Peter Sanderson (Honours Student)
University of South Australia

Project Title
Ecotoxicological testing of long-term lead contaminated soils using a multispecies soil system.

Biography
Peter has a Bachelor of Environmental Science from Adelaide University that he completed in 2005 with majors in ecology and conservation biology.

Start Date
February 2008

Project Details
This project will involve ecotoxicological assessment of long-term lead contaminated soils using a multispecies soil system. Both plant and invertebrate (worm) studies will be used to examine the toxicity of three characterized long-term Pb contaminated soils which have previously spiked with a range of Pb concentrations. These soils will be compared to field soils with different sources of Pb contamination, including smelters, small arms firing ranges, mine sites and lead acid battery manufacturers. The project will correlate the observed toxicity with the source of the contamination and the physiochemical characteristics of the soils.