GCRC Project Summary |
Genotoxicants in Retention Ponds and Adjacent Estuaries in Urban/Suburban Sites in Coastal Georgia
PI: Richard F. Lee (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, GA, USA)
Support: GA DNR Coastal Zone Management (through a Coastal Incentive Grant)
Timeframe: 2001 - ongoing
Project Overview:
This 3-year project will characterize the genotoxic
contaminants in retention ponds and adjacent estuaries in several coastal Georgia
counties and determine the biological effects of these contaminants. Two hypotheses
form the basis of these studies: (1) contaminant levels in retention ponds associated
with (sub)urban areas over time, varies with the types of development near the
ponds and is influenced by the extent of vegetation in the ponds; (2) a portion
of the contaminants are released from retention ponds and enter adjacent shallow
estuarine habitats that can result in toxicity to resident fauna.
Sediments
will be collected from thirty retention ponds of various ages and associated
with a variety of man's activities. The selected retention ponds range in age
from those which are 3 decades old to those just recently built. The retention
ponds are located in Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, and Chatham counties. At each
site sediments will be collected from both the retention pond and the adjacent
estuary. The sediments from each site will be analyzed for both organic (polycyclic
arolmatic hydrocarbons, various pesticides) and inorganic (chromium, silver,
zinc, cooper, mercury, and lead) contaminants. Organic contaminants will be
analyzed with a gas-liquid chromatograph and a gas liquid chromatograph interfaced
with a mass spectrometer. Assays on the reproduction, embryo development and
DNA integrity of grass shrimp will be used to assess the genotoxicant effects.
Findings:
Preliminary
data suggests that plants may play an important role in degrading organic genotoxicants
which enter retention ponds.
Publications:
Related Project:
Study
of Changes in Contaminant Marker Compound Concentrations and Genotoxic Biomarkers
During Phases of Development Planned for the Altamaha River Basin