Digital Commons Network^™

Mutagens In Contaminated Soil: A Review, Paul A. White, Larry D. Claxton

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The intentional and accidental discharges of toxic pollutants into the lithosphere results in soil contamination. In some cases (e.g., wood preserving wastes, coal-tar, airborne combustion by-products), the contaminated soil constitutes a genotoxic hazard. This work is a comprehensive review of published information on soil mutagenicity. In total, 1312 assessments of genotoxic activity from 118 works were examined. The majority of the assessments (37.6%) employed the Salmonella mutagenicity test with strains TA98 and/or TA100. An additional 37.6% of the assessments employed a variety of plant species (e.g., Tradescantia clone 4430, Vicia faba, Zea mays, Allium cepa) to assess mutagenic activity. …

The Triad Approach: A Catalyst For Maturing Remediation Practice, Deana M. Crumbling, Joel S. Hayworth, Robert L. Johnson, Marlene Moore

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Many individual scientific and technical disciplines contribute to the multidisciplinary field of remediation science and practice. Because of the relative youth of this enterprise, disciplinary interests sometimes compete and conflict with the primary goal of achieving protective, cost-effective, efficient projects. Convergence of viewpoints toward a more mature, common vision is needed. In addition, cleanup programs are changing under the influence of Brownfields initiatives and the needs of environmental insurance underwriters. Investigations and cleanups increasingly need to be affordable, yet transparent and defensible. Disciplinary goals and terminology need to better reflect real-world site conditions while being more supportive of project needs. …

Ground Water Recharge And Chemical Contaminants: Challenges In Communicating The Connections And Collisions Of Two Disparate Worlds, Christian G. Daughton

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Our knowledge base regarding the presence and significance of chemicals foreign to the subsurface environment is large and growing-the papers in this volume serving as testament. However, complex questions with few answers surround the unknowns regarding the potential for environmental or human health effects from trace levels of xenobiotics in ground water, especially ground water augmented with treated waste water. Public acceptance for direct or indirect ground water recharge using treated municipal waste water (especially sewage) spans the spectrum from unquestioned embrace to outright rejection. In this paper, I detour around the issues most commonly discussed regarding ground water recharge …

Monitored Natural Attenuation Forum: A Panel Discussion, Bob Norris, Lenny Siegel, Stephen Lester, Hal White

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

In the spring 2004 issue of Remediation, we presented the question that appears below to three of our MNA panel members. As discussed in the previous issue, “MNA should be used very cautiously as the sole remedy” (Fran Kremer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [US EPA]). It should be the lowest importance compared to other natural attenuation processes and “public involvement is particularly important in cases where dilution plays a substantial role in the remediation strategy” (Barbara Bekins, U.S. Geological Survey). “Definitions and evaluation strategies must explicitly address what processes are acting and the footprints of those processes. Failing to …

Distribution Of Six Virulence Factors In Aeromonas Species Isolated From Us Drinking Water Utilities: A Pcr Identification, K. Sen, M. Rodgers

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Aims: To examine whether Aeromonas bacteria isolated from municipally treated water had virulence factor genes.

Methods and Results: A polymerase chain reaction-based genetic characterization determined the presence of six virulence factors genes, elastase (ahyB), lipase (pla/lip/lipH3/alp-1) flagella A and B (flaA and flaB), the enterotoxins, act, alt and ast, in these isolates. New primer sets were designed for all the target genes, except for act. The genes were present in 88% (ahyB), 88% (lip), 59% (fla), 43% (alt), 70% (act) and 30% …

Antioxidant Supplementation And Nasal Inflammatory Responses Among Young Asthmatics Exposed To High Levels Of Ozone, J. J. Sienra-Monge, M. Ramirez-Aguilar, H. Moreno-Macias, N. I. Reyes-Ruiz, B. E. Del Río-Navarro, M. X. Ruiz-Navarro, G. Hatch, K. Crissman, R. Slade, R. B. Devlin, I. Romieu

