SREL Reprint #3001

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. 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.

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. pp. 225-234 In: J. G. Holland and D. R. Bandura (Eds.) Plasma source mass spectometry, current trends and future developments. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).