Emmanuel Robert Blankson (Bsc (Ghana), MEM (Yale), PhD, (Louisiana))

Research interest
My research interest is in environmental toxicology, benthic ecology, trace metal biogeochemistry, and water quality.  My research involves studying the sources, transport, distribution, and effects of pollutants (organic pollutants and heavy metals) and other stressors on organisms and ecosystem functioning and how their effects can be mitigated.

Current research/project(s)

Currently I am investigating the influence of heavy metals and other pollutants on macrobenthic  community structure in coastal and freshwater environments in Ghana.

Past research projects

1. The effect of bioturbation on the transport, bioavailability and toxicity of lead (Pb) in freshwater laboratory microcosms
2. The Effect of Sediment Bioturbators on the Biological Degradation of Petroleum in Coastal Ecosystems. Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) project
3. The bioaccumulation and effects of selenium in the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus via dissolved and dietary exposure routes
4. Management of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Ghana. United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) project

Awards
2013   First prize award winner for poster presentation at the Annual Conference of the Society of 
            Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry South Central Chapter. Hosted by the University
            Of Houston - Clear Lake.
                                                                                                                                
2010-2013    University of Louisiana at Lafayette doctoral fellowship                        

2006-2008    Adelaide Hixon Endowed Scholarship, Yale School of Environment

Recent publications
Blankson E.R. and Klerks P.L. (2017) “The effect of sediment characteristics on bioturbation- mediated transfer of lead, in freshwater laboratory microcosms with Lumbriculus variegatus”.  Ecotoxicology 26, 227-237, DOI: 10.1007/s10646-016-1757-0

Blankson E.R., Deb Adhikary N. and Klerks P.L. (2017) “The effect of lead contamination on bioturbation by Lumbriculus variegatus in a freshwater microcosm”. Chemosphere 167, 19-27.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.09.128

Blankson E.R. and Klerks P.L. (2016) “The effect of lead from sediment bioturbation by Lumbriculus variegatus on Daphnia magna in the water column”. Ecotoxicology 25, 1712-1719. DOI 10.1007/s10646-016-1702-2

Xie, L., Wu X., Chen H., Luo Y., Guo Z.,  Mu J., Blankson E.R., Dong W., Klerks P.L. (2016) “The bioaccumulation and effects of selenium in the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus via dissolved and dietary exposure routes”.  Aquatic Toxicology 178, 1-7. doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2016.07.008

Blankson E.R. and Klerks P.L. (2016) “The effect of bioturbation by Lumbriculus variegatus on transport and distribution of lead in a freshwater microcosm”. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 35, 1123-1129. doi: 10.1002/etc.3248