Digital Commons Network^™

Maternal Influences On Epigenetic Programming Of The Developing Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, Curtis E. Grace, Sung-Je Kim, John M. Rogers

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Parental and environmental factors during the prenatal and postnatal periods permanently affect the physiology and metabolism of offspring, potentially increasing disease risk later in life. Underlying mechanisms are being elucidated, and effects on a number of organs and metabolic pathways are likely involved. In this review, we consider effects on the developing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which may represent a common pathway for developmental programming. The focus is on prenatal and early postnatal development, during which the HPA axis may be programmed in a manner that affects health for a lifetime. Programming of the HPA axis involves, at least in part, …

Detection Of Illicit Drugs On Surfaces Using Direct Analysis In Real Time (Dart) Time‐Of‐Flight Mass Spectrometry, Andrew H. Grange, G. Wayne Sovocool

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Methamphetamine (meth) from meth syntheses or habitual meth smoking deposited on household surfaces poses human health hazards. The U.S. State Departments of Health require decontamination of sites where meth was synthesized (meth labs) before they are sold. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) methods for meth analysis require wipe sampling, extraction, clean‐up, solvent exchange, derivatization, and/or mass spectral analysis using selected ion monitoring. Rapid and inexpensive analyses could screen for drug‐contamination within structures with greater spatial resolution, provide real‐time analyses during decontamination, and provide thorough documentation of successful clean ups. Herein an autosampler/open‐air ion source time‐of‐flight mass spectrometric …

Interpreting Tree Responses To Thinning And Fertilization Using Tree-Ring Stable Isotopes, J. Renée Brooks, Alan K. Mitchell

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Carbon sequestration has focused renewed interest in understanding how forest management affects forest carbon gain over timescales of decades, and yet details of the physiological mechanisms over decades are often lacking for understanding long-term growth responses to management.

Here, we examined tree-ring growth patterns and stable isotopes of cellulose (δ¹³C_cell and δ¹⁸O_cell) in a thinning and fertilization controlled experiment where growth increased substantially in response to treatments to elucidate physiological data and to test the dual isotope approach for uses in other locations.

δ¹³C_cell and δ¹⁸O_cell results …

Emergy As A Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicator A Gold Mining Case Study, Wesley W. Ingwesen

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Founded in thermodynamics and systems ecology, emergy evaluation is a method to associate a product with its dependencies on all upstream environmental and resource flows using a common unit of energy. Emergy is thus proposed as an indicator of aggregate resource use for life cycle assessment (LCA). An LCA of gold mining, based on an original life cycle inventory of a large gold mine in Peru, is used to demonstrate how emergy can be incorporated as an impact indicator into a process-based LCA model. The results demonstrate the usefulness of emergy in the LCA context. The adaptation of emergy evaluation, …

Remediation Of Napl Source Zones: Lessons Learned From Field Studies At Hill And Dover Afb, John E. Mccray, Geoffrey R. Tick, James W. Jawitz, John S. Gierke, Mark L. Brusseau, Ronald W. Falta, Robert C. Knox, David A. Sabatini, Michael D. Annable, Jeffrey H. Harwell, A. Lynn Wood

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Innovative remediation studies were conducted between 1994 and 2004 at sites contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) at Hill and Dover AFB, and included technologies that mobilize, solubilize, and volatilize NAPL: air sparging (AS), surfactant flushing, cosolvent flooding, and flushing with a complexingsugar solution. The experiments proved that aggressive remedial efforts tailored to the contaminant can remove more than 90% of the NAPL-phase contaminant mass. Site-characterization methods were tested as part of these field efforts, including partitioning tracer tests, biotracer tests, and mass-flux measurements. A significant reduction in the groundwater contaminant mass flux was achieved despite incomplete removal of the …

Current And Future Needs For Developmental Toxicity Testing, Susan L. Makris, James H. Kim, Amy Ellis, Willem Faber, Wafa Harrouk, Joseph M. Lewis, Merle G. Paule, Jennifer Seed, Melissa Tassinari, Rochelle Tyl

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

A review is presented of the use of developmental toxicity testing in the United States and international regulatory assessment of human health risks associated with exposures to pharmaceuticals (human and veterinary), chemicals (agricultural, industrial, and environmental), food additives, cosmetics, and consumer products. Developmental toxicology data are used for prioritization and screening of pharmaceuticals and chemicals, for evaluating and labeling of pharmaceuticals, and for characterizing hazards and risk of exposures to industrial and environmental chemicals. The in vivo study designs utilized in hazard characterization and dose-response assessment for developmental outcomes have not changed substantially over the past 30 years and have …

