Contaminants can exist in a wide range of states in aqueous environments, especially in surface waters. They can be freely dissolved or associated with dissolved or particulate organic matter depending on their chemical and physical characteristics. The freely dissolved fraction represents the most bioavailable fraction to an organism. These freely...
A method was developed to quantify organochlorine pesticides in whale scat. This method would ideally replace analysis of pesticides in blood and tissue samples, which are difficult to acquire. Scat samples were collected from one stranded gray whale and three live whales. The samples were extracted with pressurized liquid extraction,...
Chemicals must be bioavailable for there to be a potential for exposure and consequent risk to human or environmental health. Passive sampling devices (PSDs) are used to quantify the time-integrated concentration of bioavailable contaminants. We demonstrate that PSDs can be paired with the zebrafish developmental toxicity bioassay to produce site-specific,...
The Arctic has long been considered to be a pristine environment, far
from population centers and pollution sources. The detection of synthetic
organochlorine compounds in various elements of the Arctic food web has confirmed
the global dispersion of pollutants, particularly of persistent compounds such as
organochlorines and heavy metals. Levels...
The seasonal distribution of bioavailable organochiorine contaminants in surface
water and the potential environmental factors influencing their bioavailability were
evaluated. The study was carried at the lower Willamette River at Portland Harbor, Oregon
where surface water runoff varied according to season. Bioavailable water concentrations of
DDTs and PCBs were determined...
To better understand the impact of land use on stream nutrient export, a synoptic sampling of 57 sub-basins within the Willamette River basin was conducted during winter baseflow conditions (February 2009). I assessed whether stream dissolved organic carbon (DOC), NO₃⁻ and Cl⁻ and specific ultra-violet absorbance (SUVA) values were correlated...
SOCs volatility and persistence properties cause many SOCs to become ubiquitous in the environment as well as accumulate in areas with lower temperatures such as polar or orographic regions. Many anthropogenic SOCs pose a serious risk to human and ecosystem health because of their persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties in...
The emission of organic compounds from wood manufacturing
facilities is an important regulatory concern due to their effects on ambient
air quality. Control technologies, such as oxidizers and biofiltration, are
used to remove organics from air streams; however, most removal
technologies have high costs or cause additional negative environmental
impact....