HUDSON-DELAWARE REGIONAL CHAPTER
24^th ANNUAL MEETING
May 8-9, 2008
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ

Short Course Abstracts

STUDENTS

*NOVEL METHODS TO ACCURATELY DETERMINE ENVIRONMENTAL FATE AND EXPOSURE OF THE COMMON PLASTICIZERS PHTHALATE ESTERS IN URBANIZED MARINE SETTINGS
Anne C. Ellefson & Bruce J. Brownawell
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794

 Phthalate esters are common plasticizers used in a wide variety of plastics and personal care products.  They are suspected to have carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting properties, especially during early development of humans and other organisms.  Phthalates are ubiquitous in air and water as they can diffuse out of materials they are used to make.  Past studies attempting to quantify phthalates in humans and the environment may have been flawed due to the high risk of contamination during the analytical process.  New methods developed at the Center for Disease Control have successfully used persistent metabolites of phthalate esters as new tools to monitor exposure in humans and other mammals.  We have begun to apply these analytical approaches to understand the occurrence and sources of phthalate plasticizers in the Lower Hudson River and New York Harbor.  Preliminary results indicate readily detectable levels of phthalate esters and their metabolites in lower New York Harbor and Jamaica Bay.  Sewage treatment plants and combined sewage outflows appear to be an important source of phthalates to the environment and can affect the form in which phthalates are distributed into the environment.  We will show recent method development for phthalate di-esters and mono-esters, challenges faced, and environmental measurements to date.

EFFECT OF SEDIMENT CAPPING ON BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES IN THE NEW JERSEY MEADOWLANDS
Anthony W Gerardi & Carolyn S. Bentivegna
Department of Biological Sciences, Seton Hall University, 400 South Orange Ave, South Orange, New Jersey, 07079

 In Kearny Marsh, there is a great deal of sediment contamination that is having an effect on the organisms living there. The contamination comes from urban pollution in the surrounding area. In order to reduce the bioavailability of pollutants in the sediment, AquaBlok (AB), a capping substrate, was placed over the sediment in July 2005. AB has been known to absorb the pollutants and block their release into overlaying water. The ability of AB to improve environmental health was evaluated using biodiversity (Shannon-Weiner Index) and abundance of the benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI). The main focus of this project was on data collected on August 10, 2006 and July 31, 2007: this was when summer conditions created the most stress on organisms and therefore, the effects of AB should have been most apparent. The placement of AB generated 10 sites: 4 without AB, the controls, and 6 with it, the treatment.  Hester-Dendys were placed in triplicate in each plot, and BMI were allowed to colonize them for one month. After collection BMI were sorted, counted (abundance) and identified to the Family level.  Water quality parameters were measured at the time of collection: including pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, redox-potential (eH), salinity and conductivity. Results found low diversity overall and no change in biodiversity between 2006 and 2007.  Abundance did improve at AB sites in 2007. Of all the water quality parameters, redox potential was observed to have the most positive influence on abundance. Overall, sediment capping with AB showed some marginal improvement in marsh health in one year.

USING PASSERINE NESTLINGS AS BIOINDICATORS OF HEAVY METAL ACCUMULATION AT A FORMER BROWNFIELD SITE
Charles Hofer & Claus Holzapfel
Department of Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901

 Soils of former brownfield sites are notoriously laden with heavy metal pollutants that may have adverse effects on resident wildlife. Previous studies at our study site – Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ – have shown high levels of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) translocating from soil to plant tissue where they become available to the greater food web. We tested breast feathers of nestling house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) for heavy metal accumulation using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our results indicate that concentrations of Pb, iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and arsenic (As) at the study site were significantly higher than those found at our control site. While these levels were high at the study site, they were still below clinical levels known to have adverse physiological or neurological effects on birds, suggesting the site is in fact providing viable habitat for breeding avifauna. Nest success and growth data collected from both sites showed no significant differences, suggesting that elevated metals concentrations in nestlings has no effects on growth during the nestling stage. Our results also suggest that there was no temporal change in metal concentrations comparing nestlings from first clutches to those of second clutches, indicating that metal concentrations remain relatively constant during the course of the breeding season. Overall, our study indicates that nestling passerines could effectively be used as bioindicators of heavy metal accumulation to help evaluate the future viability of brownfield habitat.

