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High levels of an element found in coal ash have been detected in fish in two lakes where Duke Energy coal-fired power plants are located, Duke University researchers reported Tuesday.
Fish in a third lake, Mountain Island near Charlotte, had levels below a federal threshold set to protect aquatic life.
The element, selenium, occurs naturally but is concentrated in coal ash. Exposure to it can cause deformities, impaired growth and reproduction problems in fish, and can be toxic to birds that eat the fish.
The Duke researchers linked the selenium they found in the lakes to the reported discharges from coal ash ponds. |
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"Across the board, we're seeing elevated selenium levels in fish from lakes affected by coal combustion residual effluents," said study leader Jessica Brandt, a graduate student in environmental health at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
Duke Energy said its biologists haven't observed problems with fish in the lakes, and said it met the terms of its ash pond discharge permits.
The concentrations detected in the study aren't likely to be health concerns for people, for whom it is an essential mineral.
The Duke University researchers measured selenium levels in surface water, bottom-sediment waters and fish from Sutton Lake near Wilmington, Mayo Lake near Roxboro, and Mountain Island Lake. For comparison, they also tested three lakes with no history of coal ash contamination. |
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