ORRINGTON – A three-person independent study team has been formed to oversee the study of mercury levels in the Penobscot River and Penobscot Bay south of the former HoltraChem plant.

Dr. Christopher Whipple was selected for the panel by Mallinckrodt Inc., the only owner of the former chemical plant still in existence, and Dr. Nicholas Fisher was appointed to the panel by Maine People’s Alliance.

The duo then picked Dr. John William Rudd to chair the panel, which will meet with U.S. District Court Judge Eugene Carter next month.

The Maine People’s Alliance and the Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. filed a lawsuit nearly three years ago against Mallinckrodt Inc. claiming that state and federal regulatory agencies were not doing enough to address mercury pollution problems in the Penobscot River below the plant.

In July 2003, Carter ordered the mercury contamination study be conducted and later laid down the guidelines for who would sit on the panel.

Whipple holds a doctorate in engineering science from California Institute of Technology and is a principal at Environ International, an environmental-science consulting firm.

Fisher holds a doctorate in marine biology and is a professor at the Marine Sciences Research Center at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

“Fisher brings an impressive 30-year history as a marine biologist and research scientist that includes his specialization in biogeochemistry of metals in aquatic systems, aquatic pollution management strategies and aquatic toxicology,” said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, co-director of the MPA.

Rudd holds a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and has 25 years’ experience as a research scientist with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The study panel will work on a strategy to test for mercury contamination between Orrington and Verona Island and, if necessary, will develop a cleanup plan for the area.

The panel also should answer questions regarding what physical, chemical and biological processes are at work that affect or govern the distribution and fate of mercury and methyl mercury in soil sediments.

The study participants also have been asked to look at effects of mercury on aquatic organisms and food webs in the river and if the mercury levels are adversely affecting the organisms or whether there is an unacceptable risk to human life.