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200296 Community participatory driven research; Comparisons of water quality variables and concentrations of toxic elements downstream from Allegheny River gravel mining operations during periods of activity and inactivity

Tuesday, November 10, 2009: 5:06 PM

Conrad Volz, DrPH, MPH , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Director-Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Andrew Michanowicz , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Malcom Murry, MPH , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Charles Christen, PhD cand , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Ravi K. Sharma, PhD , Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburg, PA
Evelyn O. Talbott, DrPH, MPH , Department of Epidemiology, Director University of Pittsburgh Academic Center for Excellence in Environmental PH Tracking, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Sophia Good , Department of Geology and Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Kyle John Ferrar , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
River mining for sand and gravel have a long history in Southwestern Pennsylvania, their abundance in the drainage is responsible for the emergence of the glass and construction composite industries, respectively. Employed CBPR methodologies found community values connected with increasing use of the river for recreational and residential uses are at odds with historical economic use patterns. River mining has been shown to cause numerous environmental impacts, primarily substrate and depth changes resulting in anoxic hole formation. We sought to compare indicators of water quality and concentrations of a suite of elements downstream from active mining operations (2-4 hours after onset) with those obtained during periods of inactivity (8 hours post cessation). Elemental analysis was done using ICP-MS methods. Elemental concentration data were analyzed for significant differences (alpha .05) using a paired sample t-test using SPSS Version 16 software. Significantly elevated concentrations of arsenic (p < .001), selenium (p = .027) and zinc (p = .018) were found in river water after onset of mining operations compared to pre-mining levels. Turbidity levels at all sampling stations at all depths were higher after onset of mining operations than before mining onset (p < .001; 95% CI of Mean Difference 2.36 to 4.05 FTD units). The overall environmental public health significance of this work is that it shows that river mining adds significant masses of sediment specific toxic elements to surface waters that are used as a drinking water source for downstream communities and for bank filtration well water users.

Learning Objectives:
1. Demonstrate that community based participitory methods can be used to formulate hypothesis that can be tested using established environmental science methodologies. 2. Explain changes in community values regarding river usage over time and how historical river usages for extractive industries pose problems for communities, industries, regulators and policymakers. 3. Demonstrate that river mining causes increased turbidity that harms ecosystem health and can add cost to water purification plants. 4. Demonstrate that river mining adds considerable mass of arsenic, selenium and zinc to surface water. Arsenic in this watershed is already elevated due to glaciation and breakup of sedimentary rock.

