INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF ROAD SEDIMENT AS A TRACER OF POLLUTION IN THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT NEAR A VACANT PROPERTY IN HAMILTON, OHIO

Road sediment is a widely available medium which may be utilized for investigation of pollution in urban environments. In-depth analysis of road sediment may also provide insight into regional contamination sources and identify potential pollutants with implications for the health of the local environment and surrounding communities. Initial investigation included five road sediment samples collected adjacent to a vacant property in Hamilton, SW Ohio. Hamilton has a history of industrial plants and factories releasing pollutants into the air, soil, and water. The Great Miami River flows through Hamilton and is the source of local and regional drinking water. Road sediment sample characterization was completed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at Miami University’s Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging (CAMI). The SEM is equipped with a backscatter detector (BSD) and an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) which were utilized to determine the general chemistry of materials present. Results thus far indicate that Pb-rich particles, quartz, amorphous Fe-oxide particles, and other metal-rich particles are common within road sediment material. The Pb-rich particles vary from 55 μm to >1 μm and are subhedral to anhedral in shape. These particles are also commonly associated with quartz. Subhedral quartz particles observed vary from ~300 μm to 850 μm in diameter and tend to have smooth surfaces with several smaller particles adhered to their surface. The Fe-oxide particles lack uniformity regarding their shape and size, and range from 10 μm to 346 μm. Anthropogenic spherules identified within sediment material vary in size, shape, and composition. Spherules rich in Fe tend to display spinel textures on the surface and often vary in size from <10 μm to >100 μm. Glassy spherules vary in size from <10 μm to >100 μm, and are predominantly composed of Si and O. Results gleaned from SEM analysis have shown that anthropogenic contaminants (i.e., Pb, spherules, etc.) have been identified within road sediment samples. Further investigation to help better constrain the extent of environmental contamination at this long-term vacant property and in Hamilton is warranted.