CL:AIRE is looking for contaminated soil to help a UK research project.
Dr James Stratford is a researcher working in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. He is currently involved in a BBSRC/EPSRC funded project studying chlorotoluene degrading bacteria and those which degrade other chlorinated organic contaminants.
He is looking for a range of sites where different microbial populations (soil samples) can be collected which are naturally adapted to these types of contaminants. Sites would need to be contaminated fairly heavily with this chemical to be of use.
Ideally sites will have large concentration gradients of 2-chlorotoluene where a clearly identified point source of contamination is causing strong localised contamination which disperses into the surrounding soil. The research team is happy to measure the concentrations of 2-chlorotoluene in the soil so it's not necessary for this to be known exactly. They would also prefer to take soil samples themselves to enable them to make some in situ measurements.
The work will most likely result in peer reviewed high impact research papers and any assistance provided would of course be acknowledged.
If you have a site that fits the criteria above, please contact Rob.Sweeney@claire.co.uk