Selenium speciation in amphibian larvae developing in a coal fly ash settling basin
B. P. Jackson, W. A. Hopkins, J. Unrine, J. Baionno, and T. Punshon
Savannah
River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC USA
Introduction
Fly ash is an industrial by-product of coal combustion. Vast quantities
of ash are generated annually by electrical power industries and there
are limited utilization options for fly ash. A primary disposal method
for fly ash is in settling basins. Here ash is sluiced through a series
of large settling lagoons, where particulates settle. These settling lagoons
can attract a range of wildlife. Fly ash generally contains high concentrations
of As and Se and these elements are relatively soluble from the ash. Consequently
increased concentrations of As and Se occur in the water column and sediment
of the settling lagoons. In a number of situations, notably at Kesterston
reservoir, CA USA and Belews Lake, NC, USA, aqueous exposure to excess
concentrations of Se has led to mortality and to physical malformations
in wildlife inhabiting the wetlands.1-3 Amphibians inhabiting
a swamp area that receives water from an ash settling basin located at
the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, USA, exhibit physical malformations
that we hypothesize may be due to increased levels of Se.4,5
SREL Reprint #3001
Jackson, B. P., W. A. Hopkins, J. Unrine, J. Baionno and T. Punshon. 2005. Selenium speciation in amphibian larvae developing in a coal fly ash settling basin. In, Plasma source mass spectometry, current trends and future developments. J. G. Holland and D. R. Bandura. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK. 225-234.
