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CPRC-SETAC 2020 Virtual Meeting

Program

&

Abstracts

September 2020

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Welcome to the First CPRC SETAC Virtual Meeting!

Hello CPRC SETAC members! I am excited for you to join our chapter’s first virtual meeting. Obviously COVID-19 significantly changed the way we communicate and share information this year. We canceled the in-person meeting in April 2020 and hope to resume our normal gathering in 2021. However, our chapter typically hosts an enthusiastic group of students and professionals, so we did not want to totally miss an opportunity to catch up, network, and share research this year. Many thanks to everyone who responded to our meeting planning survey and helped shape our program and virtual platform! Just as we learn from trial and error during the scientific process, we also learn from our collective experiences with online gatherings. Am I muted? Can you hear me? How about now? How about now? Whose dog is barking? Is someone eating crackers? You’re not on mute. How do I share my screen? We are all learning, adapting, and improving as we go! This year, instead of a one-day meeting, you will see that we chose to spread it out as a series of lunchtime presentations over four weeks. The first three weeks will feature a platform presentation (12 minutes plus three minutes for questions) followed by three or four brief poster presentations. Poster presenters will provide a one or two minute introduction to their research and then each presenter will go to a breakout room where they will share more details and interact with and answer questions from attendees who join their room. We hope you can also make time for an after work virtual happy hour in week three to enjoy some time to catch up in a less formal setting. The fourth week will wrap up our meeting series with a keynote address from Dr. Fred Pinkney, long time CPRC member and Senior Biologist with the Environmental Contaminants Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He will share lessons learned and good news from the Anacostia River cleanup and research efforts over the past 25 years. I hope you and your families are staying well and finding adjustment in these times of change. Jennifer Flippin CPRC President 2020-21

That one time last year before the pandemic when I strayed beyond my back yard.

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Meeting Format The meeting will be online and live. Based on your feedbacks (Virtual Event Survey-May 2020), we opted for the weekly lunch series to occur in September 2020. Every Wednesday at noon, for three weeks, tune in to watch one live platform presentation and three to four posters on subjects related to Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Each session will start with the platform presentation of 15 min (Questions/Answers included) and will be followed by poster presentation. Each poster presenter will pitch for 2 min about their work in the main plenary room then attendees can join each presenter’s room for live interactions with the presenter. The timeline given in the program is approximate and include the transitions between speakers. A virtual happy is included during the Virtual Meeting on Wednesday, September 23, to catch up with colleagues in CPRC, Network and Meet people with similar interests. The meeting will end the following week by a presentation of 30 min from the 2020 keynote speaker, Dr. Fred Pinkney, US Fish and Wildlife Service. For participants unable to access the live session, a recorded presentation (under presenter’s approval) will be accessible online for a duration of 7 days max. after each individual events. Recorded presentations are marked on the program.

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Keynote Speaker

Dr. Fred Pinkney Since 1993, Fred Pinkney has served as Senior Biologist with the Environmental Contaminants Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office in Annapolis, Maryland. Fish contamination and the health of fish in the Anacostia River have been a major focus of his research. He has also investigated the survival, growth and bioaccumulation of contaminants in freshwater mussels; reproductive problems in yellow perch; abnormal frogs on National Wildlife Refuges; and lead cleanups on wildlife refuges. He is active in workgroups related to toxic chemical issues in the Chesapeake. He frequently collaborates with colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, District Department of Energy and Environment, and universities, where he has served on graduate committees. He received a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Michigan, an M.S. in Environmental Health Sciences from New York University, and a Ph.D. in Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Science from the University of Maryland. He lives in Takoma Park, MD, where he enjoys kayaking, swimming, gardening, softball, and playing piano.

Fred taking a water sample from the Taj Mahal pool

for isotope analysis.

