Effects of Sediment Containing Coal Ash from the Kingston Ash Release on Embryo-Larval Development in the Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque, 1820)

Greeley, Mark S.; Elmore, Logan R.; McCracken, Mary K.; Sherrard, Rick M.

doi:10.1007/s00128-013-1149-6

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The results from this diverse range of studies overwhelmingly indicate that there was no toxicity of the Kingston fly ash in exposures to aquatic organisms inhabiting the overlying water column. Results from an extended ash elutriate study with fathead minnows (Stanley et al ) and an embryo‐larval development study with fathead minnows exposed directly to fly ash (Greeley et al ) further support these findings. These laboratory studies (Table ; Supplemental Data) and a study with amphipod, chironomid, and freshwater mussels exposed to fly ash (Wang et al ) support the finding that the potential toxicity to benthic species (both infaunal and epifaunal) is minimal to moderate, depending on the species and the percentage of ash present in the sediment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

How toxic is coal ash? A laboratory toxicity case study

Sherrard

Carriker²,

Greeley

2014

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Under a consent agreement among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and proponents both for and against stricter regulation, EPA is to issue a new coal ash disposal rule by the end of 2014. Laboratory toxicity investigations often yield conservative estimates of toxicity because many standard test species are more sensitive than resident species, thus could provide information useful to the rule-making. However, few laboratory studies of coal ash toxicity are available; most studies reported in the literature are based solely on field investigations. This brief communication describes a broad range of toxicity studies conducted for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston ash spill, results of which help provide additional perspective on the toxicity of coal ash. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2015;11:5-9. © 2014 SETAC

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

How toxic is coal ash? A laboratory toxicity case study

Sherrard

Carriker²,

Greeley

2014

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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“…Measurement endpoints were mortality, hatching success, and developmental abnormalities. Greeley, Elmore et al (), Greeley, Elmore, McCracken, Sherrand (), and Greeley, Elmore, McCracken () provide more detail on the test methodology.…”

Section: Lines Of Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the large volume of these data for several endpoints, this article presents only a summarized overview of study results, and does not include a detailed review of the actual data. Instead, additional details and summaries of the actual data can be found in the BERA (ARCADIS ), ancillary articles (Baker ; Greeley, Adams et al ; Greeley, Elmore et al ; Greeley, Elmore, McCracken, Sherrard ; Greeley, Elmore, McCracken ), and in other articles in this issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing ecological risks to the fish community from residual coal fly ash in Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee

Rigg

Wacksman

Iannuzzi

et al. 2014

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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EDITOR'S NOTE:The Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment (BERA) of residual coal-fly ash in Watts Bar Reservoir was conducted following a 2008 spill from the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant (Roane County, TN). Results of the BERA were used to focus the long-term management strategy for the impacted river system. This article is among 7 peer-reviewed articles in the special series, "Ecological Risk Assessment for Residual Coal Fly Ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee." The series includes articles presenting the following: problem formulation for the river system; sediment toxicity test procedures; benthic community analysis techniques; methods used to evaluate risk to benthic receptors, fish, and riparian and aquatic wildlife; an extensive analysis characterizing risk to the insectivorous tree swallow; and finally, how the BERA results influenced management decisons. ABSTRACTExtensive site-specific biological and environmental data were collected to support an evaluation of risks to the fish community in Watts Bar Reservoir from residual ash from the December 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston ash release. This article describes the approach used and results of the risk assessment for the fish community, which consists of multiple measurement endpoints (measures of exposure and effects) for fish. The lines of evidence included 1) comparing postspill annual fish community assessments with nearby prespill data and data from other TVA reservoirs, 2) evaluating possible effects of exposures of fish eggs and larval fish to ash in controlled laboratory toxicity tests, 3) evaluating reproductive competence of field-exposed fish, 4) assessing individual fish health through physical examination, histopathology, and blood chemistry, 5) comparing fish tissue concentrations with literature-based critical body residues, and 6) comparing concentrations of ash-related contaminants in surface waters with US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Ambient Water Quality Standards for Fish and Aquatic Life. These measurement endpoints were treated as independent lines of evidence that were integrated into an overall weight-of-evidence estimate of risk to the fish community. Collectively, the data and analysis presented here indicate that ash and ash-related constituents pose negligible risks to the fish communities in Watts Bar Reservoir. This conclusion contradicts the predictions by some researchers immediately following the ash release of devastating effects on the aquatic ecology of Watts Bar Reservoir. The information presented in this article reaffirms the wisdom of carefully evaluating the evidence before predicting probable ecological effects of a major event such as the TVA Kingston ash release. This study demonstrates that a thorough and detailed investigation using multiple measurement endpoints is needed to properly evaluate ecological effects. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2015;11:88-101. © 2014 SETAC

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“…The spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant was one of the largest ash spill in US history (Ruhl et al 2009;Greeley et al 2014). Previous research investigating the effects of coal-ash-associated metals on aquatic organisms have focused primarily on areas receiving coal ash effluent (Reash et al 2006;Baumann and Gillespie 1986;Lohner et al 2001) and not from an environmental spill, as was the case in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Otter et al (2012) showed elevated concentrations of arsenic and selenium in various tissues of multiple fish species at ash-associated sites compared to reference sites. Laboratory experiments showed elevated concentrations of arsenic, selenium, and mercury in sediment samples, but no effects on larval or juvenile fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) when exposed to ash-amended sediment or elutriates (Stanley et al 2013;Greeley et al 2014). When the current body of research on the Kingston spill is viewed collectively, a couple of major observations can be made: (1) The major contaminants of concern appear to be metals, such as arsenic and selenium, and (2) metals associated with ash appear to be largely sediment-bound.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioaccumulation of metals in three freshwater mussel species exposed in situ during and after dredging at a coal ash spill site (Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant)

Otter

McKinney

Brown

et al. 2015

Environ Monit Assess

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On December 22, 2008, a dike containing coal fly ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant (TN, USA) failed, and within months, dredging operations began to remove ash-contaminated sediments. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the bioaccumulation of metals in three mussel species during and after dredging operations. Mussels were caged for approximately 1 year during dredging and after, and then mussel condition index values and As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Se, Hg, U, Fe, Mg, Al, Sb, Ba, Be, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ag, Sr, Tl, V, and Zn concentrations in soft tissue were determined via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometery. Overall, the differences observed in metal bioaccumulation and mussel health suggest that mussels in the immediate downstream area of the dredging site may have been impacted, as evidenced by a significant decrease in mussel condition index values, but that this impact did not result in increased tissue concentrations of metals.

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Effects of Sediment Containing Coal Ash from the Kingston Ash Release on Embryo-Larval Development in the Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque, 1820)

Cited by 13 publications

References 22 publications

How toxic is coal ash? A laboratory toxicity case study

How toxic is coal ash? A laboratory toxicity case study

Assessing ecological risks to the fish community from residual coal fly ash in Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee

Bioaccumulation of metals in three freshwater mussel species exposed in situ during and after dredging at a coal ash spill site (Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant)

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