*CATIONIC SURFACTANTS: EMERGING CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN AND NEW TRACERS FOR CONTAMINANT SOURCE APPORTIONMENT, SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND IN-SITU TRANSFORMATION OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING COMPOUNDS
Xiaolin Li¹, Bruce J. Brownawell¹, Lucille A. Benedict² & Richard F. Bopp^2
1Marine Sciences Research Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794
²Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, 12180

 The characterization of sources and fate of sediment contaminants is important to assessments and management of contaminated sites.  A novel and sensitive method for analysis of cationic surfactants in sediments has been developed, the most abundant of which is the fabric softeners ditallowdimethylammonium chlorides (DTDMAC).  DTMAC is persistent and very strongly bound to sediments.  Concentrations greater than 100 – 300 µg/g (at least a million times above detection limits) have been measured in sewage affected urban harbor sediments, including sites within and proximate to three Superfund sites in the Hudson Basin. We are exploring many applications of DTDMAC and other cationic surfactants as tracers of sources and transport of contaminants and endocrine disrupting activity of sediments, and as tools to understand differential transport or transformations of contaminants of concern.  We have now tested hypotheses related to separating two apparent sources of PBDEs in the Hudson Basin, and the sources and post-depositional transformations of NPEO metabolites in sediments. Three classes of quaternary amine disinfectants (QAD) are also easily measured in sediments with this method, and each class has dramatically different histories of use.  The earliest generation of QADs are the well known benzalkoniums, which are still extensively used as sanitizers, personal care products, and in the food/beverage industry.  All three classes of QADs are readily detected in urban estuarine sediments, reaching levels near 20 µg/g).  Thus, interest in cationic surfactants, as “new” emerging contaminants, will likely increase in the future.

*UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC POLLUTION ON GENETIC DIVERSITY USING A NOVEL MICROSATELLITE GENE
Innocent Njoku, Jr. & Carolyn S. Bentivegna
Department of Biological Sciences, Seton Hall University, 400 South Orange Ave, South Orange, New Jersey, 07079

 Measures of genetic diversity are good indicators of chronic pollution. They act as sub-lethal indicators of environmental health by representing changes at the population instead of the individual level.  This study was carried out at a location known to contain heavy metal contamination: the Kearny Marsh of the New Jersey Meadowlands. Our research evaluated the ability of a novel microsatellite-containing gene to detect genetic diversity. Microsatellites are repeated nucleotide sequences. Due to their high mutation rate, the number of repeated units is known to vary among individuals. The test organism was the chironimid, the aquatic larvae of midge flies.  Chironomids were collected from three sites (two capped with AquaBlok [AB] and one uncapped [control]) in May, August and November. AB is a clay-based substance that is placed over sediment to separate aquatic organisms from contaminants in sediment. It was hypothesized that AB would improve environmental health and contribute to higher levels of genetic diversity. DNA was isolated and the microsatellite region was amplified by PCR. Genetic diversity was evaluated by comparing bands on agarose gels. Results showed that microsatellites could differentiate between seasons with August having the lowest diversity overall.  Capping alone did not account for differences in genetic diversity. Sequencing results showed similarities between the lab population of Chironimus riparius and the field population of Chironimus riparius collected in the marsh. Both populations contained the microsatellite sequence but had different numbers of repeats, reinforcing the notion that microsatellites are highly variant sequences.  Overall, data indicated that microsatellite sequences can be used to evaluate genetic diversity and changing environmental conditions.