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Program

*

Participate to the Student Award Competition

Time

Wednesday, September 9, 12:00-1:30 Recorded

12:00 Welcome

Platform Presentation

12:10 * Novel Equilibrium Passive Sampling Device for the Measurement of Methylmercury in Water and Porewater of a Sediment Microcosm Jada Damond and Upal Ghosh (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA), Spencer J. Washburn and Cynthia Gilmour (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA)

No

Poster Elevated Pitch

12:30 * Exploring the impacts on reproductive activity from exposure from PFOS on female Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) C. Daniel Furst, Shaina Furman, Taylor Anderson, Patrick Sykes Andrew East, Chris Salice

Yes

12:35 * The presence, distribution, and concentration of trace metals in the James River near a coal-burning repository Catherine Crowell1, Leanna Giancarlo2, Tyler Frankel1, Ben Odhiambo Kisila1 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, 2Department of Chemistry, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Yes

12:40 Assessing the Presence and Concentrations of Microplastics in the Gizzards of Virginia Waterfowl Thomas Bustamante (student at University of Mary Washington), Rachel Gunraj (student at University of Mary Washington), Thanh-Binh Duong (student at University of Mary Washington), Tyler Frankel (University of Mary Washington Earth and Environmental Sciences), Ben Kisila( University of Mary Washington Earth and Environmental Sciences), Janet Asper( University of Mary Washington Chemistry), Andrew Dolby(University of Mary Washington Biological Sciences)

Yes

Breakout Room

12:45 Poster Q/A and Networking

1:30 Adjourn

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* Participate to the Student Award Competition

Time

Wednesday, September 16, 12:00-1:30 Recorded

12:00 Welcome

Platform Presentation

12:10 * How Efficient is Time-Integration for Equilibrium Passive Sampling? Oindrila Ghosh (UMBC), Songjing Yan (UMBC), Mandar Bokare (UMBC) and Upal Ghosh (UMBC)

Yes

Poster Elevated Pitch

12:30 Microplastic Concentrations in Soil and Earthworm Samples from Central and Northern Virginia Thomas Bustamante (University of Mary Washington), Tyler Frankel (University of Mary Washington)

Yes

12:35 * An Overview of High Priority Research on Human Pharmaceuticals in the Environment at FDA Zahra Domin (FDA CDER), James Laurenson (FDA CDER), Raanan Bloom (FDA CDER)

Yes

12:40 * Developing a Novel Model System to Evaluate the Ecotoxicity of PFAS Chemicals to Terrestrial Invertebrates Using House Crickets (Acheta domesticus) Taylor S. Anderson (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), C. Daniel Furst (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), Shaina Furman (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), Andrew East (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), Christopher J. Salice (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University)

Yes

Breakout Room

12:45 Poster Q/A and Networking

1:30 Adjourn

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* Participate to the Student Award Competition

Time

Wednesday, September 23, 12:00-1:30 Recorded 12:00 Welcome

Platform Presentation

12:10 * PCB levels in the surface water, sediment porewater, and benthic organisms in Back River watershed. Sarahana Joshee, Mandar Bokare, Wesley Schmidt, Kevin Brittingham, Nathalie Lombard, Upal Ghosh

Yes

Poster Elevated Pitch

12:30 * Are unregulated “safeners” safe for non-target organisms? Effects of herbicide safener additives on the population growth and size of green algae, Raphidocelis subcapitata Sarah Lanasa, Andrew East, John Sivey, Mark Niedzwiecki and Christopher Salice Towson University

Yes

12:35 * Evaluation of Heavy Metal Removal in the Drinking Water by Moringa oleifera Lam Seeds on Broiler Chickens’ Health and Growth Performance Soumaoro1, I. Pitala1,2, W. Gnandi3, K. 1Regional Centre of Excellency on Avian Science, University of Lomé, Togo 2High School of Agronomy, University of Lomé, Togo 3Faculty of Sciences, University of Lomé, Togo

Yes

12:40 * The impacts of coal ash concentration on the development and hatching success in the embryonic Planorbella duryi Catherine Crowell1, Ben Odhiambo Kisila1, Leanna Giancarlo2, Tyler Frankel1 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, 2Department of Chemistry, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Yes

