Geology topics

John M. Besser

Publications and source records attributed to John M. Besser.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

USGS1995

Influences on copper bioaccumulation, growth, and survival of the midge, Chironomus tentans, in metal-contaminated sediments

Sediment bioassays with larvae of the midge, Chironomus tentans , were used to evaluate influences on the bioavailability and toxicity of copper (Cu) in sediments with a wide range of concentrations of metals, acid-volatile sulfide (AVS), and other physicochemical characteristics. Sediments were collected from sixteen lakes in Michigan, USA, and from twelve sites in the Clark Fork River drainage of Montana, USA, which are contaminated with metals from mining activities and from other anthropogenic sources. Bioassays with C. tentans larvae were conducted for ten days in a static-renewal test system, with endpoints of survival, growth, and metal bioaccumulation. Bioaccumulation of copper (Cu) was strongly correlated with Cu concentrations in porewater, and was increased significantly at Cu concentrations less than those affecting growth or survival. Midge survival and growth were not significantly correlated with concentrations of Cu in sediment or porewater, and were poorly predicted by ratios of acid-extractable metals to AVS in sediments. Principal components analysis indicated that Cu concentrations in porewater and bioaccumulation of Cu by midge larvae were influenced by AVS, sediment organic carbon, and porewater pH, and that toxicity was associated with high concentrations of Cu, high concentrations of zinc (Zn) and ammonia. No toxicity was observed in several sediments which contained low concentrations of AVS and high concentrations of Cu and Zn. In sediments which contain little AVS, bioavailability of metals may be controlled by constituents other than sulfides, such as organic matter and metal hydrous oxides. These results indicate that assessments of toxicity in metal-contaminated sediments should evaluate the importance of metal-binding phases other than sulfides, and the possible contributions of ammonia or other toxicants to toxicity in sediment bioassays.

Michigan, Montana↗

USGS1994

Separation of selenium species released from Se-exposed algae

We have assessed a fractionation scheme for selenium species that separates Se-containing amino acids and other organoselenium compounds in aqueous samples. We investigated the retention of standard solutions of selenate (Se +6 ), selenite (Se +4 ), and selenomethionine (Se −2 ) by fractionation media (Sephadex A-25 ion-exchange resin, copper-treated Chelex-100 ligand-exchange resin, and activated charcoal) and by several types of membrane filters. The fractionation method successfully isolated Se from the standard solutions into appropriate fractions for radiometric quantitation of 75 Se. However, some filter media retained unacceptably large amounts of selenate and selenite. Mass balance microcosms were inoculated with green algae ( Chlamydomonas "> Chlamydomonas reinhardtii "> reinhardtii ) previously exposed to inorganic 75 Se, and the fractionation scheme was used to examine the release of 75 Se species into water and air. The results of the microcosm exposure indicate that seasonal blooms and crashes of phytoplankton populations may produce increased concentrations of organoselenium species.

Chemosphere↗

USGS1993

Bioaccumulation of organic and inorganic selenium in a laboratory food chain

Aquatic organisms accumulated selenium (Se) from inorganic and organic Se species via aqueous and food-chain exposure routes. We measured aqueous and food-chain Se bioaccumulation from selenate, selenite, and seleno-L-methionine in a laboratory food chain of algae ( Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ), daphnids ( Daphnia magna ), and fish (bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus ). Selenium concentrations were monitored radiometrically with 75 Se-labeled compounds. All three organisms concentrated Se more strongly from aqueous selenomethionine than from either inorganic Se species. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) estimated from 1 μg Se/L Se-methionine exposures were approximately 16,000 for algae, 200,000 for daphnids, and 5,000 for bluegills. Algae and daphnids concentrated Se more strongly from selenite (BCFs = 220–3,600) than selenate (BCFs = 65–500) whereas bluegills concenrated Se about equally from both inorganic species (estimated BCFs = 13 to 106). Bioaccumulation of foodborne Se by daphnids and bluegills was similar in food chains dosed with different Se species. Daphnids and bluegills did not accumulate Se concentrations greater than those in their diet, except at very low dietary Se concentrations. Food-chain concentration factors (CFs) for daphnids decreased from near 1.0 to 0.5 with increases in algal Se concentrations, whereas CFs estimated from bluegill exposures averaged 0.5 over a range of foodborne Se concentrations. In exposures based on selenite, bluegills accumulated greater Se concentrations from food than from water. Aqueous and food-chain Se uptakes were approximately additive, and depuration rates were similar in aqueous, food-chain, and combined exposures. Our results suggest that bluegills in Secontaminated habitats accumulate inorganic Se species primarily via food-chain uptake, although organoselenium compounds such as Se-methionine may contribute significantly to Se bioaccumulation by bluegills via both aqueous and food-chain uptake.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS1991

