Research Interests

My research broadly focuses on how aquatic organisms interact with toxic chemicals in their environment. Specifically I am interested in how organisms accumulate and metabolize organic contaminants, and how they respond to such exposure at the cellular, biochemical, and physiological levels.  Currently my laboratory is evaluating the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals released from sewage treatment plants, the effects of pesticide application on estuarine crustaceans, mutagenicity of contaminants in marine sediments, and bioavailability and acute toxicity of petroleum-derived contaminants in sediments.

Recent Publications

Zulkosky, A.M. Ruggieri, J.P., Terracciano, S.A., Brownawell, B.J. and McElroy A.E., Submitted. Acute Toxicity of Resmethrin, Malathion, and Methoprene to Larval and Juvenile American Lobsters (Homarus americanus) and Analysis of Pesticide Levels in Surface  Waters after Scourge™, Anvil™ and Altosid™ Application. J. Shellfish, Res.

Rust, A.J. Burgess, R.M., Brownawell, B.J. and McElroy A.E. In Press. Relationship between metabolism and bioaccumulation of benzo[a]pyrene in benthic invertebrates. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.

Rust, A.J. Burgess, R.M., McElroy A.E., Cantwell, M.G. and Brownawell, B.J. In Press. The influence of soot carbon on the bioaccumulation of sediment-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Pahs) by marine benthic invertebrates: an interpspecies. comparison.  Environ. Toxicol. Chem.

Rust, A.J. Burgess, R.M., McElroy A.E., Cantwell, M.G. and Brownawell, B.J.  In Press. The role of source matrix in the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to deposit-feeding benthic invertebrates. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.

Sapozhinikova, Y., McElroy A., Snyder, S., and Schlenk, D. In Press.  Estrogenic activity measurement in wastewater using in vitro and in vivo methods. In: Methods in Aquatic Toxicology, G.K Ostrander Ed. Lewis Pub. Boca Raton, FL.

Wirgin, I.I. Wise, J.S. and McElroy A.E. In Press. Physiological and genetic aspects of toxicity in Hudson River species. In The Hudson River Ecosystem. J. Levinton, and J. Waldman, Eds. Elsevier Press.

McArdle, M.E., McElroy, A.E., and Elskus, A.A. 2004. Enzymatic and estrogenic responses in fish exposed to organic pollutants in the New York-New Jersey (USA) Harbor Complex. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 23:953-959.

Monosson, E., Ashley, J.T.F., McElroy, A.E., Woltering, D., and Elskus A.A. 2003. PCB  congener distributions in muscle, liver and gonad of Fundulus heteroclitus from the lower Hudson River Estuary and Newark Bay. Chemosphere. 52:777-787.

Todorov, J.L., Elskus, A.A., Schlenk , D. Ferguson , P.L., Brownawell, B.J., and McElroy, A.E. 2002. Estrogenic responses of larval sunshine bass (Morone saxatilis X M. chrysops) exposed to New York City sewage effluent. Mar. Environ. Res. 54:691-695.

Zulkosky, A.M.,Ferguson, P.L., and McElroy, A.E. 2002. Effects of sewage-impacted sediment on reproduction in the benthic crustacean Leptocheirus plumulosus. Mar. Environ. Res. 54:615-619.

Ferguson, P.L., Iden, C.R., McElroy, A.E., and Brownawell, B.J. 2001. Determination of steroid estrogens in wastewater by immunoaffinity extraction coupled with HPLC-MS. Anal. Chem., 731: 3890-3895.

Ahrens, M.J. Hertz, J., Lamoureux, E.M. Lopez, G.R., McElroy, A.E. and Brownawell, B.J. 2001.The effect of body size on digestive chemistry and absorption efficiencies of food and sediment-bound organic contaminants in Nereis succinea (Polychaeta). J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol. 263:185-209.

Ahrens, M.J. Hertz, J., Lamoureux, E.M. Lopez, G.R., McElroy, A.E. and Brownawell, B.J. 2001. The role of digestive surfactants in determining bioavailability of sediment-bound hydrophobic organic contaminants to two deposit-feeding polychaetes. Mar. Environ. Prog. Ser. 212:145-157.

McElroy, A., Leitch, K., and Fay, A. 2000. A survey of in vivo benzo[a]pyrene metabolism in small benthic invertebrates. Mar. Environ. Res. 50:33-38.

McArdle, M., Elskus, A., McElroy, A., Larsen, B., Benson, W., and Schlenk, D. 2000. Estrogenic and CYP1A response of two species of fish, killifish and striped bass, to sewage effluent. Mar. Environ. Res. 50:175-179.

McElroy, A., Leitch, K., and Fay, A. 2000. A survey of in vivo benzo[a]pyrene metabolism in small benthic invertebrates. Mar. Environ. Res. 50:33-38.

Fay, A.A. Brownawell, B., Elskus, A.A., and McElroy, A.E. 2000. Critical body residues in Amplelisca abdita: sediment exposures to organic contaminants. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 19:1028-1035.

McElroy, A.E., Elskus, A.A., and Fay, A.A. 2000. Approaches for toxicity identification evaluation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediments. In: Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment: Recent Achievements in Environmental Fate and Transport: Ninth Volume: ASTM STP 1381, F.T. Price, K.V. Brix, and N.K. Lane, Eds. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohoken, PA, pp. 239-255.

Elskus, A.A., Monosson, E., McElroy, A.E., Stegeman, J.J., and Woltering, D.S. 1999. Altered CYP1A expression in Fundulus heteroclitus adults and larvae: a sign of pollutant resistance? Aquat. Toxicol. 34:99-113.

McElroy, A.E., Elskus, A.A., and Fay, A.A. 2000. Approaches for toxicity identification evaluation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediments. In: Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment: Recent Achievements in Environmental Fate and Transport: Ninth Volume: ASTM STP 1381, F.T. Price, K.V. Brix, and N.K. Lane, Eds. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohoken, PA, pp. 239-255.

Elskus, A.A., Monosson, E., McElroy, A.E., Stegeman, J.J., and Woltering, D.S. 1999. Altered CYP1A expression in Fundulus heteroclitus adults and larvae: a sign of pollutant resistance? Aquat. Toxicol. 34:99-113.

Black, D.E., Guthahr-Gobell, R., Pruell, R.J., Bergen, B., and McElroy, A.E. 1998. Effects of a mixture of non-ortho- and mono-orthopolychlorinated biphenyls on reproduction in Fundulus heteroclitus (Linneaus). Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 17:1396-1404.

Black, D.E., Guthahr-Gobbel, R. Pruell, R.J. Bergen, B., Livolski, J., Mills, L. and McElroy, A.E. 1998. Reproduction and PCBs in Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus) from New Bedford Harbor, MA. Environ. Toxciol. Chem. 17:1405-1414.

Means, J.C. and A.E. McElroy, 1997. Bioaccumulation of PCBs: sediment and animal variables. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 16:1277-1286.

Driscoll, S.K. and A.E. McElroy, 1997. Elimination of benzo[a]pyrene by three species of polychaete worms exposed to 3-methylcholanthrene. Aquat. Toxicol. 39:77-91.