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The inflammatory response to ozone in atopic asthma suggests that soluble mediators of inflammation are released in response to oxidant stress. Antioxidants may alleviate additional oxidative stress associated with photochemical oxidant pollution. This study investigates the impact of antioxidant supplementation on the nasal inflammatory response to ozone exposure in atopic asthmatic children. We conducted a randomized trial using a double-blinded design. Children with asthma ( n = 117), residents of Mexico City, were given randomly a daily supplement of vitamins (50 mg/day of vitamin E and 250 mg/day of vitamin C) or placebo. Nasal lavages were performed three times during …

Special Issue Of Atmospheric Environment On Findings From Epa’S Particulate Matter Supersites Program, Constantinos Sioutas, Spyros N. Pandis, David T. Allen, Paul A. Solomon

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

In July 1997, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM_2.5, atmospheric particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 μm). The PM_2.5 NAAQS was developed by the EPA based on the results of numerous epidemiological studies that found persistent associations between outdoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and significant adverse health effects. However, considerable uncertainty existed concerning mechanisms by which various classes of particles might cause adverse health effects, as well as more detailed information on the composition and concentrations of ambient fine PM, that would …

Analysis Of Functional Effects Of A Mixture Of Five Pesticides Using A Ray Design, Chris Gennings, W. Hans Carter Jr., Michelle Casey, Virginia Moser, Richard Carchman, Jane Ellen Simmons

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The protection of human health from the adverse effects of cumulative environmental exposure to chemical mixtures is an important issue. Of particular interest is the detection and characterization of interaction among chemicals in complex mixtures. Response surface methodology, often supported by factorial designs, is the classical statistical experimental approach. Fixed-ratio ray designs, which may include the use of single chemical data in addition to data along mixture ray(s), have been proposed as an alternative approach. Such designs permit a reduction in the amount of experimental effort when the region of interest can be restricted to exposure-relevant mixing ratios. A ‘single …

Sustainable Futures: Encouraging Risk Screening Of Industrial Chemicals At The R&D Stage, Maggie Wilson

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

U.S. EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) has developed computerized methods for predicting the risk of industrial chemical toxicity based on an analysis of chemical structure. Under the Sustainable Futures Pilot Project, industry is beginning to realize tangible business and pollution prevention benefits from the use of these methods.

This article discusses the development of the Sustainable Futures program and highlights some of the benefits to business, regulators, and the environment.

National Water Quality Inventory: Report To Congress 2004 Reporting Cycle

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Table of Contents

Section Page

List of Figures.............................................................................................................................iv List of Tables...............................................................................................................................iv List of Acronyms..........................................................................................................................v Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................1

I. Background...................................................................................................................5

About the Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information Database (ATTAINS)..........................................................................................................................5

Assessing Water Quality................................................................................................................................7

II. Findings.......................................................................................................................13 Rivers and Streams...........................................................................................................................13 Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs.......................................................................................................................16

Bays and Estuaries.........................................................................................................................20 Other Waters..............................................................................................................................23 Coastal Resources.......................................................................................................................23

Great Lakes.....................................................................................................................24 Wetlands..........................................................................................................................24

III. Probability Surveys of Water Quality.......................................................................26

National Coastal Assessment....................................................................................26

The Wadeable Streams Assessment.......................................................................27

Survey of the Nation’s Lakes.......................................................................................29

National Rivers and Streams Assessment.............................................................30

National Wetland Condition Assessment...............................................................30

State-Scale Statistical Surveys..................................................................................31

South Carolina..............................................................................................................32 Indiana............................................................................................................................33 Florida.............................................................................................................................34 IV. Future Reporting......................................................................................................36

V. References………………………………………………………………………….37

Maternal Age As A Determinant Of Larval Growth And Survival In A Marine Fish, Sebastes Melanops, Steven A. Berkeley, Colin Chapman, Susan M. Sogard

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Relative body size has long been recognized as a factor influencing reproductive success in fishes, but maternal age has only recently been considered. We monitored growth and starvation resistance in larvae from 20 female black rockfish (Sebastes melanops), ranging in age from five to 17 years. Larvae from the oldest females in our experiments had growth rates more than three times as fast and survived starvation more than twice as long as larvae from the youngest females. Female age was a far better predictor of larval performance than female size. The apparent underlying mechanism is a greater provisioning …

