Project:

Lichens as Bioindicators for Radioactive Materials in the Grumman Plume

Students:

Liam Schorr, Nicholas Condoleo, Riley Fowler, Harry Hargreaves

School:

Lynbrook Senior High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Kathleen McAuley

Abstract:

In 1976, the United States and New York State government discovered that a plume of radioactive groundwater contamination had migrated off the Bethpage Naval Weapons Station in Long Island, New York (Schwartz & LaRocco, 2020). This groundwater plume, known as the Bethpage Plume, is contaminated with several hazardous and radioactive chemicals, including trichloroethene (TCE) (Schwartz & LaRocco, 2020). The Bethpage Plume has been monitored since its discovery, and it is currently considered to be one of the largest groundwater contamination sites in the US (Schwartz & LaRocco, 2020). Additionally, the Central Boulevard Elementary School has conducted tests in past years, which has detected levels of radium in the groundwater above allowable standards of 3.0 pCi/L (Nannini, 2020); however, in 2021, it was found that raidum levels were below 3.0 pCi/L (Nannini, 2021). Lichens are a type of symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae, and they are known to be sensitive to environmental

Poster:

Team samples: