Contamination of saltmarsh sediments and biota by CCA treated wood walkways

Abstract

Sediments, marsh grasses, and ribbed mussels were collected under two CCA wood walkways (15 and 3 years old) and 1, 3, and 10 m out, in the high, middle and low marshes. These sediments, and samples from reference sites, were analyzed for Cu, Cr, and As by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Metal concentrations were highly elevated under the walkways and up to 10 m away. Dispersal of contaminants near the old walkway was greatest in the low marsh, less in the middle, and least in the high marsh, corresponding to periods of tidal inundation. Accumulation under the walkway was generally greatest in the low marsh. Contamination was much higher in sediments under the new walkway than the old one, but metals had not dispersed as far. Accumulation patterns in plants were similar, but the contamination did not disperse as far and was not greater under the new vs the old walkway, despite differences in sediment concentrations. In mussels, bioaccumulation was seldom statistically significant, due largely to small sample sizes.