Evolution Of Natural History Information In The 21st Century – Developing An Integrated Framework For Biological And Geographical Data, Deborah A. Reusser, Henry Lee Ii

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Threats to marine and estuarine species operate over many spatial scales, from nutrient enrichment at the watershed/estuarine scale to invasive species and climate change at regional and global scales. To help address research questions across these scales, we provide here a standardized framework for a biogeographical information system containing queriable biological data that allows extraction of information on multiple species, across a variety of spatial scales based on species distributions, natural history attributes and habitat requirements. As scientists shift from research on localized impacts on individual species to regional and global scale threats, macroecological approaches of studying multiple species over …

Effects Of Biologically-Active Chemical Mixtures On Fish In A Wastewater-Impacted Urban Stream, Larry B. Barber, Gregory K. Brown, Todd G. Nettesheim, Elizabeth W. Murphy, Stephen E. Bartell, Heiko L. Schoenfuss

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Stream flow in urban aquatic ecosystems often is maintained by water-reclamation plant (WRP) effluents that contain mixtures of natural and anthropogenic chemicals that persist through the treatment processes. In effluent-impacted streams, aquatic organisms such as fish are continuously exposed to biologically-active chemicals throughout their life cycles. The North Shore Channel of the Chicago River (Chicago, Illinois) is part of an urban ecosystem in which >80% of the annual flow consists of effluent from the North Side WRP. In this study, multiple samplings of the effluent and stream water were conducted and fish (largemouth bass and carp) were collected on 2 …

Sex Steroid And Thyroid Hormone Receptor Expressions In The Thyroid Of The American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) During Different Life Stages, Dieldrich S. Bermudez, Jeremy P. Skotko, Yasuhiko Ohta, Ashley S.P. Boggs, Taisen Iguchi, Louis J. Guillette Jr.

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

The expression of estrogen receptors, ESR1 (ERα) and ESR2 (ERβ), and androgen receptors (AR) in the thyroid gland has been reported in few vertebrate species other than a few mammals. This study reports the presence of sex steroid hormone receptors and thyroid receptors (ERα, ERβ, AR, TRα, and TRβ) in the thyroid gland of the American alligator at several life stages. It provides a semiquantification and distribution of ERα in the thyroid follicle cells using an immunohistochemical approach as well as reports quantitative differences in mRNA expression of ERα, ERβ, TRα, TRβ, and AR in the same tissue using quantitative …

Ecosystem Services Altered By Human Changes In The Nitrogen Cycle: A New Perspective For Us Decision Making, Jana E. Compton, John A. Harrison, Robin L. Dennis, Tara L. Greaver, Brian H. Hill, Stephen J. Jordan, Henry Walker, Holly V. Campbell

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Human alteration of the nitrogen (N) cycle has produced benefits for health and well-being, but excess N has altered many ecosystems and degraded air and water quality. US regulations mandate protection of the environment in terms that directly connect to ecosystem services. Here, we review the science quantifying effects of N on key ecosystem services, and compare the costs of N-related impacts or mitigation using the metric of cost per unit of N. Damage costs to the provision of clean air, reflected by impaired human respiratory health, are well characterized and fairly high (e.g. costs of ozone and particulate damages …

Toxicity And Recovery In The Pregnant Mouse After Gestational Exposure To The Cyanobacterial Toxin, Cylindrospermopsin, N. Chernoff, E. H. Rogers, R. D. Zehr, M. I. Gage, D. E. Malarkey, C. A. Bradfield, Y. Liu, J. E. Schmid, R. H. Jaskot, J. H. Richards, C. R. Wood, M. B. Rosen

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a tricyclic alkaloid toxin produced by fresh water cyanobacterial species worldwide. CYN has been responsible for both livestock and human poisoning after oral exposure. This study investigated the toxicity of CYN to pregnant mice exposed during different segments of gestation. The course of recovery and individual responses to the toxin were evaluated. Adverse effects of CYN were monitored up to 7 weeks post-dosing by clinical examination, histopathology, biochemistry and gene expression. Exposure on gestational days (GD) 8–12 induced significantly more lethality than GD13–17 exposure. Periorbital, gastrointestinal and distal tail hemorrhages were seen in both groups. Serum markers …

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation During Pregnancy, And In Adult Nulliparous Mice, Delays The Subsequent Development Of Dmba-Induced Mammary Tumors, Tao Wang, Heather M. Gavin, Volker M. Arlt, B. Paige Lawrence, Suzanne E. Fenton, Daniel Medina, Beth A. Vorderstrasse