Contaminated sediments from tributaries of the Great Lakes: Chemical characterization and carcinogenic effects in medaka ( Oryzias latipes )

Sediments from four inshore industrial sites and a reference site in the Great Lakes were extracted with organic solvents to produce a crude extract, which was separated on alumina into two fractions: predominantly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and predominantly nitrogencontaining polycyclic aromatic compounds. Crude extracts were redissolved in acetone and analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The acetone-redissolved crude extracts from the four industrialized sites contained 5.6–313.3 μg total polycyclic aromatic compounds/g sediment and 3.0–36.4 μg other compounds/g sediment. In addition to the typical EPA priority pollutants, a substantial amount (228.7 μg/g sediment) of alkyl-polycyclic-aromatic compounds was detected in sediments from one of the industrialized sites. Extracts from the reference site contained 1.55 μg total polycyclic aromatic compounds/ g sediment. Medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) were exposed to multiple pulse doses of acetone-redissolved extracts and fractions. Medaka were also exposed to a known carcinogen, methylazoxymethanol acetate, to verify that chemicals produced tumors in the test fish. Acetone-redissolved extracts and fractions from contaminated sediments were toxic to medaka. Fin erosion and non-neoplastic liver abnormalities were more prevalent in medaka after exposure to acetoneredissolved extracts and fractions from contaminated sediments. Neoplasms previously associated with chemical exposure in wild fishes were induced in medaka exposed to acetone-redissolved extracts and fractions from two of the contaminated sites, but not from the reference site or controls. These findings further support the hypothesis that chemical contaminants in sediments are involved in epizootics of neoplasms in wild fishes at contaminated sites.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

USGS1988

Chemical characterization and mutagenic properties of polycyclic aromatic compounds in sediment from tributaries of the Great Lakes

Sediments from four inshore industrial sites and a reference site in the Great Lakes were extracted with solvents and characterized chemically for polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). An aqueous phase and a crude organic extract were obtained. The crude organic extract was further resolved into fractions A-2 (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and A-3 (nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds), which were analyzed for PACs by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The extracts and fractions were tested for mutagenicity in three assays: Ames, rat hepatocyte unscheduled DNA synthesis, and Chinese hamster ovary hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (CHO/HGPRT). Sediments from the industrial sites contained 27 to 363 μg/g total PACs; the reference site, less than 1 μg/g. Qualitative differences in the residue profiles among the sites were attributable to the probable sources of the PACs (petroleum versus combustion). Only one industrial site yielded measurable (0.1 μg/g or more) concentrations of individual nitrogen-containing PACs. In the Ames assay, only the highest doses of the A-2 fractions from two sites approached positive results. Conversely, the crude organic extract and A-2 and A-3 fractions from all sites induced unscheduled DNA synthesis. Crude organic extracts and the A-2 and A-3 fractions from all industrial sites gave well-defined dose-response relations in the CHO/HGPRT assay. We established the presence of chemical mutagens in sediment that could be correlated with neoplasms in fish from many of the sites; however, the mutagenicity of the sediment extracts was not completely related to the degree of contamination by PACs. We also discuss the utility of mutagenicity assays in the evaluation of complex chemical mixtures and recommend the use of a CHO/HGPRT-type assay in which cells are not required to proliferate in the presence of potential interfering chemicals.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