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W.W. Johnson

Publications and source records attributed to W.W. Johnson.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2020

Residues of organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and heavy metals in biota from Apalachicola River, Florida, 1978

Seventy-seven composite samples composed of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ), channel catfish ( Ictaluras punctatus ), threadfin shad ( Dorosoma petenense ), Asiatic clam ( Corbicula fluminea ), burrowing mayfly ( Hexagenia sp.), water snake ( Natrix spp.), and little green heron ( Butorides virescens ) were collected from upper and lower reaches of the Apalachicola River, Florida, in 1978 for residue analysis of organochlorine insecticides, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and metals. Compared with data from the National Pesticide Monitoring Program and criteria recommended for the protection of aquatic life, residue concentrations were moderately high in the Apalachicola River. Biota from the upper river generally had higher organic and lower metal residues than those from the lower river. Highest residues in the biota were total DDT, total PCBs, and toxaphene. Although individual mean concentrations were below 2 μg/g and total organic contaminant residues never exceeded 5 μg/g, residue concentrations of DDT, PCBs, and toxaphene (particularly from the upper river) exceeded recommended permissible levels for the protection of aquatic life. Metal residues were generally below 1 μg/g. Exceptions were arsenic residues in threadfin shad (1.07 μg/g) and Asiatic clams (1.75 μg/g), and selenium in eggs of channel catfish (1.39 μg/g). The residues observed in the biota, particularly from the upper station, indicated moderate contamination of the Apalachicola River system at the time samples were collected.

Journal of the Association of Official Analytical ↗
USGS1990

Environmental contaminant concentrations in biota from the lower Savannah River, Georgia and South Carolina

Planned harbor expansion and industrial developments may adversely affect the economically important aquatic resources of the lower Savannah River, including those at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. To establish the present level of chemical contamination in this system, we collected a total of 102 samples of nine species of fish and fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator) from eleven sites in the lower Savannah River and on the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, and analyzed them for concentrations of organochlorine chemicals, aliphatic and aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons, and 13 elemental contaminants: aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc. Residues of DDT (mainly as DDE),trans-nonachlor, dieldrin, Aroclor? 1260, mirex, and petroleum hydrocarbons were common in fish from the lower Savannah River, but concentrations were below those warranting environmental concern. In general, the concentrations of elemental contaminants also were low; however, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium concentrations were elevated in fish from river stations near the city of Savannah, and lead was elevated in samples from the National Wildlife Refuge. Contamination of the lower Savannah River by organic and elemental contaminants, as indicated by concentrations in fishes and fiddler crabs, did not appear to pose a hazard.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1988

Northern Alabama colonies of the endangered grey bat Myotis grisescens: organochlorine contamination and mortality

From 1976 to 1986, dead and dying grey bats Myotis grisescens and grey bat guano were collected from caves along the Tennessee River in northern Alabama to determine the possible role of organochlorine chemicals — in particular wastes from a former DDT manufacturing plant near Huntsville—in the mortalities. Concentrations of chemical residues in brains were less than known lethal levels; certain observations and analyses did indicate the possibility of past organochlorine-induced bat deaths. Levels of contaminants in bats declined slowly during the 10-year sampling period, but heavy residue burdens persist. The high ratio of DDD to DDE in residues from the former DDT plant made them identifiable as far as 140 km downriver. Grey bats concentrated chemical residues to higher levels and demonstrated the presence of these residues over much greater distances than did red-winged blackbirds Agelaius phoenicus . Grey bats may be the most sensitive indicator available for monitoring the contamination from this former DDT manufacturing site.

Alabama↗
USGS1984

Field and laboratory evaluation of the influence of copper-diquat on apple snails in southern Florida

The recent decline of apple snail ( Pomacea paludosa ) populations in canals surrounding Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Florida coincided with the use of copper-diquat for the control of the aquatic weed hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata ). Field and laboratory studies were designed to assess the effects of copper-diquat on apple snails, which are the primary food of the endangered snail kite Rostrhamus sociabilis (formerly known as the Everglade kite). Acute toxicities (96-h LC 50 values) of Cutrine-Plus and Komeen (chelated formulations of copper) to immature apple snails were 22 and 24 μg/L, respectively. Diquat was toxic at a concentration of 1,800 μg/L and did not increase the toxicity of copper when the chemicals were used in combination. Evaluation of field samples indicated that copper concentrations were higher in detritus than in water, plants and mud, and that there was a gradient of copper concentration from the canal to the interior, the highest residues being in samples from the canal. Copper associated with detritus (up to 150 μg/g) had no effect on growth or survival of apple snails in field cage and tank studies. Also, field applications of copper-diquat to hydrilla had no effect on survival of caged adult and immature snails. Copper from field applications was rapidly taken out of solution by plants and organic material in the water and subsequently incorporated into the bottom detritus. Although the effects of repeated applications of copper-diquat and high body burdens of copper (accumulated during exposure to herbicidal treatment) on survival and reproduction of apple snails are not known, the information available indicates that treatment of hydrilla with copper-diquat was probably not responsible for the decline in the apple snail population. Application at recommended rates should pose no threat to these snails in the organically rich waters of southern Florida.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