Persistent contaminants may be present in very low
concentrations in the environ-ment and yet exert considerable effects on living
organisms via bioaccumulation. Current environmental engineering sample
collection, preparation, and analysis practices may under- or overestimate the
actual concentrations to which aquatic or sedimentary biota are exposed.
In the fields of environmental risk characterization and risk
management, there is a significant need for a device that enables the
determination of critical parameters via more reliable determination of the
bioavailability of contaminants.
Prof. Rolf Halden at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State
University has developed a novel device that enables the accurate determination
of the bioavailability of pollutants in bulk water and sedimentary pore water.
This device provides a direct determination of bioavailability rather than the
indirect determination by chemical analysis of water or sediment samples.
In addition, this device also permits the collection of
depth-discrete samples, time-averaged collection, and analysis of dissolved vs.
particulate transport phenomena.
Potential Applications
- Environmental sampling of bulk water and sedimentary pore
water for bioavailability determination, environmental risk characterization,
and risk management
Benefits and Advantages
- More accurate than chemical analysis methods –
bioavailability is measured directly
- Can measure the bioavailability of contaminants found at
even small trace levels (below the detection limits of conventional laboratory
methods)
- Enables the collection of depth-discrete samples from pore
water in saturated sediments
- Enables time-averaged collection of samples over arbitrary
time periods
- Enables analysis of transport phenomena (e.g., dissolved vs.
particulate contaminants)
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For more information about the inventor(s) and their
research, please see
Dr.
Halden's directory webpage
Dr. Halden's
laboratory webpage