CHIRONOMID HEMOGLOBIN PROTEIN AS A MOLECULAR BIOMARKER FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND GENETIC DIVERSITY USING HEMOGLOBIN PROTEIN IN WILD CHIRONOMIDS FROM A CONTAMINATED WETLAND
Jun-Taek Oh, Viren Jadeja, Innocent Njoku & Caryolyn Bentivegna
Department of Biological Sciences, Seton Hall University, 400 South Orange Ave, South Orange, New Jersey, 07079

Chironomids, aquatic larvae of the midge fly (Diperta: Chironomidae), are abundant, widely distributed, sediment-dwelling organisms that should be used more often for field studies. One major challenge is distinguishing between species based on morphological characteristics such as head capsules. In this study, hemoglobin protein detected by SDS-PAGE gel was evaluated for its ability to discriminate between species collected at Kearny Marsh, an urbanized wetland that is part of the New Jersey Meadowlands. Hemoglobin protein is highly polymorphic in chironomids. It is important for their ability to survive in organic, subtoxic wetland sediments. Hemoglobin proteins were also evaluated as biomarkers of population diversity by comparing chironomids collected from sediments that were uncapped or capped with AquaBlok. Capping the sites altered the environmental conditions in an otherwise geologically similar environment. Chironomids were collected from Hester-Dendys placed for one month. Collection dates were in May and August of 2006 and 2007 and November, 2006. Hemoglobin profiles from individual larvae were distinguished by the presence or absence of bands as well as band intensities. Band profiles were compared to larval head capsules, which are commonly used to identify species. Results showed unique hemoglobin profiles that corresponded with four different Genera. One species appeared to be a hybrid of two others. Diversity of genera increased over time with Chironomus dominating at uncapped sites and Glyptotendipes dominating at capped sites. Hierarchical clustal analyses found that hemoglobin diversity was highest at uncapped sites in summer and was lowest in fall overall. Dissolved oxygen increased with capping but did not correlate with hemoglobin diversity.  Heavy metal burden in chironomids also did not correlate with diversity.  Species competition seemed to confound the affects of AB at the two capped sites.  However, hemoglobin protein diversity did detected the changing ecological conditions over time and seasonally.

PROFESSIONAL

A NEW WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE FRAMEWORK FOR REACHING SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS
Judi L. Durda¹, Ann E. Bradley¹, & Louis P. Brzuzy^2
1Integral Consulting, Annapolis, Maryland
²Shell Chemical LP, Houston, Texas

 Risk assessment and risk management in complex systems is most robust if multiple lines of evidence are incorporated into the overall decision-making process.  Existing weight-of-evidence (WOE) frameworks, however, are too narrow in focus to incorporate the full range and complexity of information that often is available to support the assessment, and most commonly rely on post facto decision making heavily rooted in professional judgment.  These collective constraints of existing WOE approaches can sometimes lead to assessments and management decisions that are incorrect, ill conceived, or biased.

 We were faced with the need to assess if contaminated groundwater that was discharging to a small tidal creek was the cause of observed sediment toxicity in the creek.  The outcome of the assessment was being used to support management decisions regarding the amount of allowable groundwater discharge to the creek.  Four independent lines of evidence that reflected relatively disparate data types and analyses were available to assess the potential groundwater contribution to sediment toxicity.  We developed a WOE framework to incorporate the full suite of data to reach a consensus decision amongst all stakeholders regarding causality.   Our WOE approach has advantages over the existing WOE approaches in that it can incorporate multiple types of data, as well as multiple analyses using those data types, into the assessment.  Further, it factors data quality, relevance, and certainty into the decision making process, and avoids bias by requiring a priori ranking of data and lines of evidence with respect to these factors. As a result, it minimizes bias and gives more weight to analyses that are tied most closely, and with the most certainty, to the assessment question.  We present the results of our specific application of this WOE approach and discuss how it can be applied to similar cases to synthesize, reconcile, and integrate multifaceted data to understand causality and inform management decisions.

IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE OF EXCESS FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS IN NEW JERSEY RIVERS USING RADIONUCLIDES
Joshua C. Galster¹, Huan Feng¹ & Kirk Barrett^2
1Department of Earth and Environmental Studies and Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, 07043
²Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, 07043

Fine-grained sediment is a major pollutant in streams and lakes, affecting feeding and reproduction of aquatic animals, aesthetics, recreation and water supply.  One barrier to controlling sediment load is that it is often difficult to determine whether the source of sediment is widespread but shallow surficial erosion from overland flow throughout the watershed or from the lateral erosion of vertical channel bank material.  However, these two sources of sediment are identifiable by their different radionuclide signatures, including 7Be, 210Pb, and 137Cs. We propose to sample channel bank material, watershed soils, and in-stream fine sediment and analyze them for radionuclide activity to identify the relative contributions of sediments from the watershed and channel banks in New Jersey.  This knowledge will allow for improved stream and watershed management and the possible initiation of sediment-reduction programs.

