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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Is The Lcp Superfund Site An Ecological Trap For Clapper Rails?, Karen F. Gaines, Jay W. Summers, James C. Cumbee Jr., Warren L. Stephens Jr., Gary L. Mills
Is The Lcp Superfund Site An Ecological Trap For Clapper Rails?, Karen F. Gaines, Jay W. Summers, James C. Cumbee Jr., Warren L. Stephens Jr., Gary L. Mills
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Rallus longirostris (Clapper Rail) is considered a good indicator species for toxicants because of its strong site fidelity and predictable diet of benthic organisms. High levels of the rare PCB Aroclor 1268 have been found in Clapper Rail adults, chicks, and eggs from the marshes associated with the Linden Chemical Plant (LCP) in Brunswick, GA. Recently, sampling and testing feathers has successfully been used as a non-lethal tool to trace exposure and assimilation of Aroclor 1268 in rails from the LCP site. This approach allows us to infer how and when these birds are exposed to contaminants in the marsh …
Dna Double-Strand Breakage As An Endpoint To Examine Metal And Radionuclide Exposure Effects To Water Snakes On A Nuclear Industrial Site, Stephanie M. Murray, Karen F. Gaines, James M. Novak, Michael Gochfeld, Joanna Burger
Dna Double-Strand Breakage As An Endpoint To Examine Metal And Radionuclide Exposure Effects To Water Snakes On A Nuclear Industrial Site, Stephanie M. Murray, Karen F. Gaines, James M. Novak, Michael Gochfeld, Joanna Burger
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
This study examined metal levels (especially U and Ni) in the tail tissues of water snakes from contaminated (Tim’s Branch) and reference areas on the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS). Home ranges of snakes were quantified to determine the ratio of the habitat that they use in relation to the contaminated areas to better estimate exposure Compared to conventional methods that do not. The exposure assessment indicated that water snakes in the contaminated areas could expect U exposure at 3–4 orders of magnitude greater than the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’sMinimum Risk Level (MRL) from ingestion …
Effects Of Cooking On Radiocesium In Fish From The Savannah River: Exposure Differences For The Public, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, C. Shane Boring, J. Snodgrass, W. L. Stephens Jr., M. Gochfeld
Effects Of Cooking On Radiocesium In Fish From The Savannah River: Exposure Differences For The Public, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, C. Shane Boring, J. Snodgrass, W. L. Stephens Jr., M. Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Understanding the factors that contribute to the risk from fish consumption is an important public health concern because of potential adverse effects of radionuclides, organochlorines, other pesticides, and mercury. Risk from consumption is normally computed on the basis of contaminant levels in fish, meal frequency, and meal size, yet cooking practices may also affect risk. This study examines the effect of deep-frying on radiocesium (137Cs) levels and risk to people fishing along the Savannah River. South Carolina and Georgia have issued consumption advisories for the Savannah River, based partly on 137Cs. 137Cs levels were significantly higher in the cooked fish …
Bioavailability Of Uranium And Nickel To Vegetation In A Contaminated Riparian Ecosystem, Tracy Punshon, Karen F. Gaines, Paul M. Bertsch, Joanna Burger
Bioavailability Of Uranium And Nickel To Vegetation In A Contaminated Riparian Ecosystem, Tracy Punshon, Karen F. Gaines, Paul M. Bertsch, Joanna Burger
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
The lower portion of Tims Branch (TB), a second-order stream system on the Savannah River site (SC, USA), receives influx of mixed waste-contaminated sediments from Steed Pond, a former settling basin for target processing wastes for over three decades. The magnitude and distribution of U, Ni, and other metals and the potential for trophic movement were studied to facilitate risk assessment and determine potential remedial action. Total and sequential extraction of TB soils demonstrated contaminant heterogeneity both spatially and between operationally defined fractions. Metal concentrations were elevated within riparian zone soils in contrast to stream sediments, suggesting off-site transport. Leaf …
Radiocesium In Fish From The Savannah River And Steel Creek: Potential Food Chain Exposure To The Public, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, J. D. Peles, W. L. Stephens Jr., C. Shane Boring, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., J. Snodgrass, A. L. Bryan Jr., M. H. Smith, M. Gochfeld
Radiocesium In Fish From The Savannah River And Steel Creek: Potential Food Chain Exposure To The Public, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, J. D. Peles, W. L. Stephens Jr., C. Shane Boring, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., J. Snodgrass, A. L. Bryan Jr., M. H. Smith, M. Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
