1. Samantha Wolf, Mark Emerson, Derek Laskowsky

2.  Will soil previously contaminated with CCA contain microbes that show more resilience to prolonged exposure to CCA wood than microbes in an uncontaminated soil?

3.  The purpose of CCA is to prevent rot and damage to lumber from termites, effectively acting as a pesticide, in addition to strengthening the lumber.  During the 1940’s the lumber industry began its large-scale treatment of lumber with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) for preservation.

4.  The complications brought on by the CCA treated lumber is the leaching of chromated copper arsenate into the surrounding soil.  The focus of this study is to determine if CCA exposed microbes are resilient to the CCA, compared to non-CCA exposed microbes.

5.  Soil samples from 3”, 6”, and 9” from CCA contaminated site.

7. Sample at 3”:  Arsenic at 63.5 ppm  cadmium at 2.2 ppm  chromium at 31 ppm  copper at 44 ppm Average concentrations:  Arsenic 6.5 ppm  cadmium at 0.1 -1.0 ppm  chromium at 70 ppm  copper at 20 ppm

8.  Brain-heart nutrient broth in shaker incubator for 1 week.  Control, CCA Soil, Control soil with 2.2g CCA wood, CCA Soil with 2.2g CCA wood.

9.  Plated on agar, incubated for 24 hrs.  Counted and extrapolated to 10^4

11.  The CFU count was highest in the CCA soil sample inoculated with the CCA wood chip. The microbes in the soil must be conditioned to presence of arsenic.  Arsenic loving microbes.