Sampling of resident earthworms using mustard expellant to evaluate ecological risk at a mixed hazardous and radioactive waste site
- Bechtel Environmental Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Remediation Center
- OGDEN Environmental and Energy Services, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
As residents of contaminated soils and as prey for many species of wildlife, earthworms can serve as integrative biomonitors of soil contamination, which is biologically available to the terrestrial food chain. The assessment of contaminants within earthworm tissue provides a more realistic measurement of the potential biological hazards and ecological risks than physical and chemical measurements of soil. A unique sampling procedure using a mixture of ground mustard powder and water was implemented for cost-effectively collecting earthworms without digging; the procedure minimized occupational exposure to soil contaminants and reduced the quantity of investigation-derived wastes. The study site is located at a closed burial ground for low-level radioactive waste and transuranic waste that lies within the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province of East Tennessee. Earthworms were maintained in the laboratory for four days to allow passage of the contents of the digestive tract. Earthworm body burdens, castings, and soil were analyzed for gamma-emitting radioisotopes (potassium 40, cobalt 60, cesium 137), strontium 90, trace metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, and selenium), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Ecological effects of soil contamination on the earthworms were also assessed through analysis of weight, abundance, and reproductive success.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bechtel National, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 52803
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410230-2; ON: DE95010287; TRN: 95:011866
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. annual conference on contaminated soils, analysis, fate, environmental and public health effects, remediation and regulation, Amherst, MA (United States), 17-20 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Literature-derived bioaccumulation models for earthworms: Development and validation
Use of plant and earthworm bioassays to evaluate remediation of soil from a site contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls