DV-17-16 Measuring concentrations of brominated flame retardants in microplastic from Penobscot Bay

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Cary Friedman
Assistant Professor of Marine Science
Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME

Persistent organic pollutants are pervasive throughout the world’s oceans, and they are present in the Penobscot River and Bay. One type of pollutant, a polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) used as flame retardant on a wide variety of products, can be toxic to people and wildlife and has been detected in fish in Penobscot Bay. Microplastics—tiny bits of degraded and broken plastic—also occur throughout the ocean. Most of these kinds of pollutants enter rivers and coastal waters via wastewater treatment plants. PBDE and other carbon-containing chemicals tend to stick to plastic, accummulating at concentrations ~5-7 orders of magnitude greater than their concentration in water. With this grant, Friedman and undergraduate student assistants will collect microplastics from different locations in Penobscot River and Bay and analyze the plastic for PBDE content.

The equipment and methodology supported by this project will benefit Friedman’s research program examining the transport and fate of organic contaminants, and her developing partnerships with Tribal communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Sea Grant funds: $2,260