This study examined radiocesium (137Cs) levels in fish from the vicinity of the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS), a former nuclear weapons production facility in South Carolina. Fish from the Savannah River were sampled above (upstream), along, and below (downstream) the SRS, and from Steel Creek, a tributary that runs through the SRS. There was some off-site contamination of 137Cs in the Savannah River watershed due to low-level releases from past nuclear production on the SRS. The null hypotheses tested were that there would be no differences in 137Cs levels as a function of location along the river, …
Ethnic Differences In Risk From Mercury Among Savannah River Fishermen, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, Michael Gochfeld
Ethnic Differences In Risk From Mercury Among Savannah River Fishermen, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, Michael Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Fishing plays an important role in people's lives and contaminant levels in fish are a public health concern. Many states have issued consumption advisories; South Carolina and Georgia have issued them for the Savannah River based on mercury and radionuclide levels. This study examined ethnic differences in risk from mercury exposure among people consuming fish from the Savannah River, based on site-specific consumption patterns and analysis of mercury in fish. Among fish, there were significant interspecies differences in mercury levels, and there were ethnic differences in consumption patterns. Two methods of examining risk are presented: (1) Hazard Index (HI), and …
Raccoons As Potential Vectors Of Radionuclide Contamination To Human Food Chains From A Nuclear Industrial Site, Karen F. Gaines, Christine G. Lord, C. Shane Boring, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld, Joanna Burger
Raccoons As Potential Vectors Of Radionuclide Contamination To Human Food Chains From A Nuclear Industrial Site, Karen F. Gaines, Christine G. Lord, C. Shane Boring, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld, Joanna Burger
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Although the raccoon (Procyon lotor) is commonly harvested and consumed throughout the southeastern United States, little is known regarding the fate and effects of environmental pollutants to this species, and the potential for it to act as a contaminant vector to humans or other predators. Muscle and liver tissues were collected from 76 raccoons from locations on and near the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina and analyzed for radiocesium (137Cs). Raccoons were trapped from areas near a former reactor cooling reservoir known to be contaminated from former nuclear production activities, a stream drainage system also …
Metals And Metallothionein In The Liver Of Raccoons: Utility For Environmental Assessment And Monitoring, Joanna Burger, Christine G. Lord, Edward J. Yurkow, Lynn Mcgrath, Karen F. Gaines, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld
Metals And Metallothionein In The Liver Of Raccoons: Utility For Environmental Assessment And Monitoring, Joanna Burger, Christine G. Lord, Edward J. Yurkow, Lynn Mcgrath, Karen F. Gaines, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
The relationship between metallothionein levels and concentrations of several metals and radionuclides was examined in liver tissues of raccoons (Procyon lotor, n = 47) from the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina to determine the applicability of metallothioneins as an initial screening device for exposure assessment in free-living mammals and environmental monitoring. Using a fluorescent marker and a cell sorter to measure metallothionein, a significant positive correlation was found across animals between levels of metallothioneins and concentrations of selenium (Pearson’s r = .30) , mercury (Pearson’s r = .31) , and copper (Pearson’s r = .30) in …
Attitudes And Perceptions About Ecological Resources And Hazards Of People Living Around The Savannah River Site, Joanna Burger, Jessica Sanchez, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Jeanine Ondrof, Robert Ramos, Michael J. Mcmahon, Karen F. Gaines, Christine Lord, Marie Fullmer, Michael Gochfeld
Attitudes And Perceptions About Ecological Resources And Hazards Of People Living Around The Savannah River Site, Joanna Burger, Jessica Sanchez, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Jeanine Ondrof, Robert Ramos, Michael J. Mcmahon, Karen F. Gaines, Christine Lord, Marie Fullmer, Michael Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Although considerable attention is devoted to environmental monitoring and assessment with respect to both pollutants and the status of particular plant or animal populations, less attention is devoted to assessing people's attitudes about the relative importance of ecological resources. In this paper we examine the attitudes and perceptions about ecological resources of people living around the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS), in South Carolina. Our overall hypothesis is that people who are directly affected by the possible outcomes and consequences of a particular hazard (i.e., those people employed at SRS) will undervalue the risks and overvalue the potential …