Keywords: Community Participation, Water Quality

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: 1. Previous research in modeling water management outcomes as evidenced by University of Pittsburgh, Institute of Politics Issue Brief reference-Editors Miller, T., Gorley, T., and Barron, B,; Author Volz, C.D., 2008. Southwestern Pennsylvania's Water Quality Problems and How to Address Them Regionally, Institute of Politics, University of Pittsburgh Press, 60 pages and Volz, C. D. A framework to understand the centrality of protection and restoration of ecosystem services to water management and preparedness: An all-hazards approach with implications for NATO plans and operations . In Maria Calpinskiene, MD, PhD,Curtis Cummings, MD, MPH , Nataliya Gudzenko, MD, PhD, Elin Gursky, ScD, Faina Linkov, PhD, Alessandra Rossodivita, MD, Eugene Shubnikov, MD, Elisaveta Stikova, MD, PhD, Andrey Trufanov, PhD, Conrad Volz, DrPH, MPH Editors, Strengthening national public health preparedness and response for chemical, biological, and radiological agent threats: Springer-NATO Advanced Science Institute Series, IOS Press – Nieuwe 6B, 1013 BG Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2008. 2. Director of the Environmental Health Risk Assessment Certificate Program-Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh http://www.publichealth.pitt.edu/interior.php?pageID=82#2 3. Course Director for Environmental Health Exposure Assessment and Environmental Contaminant Fate and Transport at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Lecture outlines presented on http://www.chec.pitt.edu/ under academic courses. 4. Director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health http://www.chec.pitt.edu/ 5. Director of the Amchitka Expedition in 2004 to determine fate and transport of radionuclide’s from underground nuclear explosions carried out in the 60's and early 70's-1 mile below island surface. Work included geology and hydrogeology, biological sampling of aquatic organisms for radionuclide deposition, sediment and water sampling for radionuclide activity and human radiation dose assessment. Project Publications- Powers C.W., Burger J., Kosson D., Gochfeld M., Barnes, D., Bliss, L., Friedlander B., Jewett S., Johnson, M., Stabin, M., Unsworth, M., Volz, C.,Vyas V. and Weston J. AMCHITKA INDEPENDENT SCIENCE ASSESSMENT: Biological and Geophysical Aspects of Potential Exposure in the Amchitka Marine Environment, CRESP, Department of Energy AI#DE_FCO1-95EW55084, August 1, 2005. Burger, J, Gochfeld, M, Burke, S, Jeitner, CW, Jewett, S, Snigaroff, D, Snigaroff, R, Stamm, T, Harper, S, Hoberg, M, Chenelot, H, Patrick, R, Volz, CD, Weston, J. (2005) Do scientists and fishermen collect the same size fish? Possible implications for exposure assessment. Environ Res. 2005 Sep 17. PMID: 16174519 Burger, J, Gochfeld, M, Kosson, DS, Powers, CW, Friedlander, B, Eichelberger, J, Barnes, D, Duffy, LK, Jewett, SC, Volz, CD. (2005) Science, policy, and stakeholders: developing a consensus science plan for Amchitka Island, Aleutians, Alaska. Environ Manage. 2005 May;35(5):557-68. PMID: 15886955 Greenberg, M, Burger, J, Gochfeld, M, Kosson, D, Lowrie, K, Mayer, H, Powers, C, Volz, D, and Vyas, V. (2005) End State Land Uses, Sustainable Protective Systems, and Risk Management: A Challenge for Multi-Generational Stewards. Remediation Journal 16(1) Winter 2005. Volz, C., Powers C., Burger J., Kosson, D., Gochfeld M., Friedlander B., Barnes D., Bliss L., Jewett S., Johnson, M., Stabin M., Unsworth M., Vyas V., and Horsch J. (2006). The CRESP Amchitka expedition: a model for multi- and interdisciplinary research into radionuclide contamination of the marine environment. In F. Linkov and R. LaPorte (Eds.), Scientific networking and the global health supercourse.NATO Security through Science Series D: Information and Communication Security-Vol. 5, Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press. Burger J., Mayer H., Greenburg M., Powers C., Volz C . and Gochfeld M, 2006. Ecological risk and conceptual site models where critical risk is offsite for ecological receptors: The case of the Department of Energy's Amchitka Island Nuclear Test Site. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 69:1217–1238. Burger, J., Gochfeld, M., Kosson, D., Jewett, S., Friedlander, B., Chenelelot, H., Volz, C. D. and Jeitner, C. 2006. Radionuclides in marine macroalgae from Amchitka and Kiska Islands in the Aleutians: establishing a baseline for future Biomonitoring. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity,91:1-2, 27-40. Gochfeld, M, Volz, C., Jewett, S, Powers, C, Friedlander, B. Developing a Health and Safety Plan for Hazardous Field Work in Remote Areas, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2006 Dec; 3(12):671-83. Burger, J., Gochfeld, M., Shukla, T., Jeitner, C., Burke, S., Donio, M., Shukla, S., Stamm, T., Snigaroff, D., Snigaroff, R., and Volz, CD. 2007 Heavy metals in Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) from the Aleutians : Location, age, size, and risk. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 70: 1–15. 6. Principal investigator for the ongoing Allegheny River Stewardship project to determine the fate and transport of toxic substances from legacy and ongoing sources of pollution, including land degradation patterns, in water, sediment, groundwater and bioaccumulation in pisciverous fishes including channel catfish, smallmouth bass, walleye and sauger. 7. APHA 2007 Conference, Session Moderator and Presenter, Contaminants in Freshwater Fish
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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