Examination of Oncogenic Effects of Environmental Pollutants

Chemical byproducts produced by surrounding industrial complexes have polluted the local estuaries of Georgetown, South Carolina for several decades1. Previous studies completed by the EPA and SCDNR showed that the estuaries contained carcinogenic pollutants released from the local manufacturing plants1. One of the mentioned pollutants was dioxins which are produced during the paper bleaching process2. Dioxins are highly toxic compounds that have various carcinogenic effects on the organisms that inhabit the area. These previous studies were conducted over thirty years ago. Therefore, a current study to determine if chemical byproducts are contaminating local estuaries is crucial in determining if companies are abiding by the limits set by the EPA. To complete this experiment, water was collected from Sampit River and filtered through vacuum filtration. The collected water was added to media in a Boyden chamber assay containing neuroblasts in order to observe cell migration. qPCR was completed to analyze ID2, which was utilized as a biomarker for possible tumorigenic expression within the neuroblasts. Large populations of the neuroblasts in the Boyden chamber with the same starting seeding density in control vs experimental samples resulted in increased migration. In further spontaneous motility assays, tumor-like aggregated morphologies formed, showing that carcinogens are possibly present in experimental samples that are leading to oncogenic effects. qPCR analysis showed increased ID2 expression in the neuroblasts, which is a biomarker of tumorigenicity in the neuroblasts. These results indicated that chemical byproducts could be in the local watersheds of Georgetown, South Carolina.