ORGANIC GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF A HIGHLY CONTAMINATED URBAN WATERWAY: THE GOWANUS CANAL, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA
Michael A. Kruge^{1, 2}, Kevin Olsen^{1, 2}, Danlin Yu^{1, 2}, Eric A. Stern³ & Kirk Barrett^2
1Dept. Of Earth & Environmental Studies and Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, Montclair, Montclair, New Jersey, 07043
²Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, 07043
³2WRDA Sediment Decontamination Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 2, New York, New York

The Gowanus Canal is an industrial waterway constructed in the mid-19th century by widening and deepening a natural tidal channel.  It is 3 km in length and empties into Gowanus Bay, an arm of New York Harbor.  Its banks, reinforced by bulkheads and piers, became the site of intensive industrial activity, including oil refining, coal gasification, soap making and tanning. Its sediments remain highly enriched in organic and inorganic contaminants, with combined sewer outfalls continuing to transport pollutants into the canal.       Ten grab samples were collected along the length of the canal.  Standard environmental chemical analyses were performed (volatile and semi-volatile organics, PCBs, metals).  Dried sediment samples were also analyzed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermodesorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS).  The most highly enriched sample had PAHs up to several hundred mg/kg.  The pyrolyzates contain phenols, pyrroles, indoles and guaiacols as both terrestrial and aquatic biomass signatures, but these are overshadowed by the 3 to 5 ring PAHs, parent and methylated.

The PAH distributions are characteristic of creosote, a coal-tar derivative and by-product of coal gasification.  If these had been due to petroleum or petroleum product contamination, more abundant petroleum biomarker compounds would be expected.  These were detected by TD-GC/MS using selected ion monitoring, but in trace quantities only.  The sterenes and fatty acids likely derive from raw and/or partially treated sewage.  In spite of the recent reopening of the flushing tunnel at the head of the canal after decades of disuse, it is evident that acute sediment pollution persists in the Gowanus sediments.

DEFINING THE BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE ZONE IN SEDIMENTS: A REVIEW OF APPROACHES AND CURRENT DATA
Timothy Iannuzzi¹, Robert Diaz², Robert Romagnoli¹, Paul Bluestein³ & David Ludwig^1
1ARCADIS
²Virginia Institute of Marine Science
³Tierra Solutions, Inc.

 Most ecological risk assessments for contaminated sediments focus on a surface layer of sediment where bioturbation and mixing occur, and the exposure potential is highest for invertebrates and fish.  This layer is often referred to as the biologically active zone or BAZ.  Despite the fact that defining the BAZ is a critical path in the risk-based sampling process, there have been very few studies published to date, and no national regulatory guidance, that have focused on developing a common process for its characterization and quantification.  In this presentation we summarize the results of a recent study focused on estimating the BAZ for Newark Bay, a sub-area of the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary.   A combination of sediment profile imaging and benthic invertebrate sampling were used to characterize and quantify the BAZ in intertidal and subtidal areas of the Bay.    In addition, we have reviewed a number of case studies from the literature and regulatory reports, and synthesized data and information regarding the strategic approaches and sampling methods that have been applied to defining the BAZ.  These findings will be summarized and placed into context relative to our Newark Bay investigation.

