Can Microbes Detoxify River Pollutant?
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are nasty pollutants. Originating in tar, wood preservatives, and oil and other fossil fuels, they don’t break down in water. Found in industrialized estuaries like the Delaware River and Bay, they can cause tumors in fish and accumulate to lethal levels in seafloor dwellers such as clams and oysters. UD microbiologist David Kirchman and graduate student Dawn Ward (left) are working to find out what effect PAHs have on the microbes of the Delaware River and Bay. While some of these tiny organisms, which form the base of the food chain, are harmed by PAHs, others can actually detoxify the complex chemical compounds. During the past year, the scientists sampled several contaminated sites in the river near the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and found some known hydrocarbon degraders. “These microbes may be very useful in bioremediation,” says Kirchman. “We’re working to learn more about them and the conditions that enhance their ability to detoxify PAHs.” The