12:45 Assessing the sublethal impacts of sulfoxaflor on the physiology and behavior of Daphnia magna Mary Hoffman (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington), Thanh-Binh Duong (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington), B. K. Odhiambo (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington), Tyler Frankel (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington)

Yes

Breakout room

12:50 Poster Q/A and Networking

1:30 Adjourn

Virtual Happy Hour

5:00 Happy Hour

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Time

Wednesday, September 30, 12:00-1:00

12:00 Welcome

Seminar

12:10 Cleaning up the Anacostia River: Perspectives from Studies over the Past 25 Years Fred Pinkney

12:40 Discussion

1:00 Adjourn

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Awards

SETAC awards

Best platform and poster presentations will be eligible to receive one of two free student registrations for the virtual 2020 SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting (SETAC SciCon2). See below for Rules and Eligibility Requirements

Rules and Eligibility Requirements 1. Student presenter must be a current CPRC SETAC and SETAC NA member. 2. Student must indicate on the abstract submission form that they wish to have their

presentation/poster be considered for an award 3. Eligibility for the award will be determined by the highest presentation score in each category (i.e. 1st

place platform and 1st place poster) 4. If the 1st place winners are unable to participate in SETAC SciCon2, the eligibility will be given to the

2nd place winner in each category, and then 3rd place winner

Cash Awards First, second and third place best presentation winners in each category (platform and poster) will receive cash awards thanks to the generosity of our wonderful sponsors, Environmental Turf and Services and EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC! To be eligible to receive the cash award students must be a current CPRC SETAC member and should have indicated with their abstract submission that they wished their presentation/poster be considered for an award.

https://environmentalandturf.com/http://eaest.com/http://eaest.com/

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Attendee’s Instructions

The Virtual Meeting interface for 2020 is WebEx Events. If you are a first-time user, please make sure to visit this link. Also, please join your first WebEx Event session about 10 min before the official starting time. If trouble to access the session, please contact nlombard@umbc.edu or sjyan@umbc.edu. When entering the session, you will automatically be muted by the host. If not, please mute your microphone. For best performance, your camera will also be automatically turned off. If not, you can also manually turn it off. When microphone and camera are turned off, their icons at the bottom of the screen will appear in red (instead of dark grey). As mentioned in the Meeting Format, there will be two types of presentations: Platform and Poster presentations.

• Platform presentation: Each presentation will be 12 min long and will be followed by 3 min of Question/Answer. Please type your question in the chat box (icon in the bottom of the screen) before or during the Q/A. The presenter will answer the questions by the order of appearance.

• Poster presentation: Each Presenter will give an elevated speech of 2 min about their work. At the end of the elevated speech of the session, you will be able to join each presenter breakout room to directly interact with him/her.

If you were not able to attend the live session, a recorded presentation (under presenter’s approval) will be accessible online for a duration of 7 days max. after each individual events. Recorded presentations will be marked on the program.

https://help.webex.com/ld-7srxjs-CiscoWebexEvents/Webex-Events#Get-Startedmailto:nlombard@umbc.edumailto:sjyan@umbc.edu

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Abstracts Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Novel Equilibrium Passive Sampling Device for the Measurement of Methylmercury in Water and Porewater of a Sediment Microcosm