NANOTECHNOLOGY AND NANOTOXICOLOGY: CHALLENGES
Nai-chia Luke
Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., Edison, New Jersey

 Nanotechnology is becoming a growing presence in our daily life and a major player in our global economy. It is defined as “ability to measure, see, manipulate, and manufacture products usually between 1 and 100 nanometers”. The field of nanotechnology has great potential applications, in consumer products, health care, transportation, energy, and agriculture, for social, economic and environmental benefits. However, in addition to chemical properties, the physical properties of nanomaterials, such as particle size, solubility, surface area and characteristics, shape, state of dispersion and agglomeration, have contributed to adverse effects on human health and the environment. Furthermore, little is known of the long term toxicity effects to health and of the fate of nanomaterials in the environment. Thus, nanomaterials have been cited as a major concern to public and regulatory communities. Consequently, a new science of nanotoxicology has emerged with the need to study, investigate, evaluate, and determine whether and to what extent these materials may pose a threat to human health and the environment. Although nanotoxicology is still in its infancy, it has created an exciting field for toxicologists. The immediate challenges facing nanotoxicologists include: How to develop the scientific basis for evaluating and characterizing exposure, toxicity, and risks associated with nanomaterials and how to establish toxicity guidelines. How to communicate public understanding of the benefits of nanotechnology and the risk assessment of nanomaterials, how to establish regulatory guidance and regulations to protect human health and the environment, and how to direct research and resources to investigate the impacts of nanomaterials and minimize the health and the environmental risks, while supporting sustainable development. Answering these questions constitute major challenges for global researchers and regulators in the field of nanotechnology.

THE DELAWARE ESTUARY DATABASE
Greg Murphy, Todd Morrison & Barry Baker
URS Corporation, 335 Commerce Drive, Suite 300, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, 19034

 A searchable, georeferenced database of current environmental conditions was developed in support of a Relative Risk Model (RRM) for regional-scale ecological risk assessment in the Delaware Estuary.  The RRM approach is an adaptation of the traditional ecological risk assessment paradigm that accounts for the interactions and impacts of multiple environmental stressors and their sources that occur in a given region.  The database design consists of two linked systems, including a searchable Microsoft® Access database and ArcGIS® spatial database, and was developed following best practice database design with integrated use in mind.  The extent of physical, chemical, and biological information incorporated into the database was made possible by cooperative participation among state and federal agencies, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and industry.  The database provides the new and updated stressor and habitat information necessary to further advance the RRM for regional-scale ecological risk assessment in the Delaware Estuary.  Incorporating the RRM into the current database platform will enable increased functionality for future applications and iterations.  Although the intended purpose of the database was to support the RRM, it has an array of other potential applications for stakeholders involved in management decisions throughout the Delaware Estuary, such as natural resource management and restoration.

 TACKLING EMERGING CONTAMINANTS AT PUBLICLY OWNED TREATMENT WORKS
Parikhit Sinha, Stephen Harper & Christopher Kriegner
O'Brien & Gere

 Due to demonstrations of their detrimental effects on wildlife, emerging contaminants (ECs) have received increased and recent attention. The new attention is well warranted; harmful effects of these compounds have been demonstrated in wildlife (and potentially humans) at levels as low as 0.01 percent of dosages previously deemed toxic.  ECs are a group of previously ignored or unrealized compounds, often of pharmaceutical origin, that enter the environment via point and non-point source pollution. In the case of point source pollution, the mechanism of entry into the environment is primarily through wastewater discharge, where the treatment of affected water at Publicly Owned sewage Treatment Works (POTWs) was insufficient.  Currently, effective wastewater treatment technology does not exist that sufficiently treats unmetabolized and biologically active multi-structure ECs that enter POTWs. This is true even though scientific studies and nearly promulgated regulations suggest that in order to protect wildlife, the concentrations of some ECs in effluent should not exceed part per trillion levels.  Preliminary pilot scale tests of new technologies have had mixed results, likely due to the diversity of ECs and abundance of non-targeted organics in the wastewater mixture.  Additional improvements to existing technologies are needed, to include in plant modifications that both pretreat and polish selected chemicals. Additional treatment steps may include membrane bioreactors, advanced oxidation, or carbon adsorption depending on the ECs present and should be implemented while considering the potential for the formation of objectionable daughter products.  The future of wastewater EC treatment needs to be developed now, in tandem with the lessons of scientific inquiry and impending regulatory requirements.

We look forward to seeing you! If you have any questions about the meeting, please feel free to contact the meeting co-chairs Ron MacGillivray or Peter Brussock.