skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: How toxic is coal ash? A laboratory toxicity case study

Journal Article · · Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (Online)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1587· OSTI ID:1286815
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Chattanooga, TN (United States)
  2. Kingston Ash Recovery Project, Harriman, TN (United States)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Under a consent agreement among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and proponents both for and against stricter regulation, EPA is to issue a new coal ash disposal rule by the end of 2014. Laboratory toxicity investigations often yield conservative estimates of toxicity because many standard test species are more sensitive than resident species, thus could provide information useful to the rule-making. However, few laboratory studies of coal ash toxicity are available; most studies reported in the literature are based solely on field investigations. In this paper, we describe a broad range of toxicity studies conducted for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston ash spill, results of which help provide additional perspective on the toxicity of coal ash.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; Work for Others (WFO)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1286815
Journal Information:
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (Online), Vol. 11, Issue 1; ISSN 1551-3793
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 9 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (12)

Invited Debate/Commentary: Selenium — A Potential Time Bomb or Just Another Contaminant? journal August 1999
Recovery of the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community in a Small Stream After Long-Term Discharges of Fly Ash journal June 2003
Recovery of Invertebrate and Vertebrate Populations in a Coal Ash Stressed Drainage System
  • Cherry, Donald S.; Larrick, Stephan R.; Guthrie, Rufus K.
  • Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Vol. 36, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1139/f79-152
journal September 1979
Trophic status and metal bioaccumulation differences in multiple fish species exposed to coal ash-associated metals journal November 2012
Ecological risk assessment for residual coal fly ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee: Limited alteration of riverine-reservoir benthic invertebrate community following dredging of ash-contaminated sediment: Limited Alteration of Benthic Invertebrate Community journal December 2014
Evaluation of metals, metalloids, and ash mixture toxicity using sediment toxicity testing: Evaluation of Metals, Metalloids, and Ash Mixture Toxicity journal December 2014
Effects of Sediment Containing Coal Ash from the Kingston Ash Release on Embryo-Larval Development in the Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque, 1820) journal November 2013
Selenium, arsenic, and mercury in fish inhabiting a fly ash exposure gradient: interspecific bioaccumulation patterns and elemental associations journal February 2012
Assessment of Tolerant Sunfish Populations (Lepomis sp.) Inhabiting Selenium-Laden Coal Ash Effluents journal November 2001
Application of ecological risk assessment in managing residual fly ash in TVA's Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee: Application of Ecological Risk Assessment in Managing Fly Ash journal December 2014
Egg Selenium Concentrations as Predictors of Avian Toxicity journal August 1999
Ecological risk assessment for residual coal fly ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee: Site setting and problem formulation: Coal Fly Ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee journal December 2014

Similar Records

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
Coal combustion residuals
Kingston ash spill
Toxicity testing