Jada Damond and Upal Ghosh (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA), Spencer J. Washburn and Cynthia Gilmour (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA) Mercury is a global pollutant that can undergo methylation in natural systems to form the more toxic and bioaccumulative form, methylmercury (MeHg). MeHg can biomagnify within aquatic biota to levels unsafe for human consumption, making accurate determination of its concentration across aquatic environments crucial for adequate risk assessment. However, MeHg concentrations in waters and porewaters can be low (concentrations in unimpacted waters at the pM level) and highly variable through time, rendering accurate measurement with traditional field sampling methods challenging. Passive sampling approaches can provide a time-averaged estimate of aqueous MeHg concentration. The present work continues the development of a novel equilibrium-based passive sampling device comprised of activated carbon suspended in agarose gel (ag+AC). This work demonstrates the ability of this novel sampler to measure water and porewater MeHg concentrations in a sediment microcosm and to measure aqueous MeHg concentrations across a sediment-water interface. Sediment microcosms were constructed using mixture of Phragmites marsh soil contaminated with MeHg, topped with saline (3 ppt Instant Ocean) overlying water. Passive samplers were inserted partially in the water column and partially in the sediment column. The portion within the sediment measured concentrations two orders of magnitude higher than the portion exposed to the water column; the samplers successfully measured the gradient of aqueous MeHg concentration, demonstrating the ability to measure concentration gradients critical for flux calculations. Furthermore, by applying an experimentally determined sampler-water partitioning coefficient, the samplers could predict surface water and porewater concentrations within a factor of two. The presented work demonstrates the ability of a single ag+AC sampler to predict surface and porewater MeHg concentrations in a sediment microcosm, while capturing the MeHg concentration gradient across a sediment-water interface. Not recorded * Participate to the student award competition

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Exploring the impacts on reproductive activity from exposure from PFOS on female Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) C. Daniel Furst, Shaina Furman, Taylor Anderson, Patrick Sykes Andrew East, Chris Salice Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants of growing concern. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was (and is) a primary chemical in aqueous film forming foams, which have been heavily used at military bases for fire suppression activities. Widespread use of PFOS has generated concern about release to the environment and potential toxicological impacts on humans and wildlife. Some studies have shown that there is the potential for reproductive and developmental impacts from PFAS on wildlife. While there has been some data generated on effects of PFAS on the most common ecological receptors, there are no published data available on the toxicity of PFOS to reptilian species. This study uses the brown anole as a model laboratory reptile species to help bridge the data gap regarding ecotoxicology of reptiles. A 90-Day exposure study was conducted on 50 mature female brown anole lizards. 10 lizards were separated into 5 treatment groups with being dosed with 0,0.05,0.171,0.585,2mg/kg/day PFOS solutions. These animals were dosed via the pseudo-gavage method, where the anole’s mouth was gently opened and a micropipette was used to dose the lizards. While statistical analysis is ongoing, the preliminary results suggests that that there is not much of an impact from PFOS on the number of egg laying events or initial egg viability from each treatment group over the 90-day period. However, PFOS did appear to have a measurable impact on the mass of brown anoles over the 90-day period. Future studies will explore hatchling success and uptake in eggs incubated on PFOS- contaminated soil. This data so far provides valuable insight on how PFOS affects female reptiles and should be valuable for informing future ecological risk assessments of ground dwelling species in PFAS contaminated habitats. Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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The presence, distribution, and concentration of trace metals in the James River near a coal-burning repository Catherine Crowell (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) Leanna Giancarlo (Department of Chemistry, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401) Tyler Frankel (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) Ben Odhiambo Kisila (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) In the United States, the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary system along the east coast, containing multiple coal-burning power stations throughout the region. Coal fly ash is one of the largest forms of industrial waste that is primarily produced by coal-burning power stations. Fly ash contains various heavy metals that have the potential to leach from the ash into waterways, resulting in the mobility of trace metals in the environment. Few laboratory studies have examined the distribution of trace metal contamination within the James river, which runs beside a coal-burning power station. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of trace metals within the James River beside the Chesterfield power station near Richmond, Virginia. Water and sediment samples were collected in the James river upstream, midstream, and downstream from the Chesterfield power station via core, grab, and dip sampling. Sediment samples were oven dried, sieved, and digested using aqua regia, then filtered to remove any particulates. Water samples were filtered to remove any suspended particulates and acidified using nitric acid. Sediment and water samples were analyzed for trace metal contamination using ICP-OES. While this project is currently ongoing, preliminary results have identified high concentrations of arsenic (0.055 ppm), copper (6.065 ppm) and selenium (0.590 ppm) in sediments collected upstream, downstream, and behind the power station. Additionally, high concentrations of cadmium (0.017 ppm) and selenium (0.061 ppm) were detected in water samples collected downstream and behind the power station. This study will provide important information regarding the potential impacts of coal-burning repositories on the mobilization of trace contaminants within aquatic ecosystems and their potential effects on aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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Assessing the Presence and Concentrations of Microplastics in the Gizzards of Virginia Waterfowl Thomas Bustamante (student at University of Mary Washington), Rachel Gunraj (student at University of Mary Washington), Thanh-Binh Duong (student at University of Mary Washington), Tyler Frankel (University of Mary Washington Earth and Environmental Sciences), Ben Kisila( University of Mary Washington Earth and Environmental Sciences), Janet Asper( University of Mary Washington Chemistry), Andrew Dolby(University of Mary Washington Biological Sciences) Microplastics are defined as plastic fragments that are smaller than 5mm which originate from sources such as manufactured pellets, personal care products, and the breakdown of larger plastic items. These particles have become a ubiquitous water pollutant in recent years, and while a substantial amount of research on their impacts on marine ecosystems has been conducted the effect of microplastics on freshwater waterfowl remains poorly understood. In this study, we assessed the presence and concentrations of microplastic particles in the gizzards of the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Bufflehead Duck (Bucephala albeola), and Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) hunted in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia. Gizzards were bisected and had their contents removed for analysis. Collected gizzard contents were density separated in order to isolate particles. Samples were then visually inspected under a dissecting microscope. Preliminary results show that nine out of the ten birds sampled contain microplastic fibers in their gizzards, ranging in concentration from 0.08-11.49 fibers/gram. All plastics were secondary fibers, providing further evidence that waterfowl not only ingest microplastics but retain them in their digestive systems. Infrared spectroscopy was done on one fiber which was determined to be polyethylene. Though this project is currently ongoing, we expect to find high percentages of birds with microplastics in their systems, with higher microplastic concentrations from individuals in Westmoreland County, VA (which receives effluent from Washington DC via the Potomac river). This work will help to provide an increased understand of the threat microplastics pose to aquatic waterfowl in relation to environmental concentrations. Recorded

