C. Marjorie Aelion
B.Sc., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1980; M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983; Ph.D., University of North Carolina, 1988
organic contaminants, heavy metals, intellectual disabilities, environmental justice; groundwater remediation
Dr. Aelion has carried out research in the area of biodegradation of organic contaminants, including gasoline, jet fuel and chlorinated solvents, in groundwater and vadose zone soils. Her research focused on the development of novel tools for assessing remedial technologies, including 13C stable isotopes, and naturally-occurring radiocarbon (14C), and the application and development of enhanced remediation systems for contaminated ground water. She has carried out extensive research assessing the impact of land use, including golf course development, on coastal environments, pesticide removal and nutrient cycling. Her most recent research focuses on heavy metals in residential soils, primarily arsenic, lead and mercury, and their potential associations with negative health outcomes in children, including intellectual disabilities in susceptible populations. This research incorporates environmental justice and environmental health sciences research.
Aelion, C.M., H.T. Davis, A.B. Lawson, B. Cai and S. McDermott. 2012. Associations of estimated residential soil arsenic and lead concentrations and community-level environmental measures with mother-child health conditions in South Carolina. Health and Place 18:774-781.
Aelion, C.M., M.R. Engle and H. Ma. 2010. Use of 15N natural abundance and N species concentrations to assess N-cycling in constructed and natural coastal wetlands. Applied and Environmental Soil Science Doi:10.1155/2010/371259, pp.1-9.
Davis, H.T., C.M. Aelion, S. McDermott and A.B. Lawson. 2009. Identifying natural and anthropogenic sources of metals in urban and rural soils using GIS-based data, PCA, and spatial interpolation. Environmental Pollution 157:2378-2385. PMC2694234
Aelion C.M., H.T. Davis, S. McDermott and A.B. Lawson. 2009. Soil metal concentrations and toxicity: Associations with distances to industrial facilities and implications for human health. Science of the Total Environment 407:2216-2223. PMC2676061
Aelion C.M., H.T. Davis, S. McDermott and A.B. Lawson. 2008. Metal concentrations in rural topsoil in South Carolina; Potential for human health impact. Science of the Total Environment 402:149-156. PMC2631568
