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Dr Rick van Dam – BSc (Hons), PhD

Background

Dr Rick van Dam leads the ERISS Ecotoxicology program. He has a background in aquatic toxicology and ecological risk assessment, with experience also in marine and freshwater ecology. He has coordinated and been involved in assessments of a variety of wetland threats, including the impacts of chemical contaminants, invasive species, and climate change and sea level rise. Rick's experience in aquatic toxicology encompasses assessments of both inorganic (mostly through mining activities) and organic (eg pesticides, hydrocarbons) contaminants to aquatic animals and plants. He has also been involved in developing a wetland risk assessment framework for the Ramsar Convention, and its application to both chemical and biological threats.

Areas of expertise and research interests

Aquatic ecotoxicology; ecological risk assessment; derivation of water quality guidelines; monitoring and assessment of contaminant impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

Current key projects

• The toxicity of uranium to sediment biota of Magela Creek backflow billabong environments
• Effect of dissolved organic matter on the bioavailability and toxicity of uranium and aluminium to tropical freshwater biota
• Direct effects of suspended sediment on tropical freshwater biota
• Toxicity of pulse-exposed magnesium to four tropical freshwater species
• Toxicity of treated pond and process waters from Ranger Uranium Mine to five local freshwater species
• Preliminary assessment of the toxicity of manganese to three tropical freshwater species
• Chronic toxicity of uranium to larval purple-spotted gudgeon, Mogurnda mogurnda
• Toxicity of magnesium sulfate, and the influence of calcium, in very low ionic concentration waters

• Summaries of current internal projects

Key publications

Bayliss P, van Dam R & Bartolo R in press. Quantitative ecological risk assessment of Magela Creek floodplain on Kakadu National Park: comparing point source risks from Ranger uranium mine to diffuse landscape-scale risks. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment.

Cheng KL, Parry DL, Hogan AC, Markich SJ, Harford AJ & van Dam RA 2010. Uranium toxicity and speciation following chronic exposure to the tropical freshwater fish, Mogurnda mogurnda . Chemosphere 79, 547-554.

van Dam RA, Hogan A, McCullough C, Houston M, Humphrey C & Harford A 2010. Aquatic toxicity of magnesium sulfate, and the influence of calcium, in very low ionic concentration water . Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 29(2), 410-421.

van Dam RA, Harford AJ, Houston MA, Hogan AC & Negri A 2008. Tropical marine toxicity testing in Australia: A review and recommendations . Australasian Journal of Ecotoxicology 14(2/3), 55-88.

van Dam RA, Hogan AC, Harford AJ & Markich SJ 2008. Toxicity and metal speciation characterisation of waste water from an abandoned gold mine in tropical northern Australia . Chemosphere 73, 305-313.

Warne M & van Dam R 2008. NOEC and LOEC data should no longer be generated or used. Australasian Journal of Ecotoxicology 14(1), 1-5.

Hogan A, van Dam RA, Markich SJ & Camilleri C 2005. Chronic toxicity of uranium to a tropical green alga (Chlorella sp.) in natural waters and the influence of dissolved organic carbon . Aquatic Toxicology 75, 343-353.

van Dam RA, Camilleri C, Bayliss P & Markich SJ 2004. Ecological risk assessment of tebuthiuron following application on tropical Australian wetlands . Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 10, 1069-1097.

van Dam RA, Humphrey CL & Martin P 2002. Mining in the Alligator Rivers Region, northern Australia: Assessing potential and actual impacts on ecosystem and human health . Toxicology 181/182, 505-515.

Riethmuller N, Markich SJ, van Dam RA & Parry D 2001. Effects of water hardness and alkalinity on the toxicity of uranium to a tropical freshwater hydra  (Hydra viridissima). Biomarkers 6(1), 45-51.

van Dam RA & Chapman JC 2001. Direct toxicity assessment (DTA) for water quality guidelines in Australia and New Zealand. Australasian Journal of Ecotoxicology 7(2), 157-180.

SSD publications

More information about SSD publications is available online.

• SSD publications home page
• Supervising Scientist Reports
• Supervising Scientist Annual Report
• Consolidated list of publications by Supervising Scentist Division staff from 1978

More information

• Research at Supervising Scientist Division
• Environmental monitoring at Supervising Scientist Division
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