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020

How Efficient is Time-Integration for Equilibrium Passive Sampling? Oindrila Ghosh (UMBC), Songjing Yan (UMBC), Mandar Bokare (UMBC) and Upal Ghosh (UMBC) The effect of temporal variation of water concentrations of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) with events like stormflow or industrial runoff on the time weighted average water concentration is important for ecological exposure assessment. How well polymeric passive sampler concentrations represent the time-averaged concentration over an entire deployment period, is the key topic of investigation in this study. A first order and a one-dimensional Fickian diffusion model (solved using a finite difference numerical approach) were used to simulate the uptake and loss kinetics of PCB molecules in a polyethylene (PE) sheet from water. Several conditions of ambient concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) molecules, sampler characteristics and molecular properties were simulated. For each of these simulations, the PRC corrected mass of uptake into the PE is converted to ambient water concentration and compared with the actual time averaged water concentration calculated over a period of 90 days with 1000 ng/L in no storm and 100 ng/L in storm condition respectively. Some preliminary results from the diffusion model show us that when the sampler is retrieved at the end of the deployment period, after a 1day storm on the 80th and 87th day, the passive sampler induced freely dissolved concentration of PCB 37 in the overlying water is 2% and 5% less than the actual time-averaged concentration (990ng/L), respectively. A storm-induced concentration drop on the 45th day that lasts for 10 days instead of 1day results in a drop to 900ng/L. The time scale of ‘time-averaging’ in passive sampling is a strong function of compound hydrophobicity. This was confirmed by how the effect of the storm is embedded in the prediction of the freely dissolved concentration of higher homolog groups like PCB 128, which matches the time averaged concentration. Lower congeners like PCB 15 and 37 recover from the history of the storm with the predicted water concentrations 11% and 8% higher than the actual time averaged concentration, respectively. The first order model agreed well with the diffusion model in terms of the trend of concentration gained or lost from passive samplers as an effect of fluctuation in ambient concentration.

Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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Microplastic Concentrations in Soil and Earthworm Samples from Central and Northern Virginia Thomas Bustamante (University of Mary Washington), Tyler Frankel (University of Mary Washington) Microplastics, defined as plastic particles under 5mm in size, have become a contaminant of concern in recent years. These plastics have been shown to leach and transport many chemical pollutants as well as be consumed by a variety of organisms. While most of the research on microplastics has been done in aquatic settings, the study of terrestrial microplastics is novel. In order to better understand terrestrial microplastics, this study quantified concentrations in soil and earthworm samples collected in central and northern Virginia. Soil and worms were collected from sixteen sites between Chesterfield county and Fredericksburg. Microplastics were extracted from these samples via a combination of organic matter digestion and density separation. Samples were then vacuum filtered, and the resulting filter paper was visually inspected for plastics under a dissecting microscope. Preliminary results from four of our sites show that microplastics are indeed present in soils and range in concentration from 0.03-0.64 particles/gram of soil. The highest concentration comes from a more urbanized area, providing some evidence that more microplastics are found in areas of higher human activity. These results show that while microplastics are present in soil from Virginia, they are nowhere near the concentrations that have been found in other areas of the world such as China. Future research aims to finish processing all samples and create a heatmap using the kriging model.

Recorded

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An Overview of High Priority Research on Human Pharmaceuticals in the Environment at FDA Zahra Domin (FDA CDER), James Laurenson (FDA CDER), Raanan Bloom (FDA CDER) This poster will provide a review of the research on pharmaceuticals in the environment being conducted at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. One project involves analyzing a 3-year compilation of environmental assessment (EA) reports on hormonally active drugs, to help determine whether a lower than 1 ppb in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is needed for purposes of the “categorical exclusion” from an EA for these drugs, per National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules. This poster also will address other research, including assessment of environmental impacts in the context of water reuse and wastewater treatment sludge, as well as an examination of current research into alternative animal eco-testing models and methods as they relate to pharmaceuticals. Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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Developing a Novel Model System to Evaluate the Ecotoxicity of PFAS Chemicals to Terrestrial Invertebrates Using House Crickets (Acheta domesticus) Taylor S. Anderson (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), C. Daniel Furst (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), Shaina Furman (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), Andrew East (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University), Christopher J. Salice (Applied Ecotoxicology Lab, Towson University) Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent chemicals that have been widely used since their production in the 1940s. They have been commonly used in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) for fire suppression and training on military installations. Their widespread usage has led to soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment contamination due to their chemical properties and persistence. Importantly, critical uncertainties exist regarding the ecotoxicity of PFAS. Although many toxicity studies have been conducted on aquatic, avian and terrestrial vertebrates for common PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), little is known about the effects on terrestrial invertebrates, which play a critical role in ecosystems. The goal of this research was to design a novel toxicity test method that could be used to evaluate the toxicity of PFAS chemicals on terrestrial invertebrates. House crickets (Acheta domesticus) were used as the model invertebrate due to their abundance in nature, relative ease of maintenance, availability, and significance in the food chain, specifically for reptilian and avian species. Crickets were exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) because it is the most commonly measured PFAS in surface water and soil for DoD installation with a history of AFFF use. Crickets were exposed to 0, 0.003, 0.03, 0.3 and 3 mg PFOS/L via drinking water for 120 hours using a novel delivery method called the “Falcon Dress”.We repeated the study three times to determine whether the experimental design would produce consistent results. For all three studies we have seen consistent mortality of 30-50% at 3 mg PFOS/L. Hence, this toxicity testing system has yielded consistent toxicity estimates for water-borne PFOS exposure to a representative terrestrial insect model. This system can be used to rapidly generate toxicity data for any water soluble PFAS. We have also initiated multiple PFAS screening studies, as well as PFHxS studies to attempt to better understand the overall effects PFAS toxicity has on terrestrial invertebrates. This novel testing system and current results will improve our understanding of PFAS toxicity and risk to terrestrial ecological receptors. Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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Wednesday, September 23, 2020

