CHED 851 |
| Dana M. Scully, Heather L. Dague, Amanda M. Grannas, and Penney L. Miller. |
| The presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in polar regions is of concern because resident populations may be adversely affected by chronic exposure to these compounds. Little work has considered the potential for some POPs to be transformed via natural processes in the Arctic. This work assesses the ability of Arctic sediment constituents to promote the transformation of POPs. Sediments were collected from various locations surrounding the Toolik Lake Research Station, Alaska (68°N, 149° W). Aqueous sediment extracts were screened for their ability to promote reductive transformation by spiking with the chemical probe, pentachloronitrobenzene, and monitoring its degradation. Levels of iron(II), total iron, and total organic carbon were also measured in the reaction samples, but did not directly correspond to probe transformation rates. Pentachloronitrobenzene was a useful probe in predicting sediment extract reactivity. Actual POPs spiked into reactive extracts were selectively degraded. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Environmental Chemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, 27 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- Ex. Hall B4, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |