SUMMARY OF THE REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT FORUM
IINERT SOIL-METALS ACTION TEAM
CONFERENCE CALL

November 18, 1998
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, November 18, 1998, the following members of the IINERT Soil-Metals Action Team met in a conference call:

Bill Berti, DuPont Life Sciences (Co-chair)
Sally Brown, University of Washington
Gary Pierzynski, Kansas State University

Also present was Christine Hartnett of Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG).

PLANS FOR A 1999 MEETING

Bill Berti recommended scheduling an IINERT Action Team meeting in the early winter or spring of 1999. He suggested focusing the meeting on ecological concerns, noting that this topic might interest a new set of people who are not currently involved with the Action Team’s activities. Sally Brown and Gary Pierzynski agreed that ecological concerns would be a good topic for the next meeting.

Brown noted that much discussion has been generated about environmental endpoints and how to measure a remediation project’s success. She said she would like input on what parameters to measure and how the measurements should be taken. Berti, who was calling from a Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) conference, said these issues were being discussed during that conference. He said different approaches are recommended by biologists and chemists and that some people recommend adopting an approach that incorporates both.

Berti and Pierzynski noted that several innovative ecological test endpoints are becoming available. Berti said some investigators are experimenting with abiotic earthworm surrogates. (He explained that these experiments involve placing absorptive materials inside a membrane.) Additionally, Berti noted, a Canadian company has created a stick that is covered with ion exchange resins. Pierzynski said that this product sounds similar to the resin balls that Earl Skogley created.

The conference call participants discussed when and where to hold the meeting. Berti said an Ecological Soil Screening Workshop is scheduled in February 1999. Berti said he would like to attend the Workshop and suggested scheduling an IINERT Action Team meeting immediately after or before the Workshop. Brown said she will be unavailable during the second week of February. Berti was not sure of the exact Workshop date, but thought it was during the first week of February. He said the meeting location has not been conclusively determined, but that it is likely to be either in Denver, Colorado, or San Antonio, Texas.

Brown recommended combining the meeting with a field trip. If this option is chosen, she noted, the meeting should be postponed until spring 1999 to ensure that plants are growing at field sites. Conference call participants discussed holding the meeting at:

• Leadville. Brown said the Leadville site has attracted much interest from the Department of Fish and Wildlife because it has a river running through it. Brown said June would be the best time to visit the site.
• Bunker Hill. Brown said a field trip at the Bunker Hill site would be interesting because this site has both wetland and dryland areas. Assuming this site is chosen for the meeting location, Brown recommended visiting in May. She said Mark Doolan plans to visit this site in spring 1999.
• A Missouri site. Brown said she has applied for funding for a large-scale biosolids project. She said there has been some discussion about conducting the project in Missouri. She said additional work must be performed before site selection is finalized.

Berti said he would solicit input from other Action Team members about meeting dates, locations, and topics. Brown said she would E-mail Harry Compton to determine his interest level. Berti asked Brown and Pierzynski to contact him or Jim Ryan if they have additional suggestions for the meeting. Specifically, he asked them to think about who should speak at the meeting. Assuming that the meeting is focused on ecological concerns, Berti suggested inviting soil scientists who work on soil ecotoxicity issues and representatives from the Ecological Soil Screening Levels Workshop and Oklahoma State.

UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES AT THE JOPLIN, MISSOURI, SITE

Conference call participants shared the following information about the Joplin site:

• Berti noted that the Joplin Site Committee met in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 7, 1998. He said a summary of the proceedings has been finalized. He agreed to distribute the report to conference call participants by November 23.
• Berti and Brown discussed where to store the soil samples that were collected in September 1998. Currently, the samples are at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s laboratory. Berti and Brown both agreed to contact a laboratory representative to ask to have the samples sent to Berti. Berti said he will call John Drexler to ask whether he is willing to conduct in vitro analysis on 60 more soil samples. Berti said his laboratory might perform some of the in vitro tests in-house as well.
• Brown said that she dried and ground the plant samples that were collected in September 1998. She said she will conduct analyses on the samples soon.
• Brown said that she is converting some Joplin data into Excel format. The new file should be ready soon.
• Brown noted that she is finalizing a report that she, Rufus Chaney, and Qi Xue compiled earlier in the year. She asked who the report should be sent to. Berti said it should at least be sent to (1) the people who regularly attend the conference calls, and (2) everyone who attended the October 7, 1998, Joplin Site Committee meeting. He said Brown and Chaney could decide whether they wanted a wider distribution.
• Berti said Dean Hesterberg plans to conduct X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) analyses on soil samples that were collected in May 1998. According to Berti, Hesterberg reviewed available data to determine how plant uptake and soil in vitro results differ across treatment plots. Berti said that Hesterberg has asked for about six Joplin soil samples for his XAS analyses. Hopefully, Berti said, Hesterberg will be able to document changes in lead species across the different samples as a result of treatments.

MISCELLANEOUS

Berti, Brown, and Pierzynski all plan to submit abstracts for the Vienna meeting. Pierzynski said the deadline for submittal is November 30, 1998, and that researchers are allowed to submit multiple abstracts. Brown said she will submit an abstract that discusses sludge at the Bunker Hill site. She asked whether she should also write one on Joplin data. Berti and Pierzynski encouraged her to do so. Berti said that he may submit a couple of abstracts, one of which will discuss a tailings project.

NEXT CONFERENCE CALL

Berti said the next conference call is scheduled for December 9, 1998, between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.