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the prototypic ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), promotes tumor formation in some model systems. However, with regard to breast cancer, epidemiological and animal studies are inconclusive as to whether exposure increases tumor incidence or may instead be protective. We have previously reported that mice exposed to TCDD during pregnancy have impaired differentiation of mammary tissue, including decreased branching and poor development of lobuloalveolar structures. Because normal pregnancy-induced mammary differentiation may protect against subsequent neoplastic transformation, we hypothesized that TCDD-treated mice would be more susceptible to chemical carcinogenesis after parturition. To test this, mice were …

Time-Lapse Three-Dimensional Inversion Of Complex Conductivity Data Using An Active Time Constrained (Atc) Approach, M. Karaoulis, A. Revil, D. D. Werkema, B. J. Minsley, W. F. Woodruff, A. Kemna

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Induced polarization (more precisely the magnitude and phase of impedance of the subsurface) is measured using a network of electrodes located at the ground surface or in boreholes. This method yields important information related to the distribution of permeability and contaminants in the shallow subsurface. We propose a new time-lapse 3-D modelling and inversion algorithm to image the evolution of complex conductivity over time.We discretize the subsurface using hexahedron cells. Each cell is assigned a complex resistivity or conductivity value. Using the finite-element approach, we model the in-phase and out-of-phase (quadrature) electrical potentials on the 3-D grid, which are then …

Persistent Organic Pollutants In Fish Tissue In The Mid-Continental Great Rivers Of The United States, Karen A. Blocksom, David M. Walters, Terri M. Jicha, James M. Lazorchak, Theodore R. Angradi, David W. Bolgrien

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Great rivers of the central United States (Upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio rivers) are valuable economic and cultural resources, yet until recently their ecological condition has not been well quantified. In 2004– 2005, as part of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program for Great River Ecosystems (EMAPGRE), we measured legacy organochlorines (OCs) (pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs) and emerging compounds (polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) in whole fish to estimate human and wildlife exposure risks from fish consumption. PCBs, PBDEs, chlordane, dieldrin and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were detected in most samples across all rivers, and hexachlorobenzene was detected in most Ohio River …

Effects From Filtration, Capping Agents, And Presence/Absence Of Food On The Toxicity Of Silver Nanoparticles To Daphnia Magna, H. Joel Allen, Christopher A. Impellitteri, Dana A. Macke, J. Lee Heckman, Helen C. Poynton, James M. Lazorchak, Shekar Govindaswamy, Deborah L. Roose, Mallikarjuna N. Nadagouda

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Relatively little is known about the behavior and toxicity of nanoparticles in the environment. Objectives of work presented here include establishing the toxicity of a variety of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to Daphnia magna neonates, assessing the applicability of a commonly used bioassay for testing AgNPs, and determining the advantages and disadvantages of multiple characterization techniques for AgNPs in simple aquatic systems. Daphnia magna were exposed to a silver nitrate solution and AgNPs suspensions including commercially available AgNPs (uncoated and coated), and laboratory-synthesized AgNPs (coated with coffee or citrate). The nanoparticle suspensions were analyzed for silver concentration (microwave acid digestions), size …

Pesticide Fact Sheet: Mammalian Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (Gnrh) [Gonacon]

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Available data provide adequate information to support the conditional registration of GnRH as a tool for management of nuisance white-tailed deer.

White-tailed deer have been classified by EPA as a public health pest because they are a host for blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), more commonly known as deer ticks, which are a carrier of Lyme disease.

In many urban and suburban areas white-tailed deer populations have become over abundant and are considered a year-round nuisance causing many human-wildlife conflicts such as destruction on gardens, landscapes and golf courses as well as a cause of numerous vehicle accidents. According …

Artificial Insemination In South American Camelids And Wild Equids, G. P. Adams, M. H. Ratto, C. W. Collins, D. R. Bergfelt

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

An overview of the present status of the use of artificial insemination (AI) in South American camelids and wild equids is offered. Technical aspects of semen collection, dilution and cryopreservation have limited the development and use of AI in camelid and equid species. To-date, efficiency is low but progress has been made and viable offspring have been produced through the use of AI in domestic South American camelids using both fresh and frozen semen. The origin, composition, and function of the viscous component of camelid seminal plasma remain a mystery and an obvious area for future research. A better understanding …

