.

A simple and fast extraction method for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in small volumes of avian serum.

A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method was developed using 8M urea to desorb and extract organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from avian serum for analysis by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). The analytes were efficiently extracted from the denatured serum-lipoprotein-analyte complex by one passage through an Oasis((R)) hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced (HLB) SPE cartridge. No further clean-up was necessary, the entire extraction procedure and GC-ECD analysis can be accomplished in less than 3h. Serum volumes ranged from 100 microL to 1 mL with absolute recoveries of 90-101% for PCBs and 74% to 101% for the OC pesticides.

Accumulation of perchlorate in tobacco plants: development of a plant kinetic model.

Previous studies have shown that tobacco plants are tolerant of perchlorate and will accumulate perchlorate in plant tissues. This research determined the uptake, translocation, and accumulation of perchlorate in tobacco plants. Three hydroponics growth studies were completed under greenhouse conditions. Depletion of perchlorate in the hydroponics nutrient solution and accumulation of perchlorate in plant tissues were determined at two-day intervals using ion chromatography. Perchlorate primarily accumulated in tobacco leaves, yielding a substantial storage capacity for perchlorate. Mass balance results show that perchlorate degradation was negligible in plants. Tobacco plants were shown to effectively accumulate perchlorate over a wide range of initial concentrations (10 ppb to 100 ppm) from the hydroponics solution. Results suggest that plants are potential plants for the phytoremediation of perchlorate. A mathematical model was developed to describe the distribution of perchlorate in tobacco plants under rapid growth conditions. The Plant Kinetic (PK) model defined a plant as a set of compartments, described by mass balance differential equations and plant-specific physiological parameters. Data obtained from a separate hydroponics growth study with multiple solution perchlorate concentrations were used to validate predicted root, stem, and leaf concentrations. There was good agreement between model predictions and measured concentrations in the plant. The model, once adequately validated, can be applied to other terrestrial plants and inorganic chemicals currently used for both phytoremediation and ecological risk assessment.