Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants produced by combustion. They are organic compounds with conjugated aromatic rings. The EPA has defined 16 PAHs as priority pollutants of concern based on their wildlife and human harm. Due to their high molecular weight compared to water and low water solubility, they accumulate in surface sediments of water sources and harm bottom feeding wildlife such as Ameiurus nebulosus (brown bullhead fish). These harms include carcinogenicity, tumorigenesis, and altered p53 tumor suppressor and CYP1A liver enzyme gene expression. The goal of this project was to compare the levels of fifteen of these PAHs between one previously designated reference (clean) site (Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates 40°48'38.4"N, 81°58.51.1"W) and one polluted site (GPS coordinates 40°4'07.1"North(N), 81°57.01"West(W)) near a wastewater treatment plant in Wooster, Ohio (OH) at for the contaminated site, and for the clean site. This research assessed seven polluted and four clean surface sediment samples for PAH concentration with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) building from earlier similar research (1) with modifications. Due to the collaborative nature of this project, other goals included comparing this GC/MS data to p53 and CYP1A protein expression and mdm2 (a p53 regulator) sequence data collected by co-researchers. Overall, the results found an average of 2114.15 ng/g of total PAHs for each polluted sample, and 2357.90 ng/g of total PAHs for each clean sample. In addition to the sediment pollution analysis, other colleagues collected CYP1A and p53 protein expression data in farm-raised brown bullhead and channel catfish fish artificially exposed to BaP and sediment samples collected from the same sites of this study. Future projects could also focus on exploring the correlation between PAH exposure and other species of bottom feeding fish, as there are other non-brown bullhead species exposed to these compounds in Wooster, Ohio.
References
- Dong, C.-D., Chen, C.-F., and Chen, C.-W. (2012) Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Industrial Harbor Sediments by GC-MS. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 9, 2175–2188
Keywords: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), clean, polluted, sediment, brown bullhead
Comparing PAH concentrations in clean and contaminated surface sediments
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants produced by combustion. They are organic compounds with conjugated aromatic rings. The EPA has defined 16 PAHs as priority pollutants of concern based on their wildlife and human harm. Due to their high molecular weight compared to water and low water solubility, they accumulate in surface sediments of water sources and harm bottom feeding wildlife such as Ameiurus nebulosus (brown bullhead fish). These harms include carcinogenicity, tumorigenesis, and altered p53 tumor suppressor and CYP1A liver enzyme gene expression. The goal of this project was to compare the levels of fifteen of these PAHs between one previously designated reference (clean) site (Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates 40°48'38.4"N, 81°58.51.1"W) and one polluted site (GPS coordinates 40°4'07.1"North(N), 81°57.01"West(W)) near a wastewater treatment plant in Wooster, Ohio (OH) at for the contaminated site, and for the clean site. This research assessed seven polluted and four clean surface sediment samples for PAH concentration with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) building from earlier similar research (1) with modifications. Due to the collaborative nature of this project, other goals included comparing this GC/MS data to p53 and CYP1A protein expression and mdm2 (a p53 regulator) sequence data collected by co-researchers. Overall, the results found an average of 2114.15 ng/g of total PAHs for each polluted sample, and 2357.90 ng/g of total PAHs for each clean sample. In addition to the sediment pollution analysis, other colleagues collected CYP1A and p53 protein expression data in farm-raised brown bullhead and channel catfish fish artificially exposed to BaP and sediment samples collected from the same sites of this study. Future projects could also focus on exploring the correlation between PAH exposure and other species of bottom feeding fish, as there are other non-brown bullhead species exposed to these compounds in Wooster, Ohio.
References
- Dong, C.-D., Chen, C.-F., and Chen, C.-W. (2012) Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Industrial Harbor Sediments by GC-MS. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 9, 2175–2188
Keywords: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), clean, polluted, sediment, brown bullhead
Comments
Rebecca Williams, The College of Wooster