The Solar Transformity Of Petroleum Fuels, S. Bastianoni, D. E. Campbell, R. Ridolfi, F. M. Pulselli

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Petroleum fuels are the primary energy basis for transportation and industry. They are almost always an important input to the economic and social activities of humanity. Emergy analyses require accurate estimates with specified uncertainty for the transformities of major energy and material inputs to economic and environmental systems. In this study, the oil refining processes in Italy and the United States were examined to estimate the transformity and specific emergy of petroleum derivatives. Based on our assumptions that petroleum derivatives are splits of a complex hydrocarbon mixture and that the emergy is split based on the fraction of energy in …

Foodweb Modeling For Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In The Twelvemile Creek Arm Of Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, Usa, Brenda Rashleigh, M. Craig Barber, David M. Walters

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

PCBs from the Sangamo-Weston Superfund Site near Clemson, South Carolina, USA, were released into the Twelvemile Creek Arm of Lake Hartwell until the early 1990s. Monitoring data have shown that while PCB concentration in sediments declined since 1995, PCB concentrations in fish have remained elevated, e.g., largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) concentrations have ranged from 5 to 10 ppm. The EPA aquatic ecosystem model AQUATOX was applied to this system to better characterize foodweb dynamics that lead to biomagnification of PCBs. The model was calibrated with observed fish biomass data. Simulated PCB loading over a 12-year period provided a …

Comparing The Mutagenicity Of Toxaphene After Aging In Anoxic Soils And Accumulating In Fish, James C. Young, Anne D. Freeman, Robert M. Bruce, Douglas Williams, Keith Maruya

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

A test program was conducted to evaluate the mutagenicity of toxaphene residuals extracted from aged soils and from fish collected in creeks near a toxaphene-contaminated site. The ultimate objective was to determine if the residual toxaphene congeners were more or less mutagenic than those in technical- grade toxaphene.The study showed that the mutagenicity of the bioaccumulated toxaphenecongeners in fish, expressed as colony revertants per mg of residual toxaphene, was no greater than that of technical-grade toxaphene.Themutagenicimpactofthetoxapheneresidualsinagedsoilstatistically was less than that for technical-grade toxaphene. Two specific congeners, a hexachlorobornane(labeled Hx-Sd) and a heptachlorobornane (labeled Hp-Sd), were found to accumulate over time …

Integrated Science Assessment For Oxides Of Nitrogen And Sulfur – Ecological Criteria, United States Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

This Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) is a synthesis and evaluation of the most policy-relevant science that forms the scientific foundation for the review of the secondary (welfare-based) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) and oxides of sulfur (SO_x). The Clean Air Act definition of welfare effects includes, but is not limited to, effects on soils, water, wildlife, vegetation, visibility, weather, and climate, as well as effects on man-made materials, economic values, and personal comfort and well-being. The current secondary NAAQS for SO_x, set in 1973, is a 3-hour average …

Integrated Science Assessment For Oxides Of Nitrogen — Health Criteria, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to meet requirements set forth in Sections 108 and 109 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). These sections require the EPA Administrator (1) to list widespread air pollutants that reasonably may be expected to endanger public health or welfare; (2) to issue air quality criteria that assess the latest available scientific information on the nature and effects of ambient exposure to the criteria pollutants; (3) to set “primary” NAAQS to protect human health with adequate margin of safety and to set “secondary” NAAQS to protect …

2008 Epa’S Report On The Environment

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

To accomplish its mission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must pay close attention to trends in the condition of the nation’s air, water, and land, and to associated trends in human exposure and health and the condition of ecological systems. Data on environmental trends serve two key purposes: they provide valuable input to EPA in developing its strategic outlook and priorities, and they allow EPA and the public to assess whether the Agency is succeeding in its overall mission to protect human health and the environment. EPA prepared this Report on the Environment (ROE) to accomplish these purposes.
In …

Effects Of Climate Change On Aquatic Invasive Species And Implications For Management And Research, Roxanne Thomas, Austin Kane, Environmental Law Institute, Britta G. Bierwagen

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Global change stressors, including climate change and variability and changes in land use, are major drivers of ecosystem alterations. Invasive species, which are non-native species that cause environmental or economic damages or human-health impacts, also contribute to ecosystem changes. The interactions between stressors and invasive species, although not well understood, may exacerbate the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, and likewise, climate change may enable further invasions. This report reviews available literature on climate-change effects on aquatic invasive species (AIS) and examines state-level AIS management activities. Data on management activities came from publicly available information, was analyzed with respect to …

