238 BIRGE 



highest in benthos. This indicated accumulation of these toxicants in 

 biomass and bottom sediment. 



The results given here show clearly that a substantial number of 

 minor and trace elements of coal and fly ash are highly toxic to 

 aquatic organisms. Many are leachable from ash residues at concen- 

 trations that prove lethal to fish and amphibian embryo— larval stages 

 and other organisms. Since annual coal utilization in the United 

 States may reach 1 billion tons or more in the near future (Vaughan 

 et al., 1975), it remains essential to characterize more fully the toxic 

 properties of coal-derived contaminants, ascertain their release rates, 

 and determine their pathways of exchange wdthin and ultimate 

 effects upon aquatic ecosystems. 



ACKIMOWLEDGMEIMTS 



I should like to acknowledge efforts devoted to bioassay 

 evaluation by A. G. Westerman and J. A. Black and contributions by 

 R. A. Freeman and J. E. Hudson to the fly-ash-leaching studies. I am 

 most grateful to B. A. Ramey for preparation of the manuscript and 

 figures. The research reported here was supported by the Institute 

 for Mining and Minerals Research, Lexington, Kentucky (grant 

 number 7576-EZ). 



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Abel, K. H., and L. A. Rancitelli, 1975, Major, Minor and Trace Element 

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American Public Health Association, 1975, Standard Methods for the Examina- 

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