This summer, the Consortium welcomed two contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) collaborative research project interns: Blakely Durham and Mary Lide Wallace.
Durham is a second-year law student at the University of Oregon School of Law who explored the legal and policy dimensions of CECs at the National Sea Grant Law Center (NSGLC). Wallace is pursuing a B.A. in environmental studies at the University of South Carolina (USC) and assisted with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) water-sampling efforts, as well as interviewing Sea Grant-funded researchers on the forefront of CECs science.
Mary Lide Wallace looks at a water sample while visiting Mount Pleasant Waterworks’ Henry Clay Duffie Water Resource Facility. Photo: Hailey Murphy, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.
CECs are chemicals or substances that may not have regulatory standards, are not included in routine monitoring programs, and could have adverse toxicological effects. These contaminants include PFAS, persistent organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and nanomaterials. The NOAA National Sea Grant Office awarded grant funds to establish the Southeast CEC Program, a collaboration between the Consortium, University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant (MAREX), and NSGLC.
As part of their Sea Grant experience, the interns toured key water quality and CEC research areas along the South Carolina coast. They were joined by Brooke Saari, Consortium Coastal Environmental Quality and Extension Services specialist, Lola Renauer, Consortium CEC graduate assistant, and Katy Smith, Water Resources specialist at MAREX.
The team visited the City of Charleston’s Stormwater Management Department, USC’s Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), Clemson University’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Mount Pleasant Waterworks’ Henry Clay Duffie Water Resource Facility, GEL Laboratory’s environmental testing facility, and the ACE Basin NERR.
Visit the program webpage to learn more about ongoing contaminants of emerging concern research and outreach.