Bifidobacteria In Feces And Environmental Waters, Regina Lamendella, Jorge W. Santo Domingo, Catherine Kelty, Daniel B. Oerther

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Bifidobacteria have been recommended as potential indicators of human fecal pollution in surface waters even though very little is known about their presence in nonhuman fecal sources. The objective of this research was to shed light on the occurrence and molecular diversity of this fecal indicator group in different animals and environmental waters. Genus- and species-specific 16S rRNA gene PCR assays were used to study the presence of bifidobacteria among 269 fecal DNA extracts from 32 different animals. Twelve samples from three wastewater treatment plants and 34 water samples from two fecally impacted watersheds were also tested. The species-specific assays …

Acute Respiratory Health Effects Of Air Pollution On Children With Asthma In Us Inner Cities, George T. O'Connor, Lucas Neas, Benjamin Vaughn, Meyer Kattan, Herman Mitchell, Ellen F. Crain, Richard Evans, Iii, Rebecca Gruchalla, Wayne Morgan, James Stout, G. Kenneth Adams, Morton Lippmann

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Background: Children with asthma in inner-city communities may be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of air pollution because of their airways disease and exposure to relatively high levels of motor vehicle emissions.

Objective: To investigate the association between fluctuations in outdoor air pollution and asthma morbidity among inner-city children with asthma.

Methods: We analyzed data from 861 children with persistent asthma in 7 US urban communities who performed 2-week periods of twice-daily pulmonary function testing every 6 months for 2 years. Asthma symptom data were collected every 2 months. Daily pollution measurements were obtained from the Aerometric Information Retrieval System. …

Past And Projected Rural Land Conversion In The Us At State, Regional, And National Levels, Eric M. White, Anita T. Morzilla, Ralph J. Alig

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

The developed land area of the US increased by 14.2 million hectares between 1982 and 2003. Along with a projected US population increase to more than 360 million individuals by 2030 is an expected continuation of expanding rural land development. Related to population growth, rural land development and the associated loss of rural open space are expected to have a number of social, economic, and ecological implications. To gain greater insight into land development patterns, we used US Census Bureau and National Resources Inventory data to quantify per-housing-unit rates of land development during recent decades and to model future land …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 31: Ecosystem Effects Workgroup Report, John Fournie, Elizabeth Hilborn, Geoffrey Codd, Michael Coveney, Juli Dyble, Karl Havens, Bas Ibelings, Jan Landsberg, Wayne Litaker

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms represent one of the most serious ecological stressors in lakes, rivers, estuaries and marine environments. When there are persistent or frequent blooms with high biomass of cyanobacterial cells, colonies or filaments in the water, a wide range of impacts on the ecosystem may occur. These are well established in the scientific literature and are summarized in Paerl et al. (2001). Blooms may shade the water and thereby inhibit growth of other primary producers including phytoplankton, benthic algae and vascular plants and may elevate pH, particularly in poorly buffered waters. High population densities of large cyanobacteria interfere with …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 15: Cyanotoxins Workgroup Report, Rex Pegram, Andrew Humpage, Brett Neilan, Maria Runnegar, Tonya Nichols, Robert Thacker, Stephan Pflugmacher, Stacey Etheridge, Adam Love

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

The Cyanotoxins Workgroup was charged with the identification and prioritization of research needs associated with: the identification of cyanotoxins; toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of cyanotoxins; human susceptibility to the toxins; cyanobacterial genetics/omics and factors for inclusion in predictive models of toxin production; and risk reduction from an intentional or accidental release of cyanotoxins. Papers presented for the Cyanotoxins Session of the symposium on toxin types, toxicokinetics, and toxicodyamics (See Humpage this volume), cyanobacterial genetics of toxin production (See Neilan this volume), and parameters related to human risks from cyanobacterial exposure (See Love this volume) set the stage for Cyanotoxins Workgroup discussions. …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 2: A Synopsis Of Research Needs Identified At The Interagency, International Symposium On Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (Isoc-Hab), H. Kenneth Hudnell, Quay Dortch

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

Evidence indicates that the incidence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) is increasing in spatial extent and temporal frequency worldwide. Cyanobacterial blooms produce highly potent toxins and huge, noxious biomasses in surface waters used for recreation, commerce, and as drinking water sources. The Interagency, International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (ISOC-HAB) characterized the state of the science and identified research needed to address the risks posed by CHABs to human health and ecosystem sustainability. This chapter provides a synopsis of CHAB research needs that were identified by workgroups that addressed charges in major topic areas. The research and infrastructure …