PCB levels in the surface water, sediment porewater, and benthic organisms in Back River watershed. Sarahana Joshee, Mandar Bokare, Wesley Schmidt, Kevin Brittingham, Nathalie Lombard, Upal Ghosh Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are contaminants of concern in Back River Watershed, resulting in fish consumption advisories in Maryland. In collaboration with the Baltimore County, and the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), we performed a pilot assessment of ongoing contribution of PCBs from tributaries in the Back River watershed with a focus on the freely dissolved concentration of PCBs. Freely dissolved concentrations are indicative of biological uptake, toxicity, and provide information on fluxes of pollutants between sediment and water column that will help in the identification of potential sources or hot spots of PCB release in the watershed. Measurement of freely dissolved concentration is challenging due to the ultra-low aqueous concentrations and interference with colloidal particles. Passive sampling has emerged as an alternative technique to measure freely dissolved concentrations of hydrophobic chemicals without interference from colloidal particles. In this study, freely dissolved PCB concentrations were measured in the water column and sediment porewater of four tributaries and main stem of Back River using LDPE passive samplers. PCB concentrations ranged from 0.027 – 2.6 ng/L during the deployment period from June 2018 to August 2018, with Bread and Cheese Creek tributary showing the highest dissolved PCB concentrations among the sites. PCB levels at two locations in Back River itself were 0.99 and 0.56 ng/L. Concentrations at five out of nine sampling locations exceeded the USEPA Water Quality Criteria of 0.64 ng/L, associated with a cancer risk of 10 in a million. Sediment porewaters and benthic organisms in the main stem of the river were analyzed to gain insight on bioaccumulation in the aquatic food web through dietary uptake. Ex-situ porewater concentrations ranged from 0.72 – 0.97 ng/L while the concentration in benthic organisms ranged from 36.69 – 172.69 ng/g. These results are being used to investigate potential legacy sources of contaminants in upland areas that may be impacting water quality. Furthermore, results will be compared to previous studies conducted in the Back River watershed and wastewater treatment plant. Ongoing work is evaluating potential inputs of PCBs from additional Tributaries within the Baltimore City.

Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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Are unregulated “safeners” safe for non-target organisms? Effects of herbicide safener additives on the population growth and size of green algae, Raphidocelis subcapitata Sarah Lanasa, Andrew East, John Sivey, Mark Niedzwiecki and Christopher Salice Towson University. Chloroacetanilide herbicides are used worldwide to control grass weeds that affect important crops such as corn. When applied they are frequently paired with a “safener” or adjuvant which prevents herbicidal damage on the crop without lessening herbicidal effects that control weeds. Safeners are considered inert or “other” ingredients, therefore, are not regulated or tested for toxicity. Similarly, their occurrence in the environment is not entirely understood because of apparent little research focus. Common chloroacetanilide herbicides S-metolachlor and acetochlor have been well studied for presence and toxicity, while their co-formulated safeners have not. The safeners we focused on where benoxacor (commonly paired with S-metolachlor), AD-67 (sold individually to be paired with many different herbicides), dichlormid and furilazole (commonly paired with acetochlor). We conducted a series of 72-hour algae toxicity tests separately with the four safeners and two herbicides to determine the EC50 (the effective concentration causing 50% growth inhibition) on a non-target algae, Raphidocelis subcapitata. Both herbicides were much more toxic than the safeners, with acetochlor more toxic than S-metolachlor by an order of magnitude. AD-67 was the most toxic safener followed by benoxacor, then dichlormid and furilazole less toxic by two orders of magnitude. ED50 values for all safeners tested were far above environmentally relevant levels, the herbicides, however, were toxic at or below environmental concentrations. Interestingly, a difference in size of algae cells was observed during the toxicity tests. Images of algae were captured at the 72-hour timepoint and analyzed using ImageJ software to measure the total area of each cell. We found a size increase from the controls for only the herbicides at their EC50 concentration. Standard algae toxicity test did not show the safeners have a high toxicity but more research is required before environmental risk can be assessed. We are exploring other more sensitive endpoints for the safeners and herbicides. Results of these studies may lead to an improved understanding of the potential ecological effects of safeners. Recorded

