Trichloroethylene (TCE) in tree cores to complement a subsurface investigation on residential property near a former electroplating facility.
Tree cores were collected and analyzed for trichloroethylene (TCE) on a private property between a former electroplating facility in Asheville, North Carolina (USA), and a contaminated wetland/spring complex. TCE was detected in 16 of 31 trees, the locations of which were largely consistent with a "plume core" delineated by a more detailed subsurface investigation nearly 2 years later. Concentrations in tree cores and nearby soil borings were not correlated, perhaps due to heterogeneities in both geologic and tree root structure, spatial and temporal variability in transpiration rates, or interferences caused by other contaminants at the site. Several tree cores without TCE provided evidence for significantly lower TCE concentrations in shallow groundwater along the margins of the contaminated spring complex in an area with limited accessibility. This study demonstrates that tree core analyses can complement a more extensive subsurface investigation, particularly in residential or ecologically sensitive areas.
Department of Environmental Studies, University of North Carolina Asheville, One University Heights, CPO #2330, Asheville, NC, 28804, USA. jwilcox@unca.edu.
Jeffrey D
JD
Wilcox
Department of Environmental Studies, University of North Carolina Asheville, One University Heights, CPO #2330, Asheville, NC, 28804, USA.
Kathy M
KM
Johnson
D004595:Electroplating; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D060985:Natural Springs / Q000737:chemistry; D009657:North Carolina; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D014197:Trees / Q000737:chemistry*; D014241:Trichloroethylene / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D060986:Water Wells; D053833:Wetlands; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry
D012987:Soil; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014241:Trichloroethylene
Biomonitoring; Phytoremediation; Phytoscreening; TCE; Tree core sampling; Trichloroethylene
Environ Pollut. 2012 Mar;162:120-8
22243856
Environ Sci Technol. 2001 Apr 15;35(8):1561-6
11329702
Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Oct 1;45(19):8276-82
21848303
Environ Sci Technol. 2002 Nov 1;36(21):4663-8
12433179
Environ Sci Technol. 2013 Aug 20;47(16):9069-76
23937095
Environ Sci Technol. 2008 Jan 15;42(2):536-42
18284159
J Contam Hydrol. 2001 Aug;50(3-4):159-73
11523323
Environ Sci Technol. 2014 Sep 16;48(18):10634-40
25140854
Environ Toxicol Chem. 2009 Jun;28(6):1185-90
19159128
Environ Sci Technol. 2008 Mar 1;42(5):1711-7
18441825