* Participate to the student award competition

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Evaluation of Heavy Metal Removal in the Drinking Water by Moringa oleifera Lam Seeds on Broiler Chickens’ Health and Growth Performance Soumaoro1, I. Pitala1,2, W. Gnandi3, K. 1Regional Centre of Excellency on Avian Science, University of Lomé, Togo 2High School of Agronomy, University of Lomé, Togo 3Faculty of Sciences, University of Lomé, Togo The study investigated water purification using Moringa oleifera seeds to remove heavy metals and its effects on broilers health performance. A total of 264 Cobb-500 chicks were randomly allocated to three (3) treatment groups having four (4) replicates of 22 chicks each and reared in the same environment. The treatments were: untreated well water (T0), well water treated with Moringa oleifera seeds and filtered (T1), and well water treated with Moringa oleifera seeds not filtered (T2). The birds were provided feed and water ad libitum. The study lasted for 45 days. Data were collected on growth performance (feed and water intake, final body weight, weight gain, carcass, mortality and organs weights). The water was analysed for pH, electric conductivity, salinity and some heavy metals (Cr, Cu). The results obtained revealed that Moringa oleifera seeds removed considerably heavy metals (Cr, Cu) and reduced pH, electric conductivity and salinity. The body weights of the birds in T1 were higher (P

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The impacts of coal ash concentration on the development and hatching success in the embryonic Planorbella duryi Catherine Crowell (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) Ben Odhiambo Kisila (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) Leanna Giancarlo (Department of Chemistry, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) Tyler Frankel (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401) In coal-burning power stations the combustion of coal produces one of the largest forms of industrial waste, coal ash (CA), which has been shown to contain various trace metals known to be toxic to both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Following combustion, power stations can dispose of their treated coal ash waste in lined or unlined ponds or discharge them into nearby waterways, allowing contaminants to leach into the surrounding ecosystem and bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. While previous studies have examined environmental concentrations of trace metals from coal ash spills and their effects on aquatic vertebrates, few laboratory studies have examined the effects of these coal ash leachates on aquatic invertebrates. Thus, the goal of this study was to assess the impact of synthetic leachates on the viability, development, and hatching success of embryonic Seminole ramshorn snails (Planorbella duryi). To create synthetic leachates, 0g to 100g of coal fly ash obtained from a local coal ash repository were added to individual glass vessels containing 1L of synthetic water and adjusted to a pH of 7.0 using diluted hydrochloric acid. All leachates were vacuum filtered after settling for 48 hours and aliquots analyzed for trace metal contamination using ICP-OES. Embryonic P. duryi clusters (

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Assessing the sublethal impacts of sulfoxaflor on the physiology and behavior of Daphnia magna Mary Hoffman (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington), Thanh-Binh Duong (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington), B. K. Odhiambo (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington), Tyler Frankel (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington) While neonicotinoids have been widely used to prevent pest insect damage in agriculture, their efficacy has decreased due to increasing insect resistance to these insecticides. Sulfoxaflor, a sulfoximine pesticide recently approved by the USEPA, has shown high efficacy against pests via binding of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, triggering overactivation that results in paralysis and death. Preliminary studies have demonstrated liver tumor development in rats and mice at 500 and 750 ppm, respectively. Oral toxicity in bobwhite quails was also identified with an LD50 of 5,260 mg/kg. Sulfoxaflor is toxic to the small brown planthopper with an LD50 of 1.07 ng/insect, as well as honeybees at 0.146 μg/bee. Research conducted by Dow AgroSciences on Daphnia magna has shown an acute 48-hour EC50 of 399 mg/L. Little research has analyzed the impacts on aquatic nontarget invertebrates; as such, this study aims to identify potential physiological and behavioral impacts of sulfoxaflor on juvenile (

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