Lopsided Fish In The Snake River Basin – Fluctuating Asymmetry As A Way Of Assessing Impact Of Hatchery Supplementation In Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha, Orlay Johnson, Kathleen Neely, Robin Waples

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The use of developmental instability (an individual’s failure to produce a consistent phenotype in a given environment) was evaluated to detect the effects of outplanting hatchery fish on wild salmon. Juvenile chinook salmon were collected in 1989, 1990, and 1991 from five drainages in the Snake River Basin. In each drainage we attempted to collect fish from streams with no hatchery supplementation (wild), naturally spawning fish from streams with hatchery supplementation (natural), and fish collected at a hatchery. Forty fish were collected per site and the number of elements in bilateral characters were counted on each side of the fish. …

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Light Therapy, And Their Combination In Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder, Kelly J. Rohan, Kathryn Tierney Lindsey, Katheryn A. Roecklein, Timothy J. Lacy

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Background: The need to develop supplementary or alternative treatments for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is underscored by the significant minority (47%) of SAD patients that is refractory to light therapy, the persistence of residual symptoms despite light treatment, and poor long-term compliance with light use. Because preliminary studies suggest that cognitive and behavioral factors are involved in SAD, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) warrants investigation as a possible treatment option. Methods: We piloted a 6-week randomized clinical trial to compare a standard light therapy protocol; a novel, SAD-tailored, group CBT intervention; and their combination in ameliorating and remitting a current SAD episode …

Functional Characterization Of The Arabidopsis Thaliana Orthologue Of Tsc13p, The Enoyl Reductase Of The Yeast Microsomal Fatty Acid Elongating System, Kenneth Gable, Sarah Garton, Johnathan A. Napier, Teresa M. Dunn

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

The protein encoded by the Arabidopsis At3g55360 gene was selected as a candidate for the enoyl reductase of the microsomal elongase system based on its homology to the Tsc13p protein of S. cerevisiae. The studies presented here demonstrate that heterologous expression of At3g55360 functionally complements the temperature-sensitive phenotype of a yeast tsc13 mutant that is deficient in enoyl reductase activity. Furthermore, AtTSC13 is shown to interact physically with the Elo2p and Elo3p components of the yeast elongase complex. At3g55360 apparently encodes the sole enoyl reductase activity associated with microsomal fatty acid elongation in Arabidopsis. Consistent with this conclusion, …

Plant Cell-Based Intimin Vaccine Given Orally To Mice Primed With Intimin Reduces Time Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Shedding In Feces, Nicole A. Judge, Hugh S. Mason, Alison D. O'Brien

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Intimin is the primary adhesin of Escherichia coli O157:H7, the most common infectious cause of bloody diarrhea in the United States and the leading cause of acute kidney failure in children who develop hemolytic uremic syndrome. Cattle are the primary reservoir of E. coli O157:H7. Indeed, most cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in the United States occur after ingestion of contaminated undercooked hamburger or produce that had contact with bovine manure. Because intimin is required for persistent colonization of neonatal calves and adult cattle, we hypothesized that an intimin-based vaccination strategy in calves would reduce colonization of cattle with …

Structure Of Shiga Toxin Type 2 (Stx2) From Escherichia Coli O157:H7, Marie E. Fraser, Masao Fujinaga, Maia M. Cherney, Angela R. Melton-Celsa, Edda M. Twiddy, Alison D. O'Brien, Michael N. G. James

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Several serotypes of Escherichia coli produce protein toxins closely related to Shiga toxin (Stx) from Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1. These Stx-producing E. coli cause outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans, with the latter being more likely if the E. coli produce Stx2 than if they only produce Stx1. To investigate the differences among the Stxs, which are all AB₅ toxins, the crystal structure of Stx2 from E. coli O157:H7 was determined at 1.8-Å resolution and compared with the known structure of Stx. Our major finding was that, in contrast to Stx, the active site of …

Geochemical Characterization Of Water, Sediment, And Biota Affected By Mercury Contamination And Acidic Drainage From Historical Gold Mining, Greenhorn Creek, Nevada County, California, 1999-2001, Charles N. Alpers, Michael P. Hunerlach, Jason T. May, Roger L. Hothem, Howard E. Taylor, Ronald C. Antweiler, John F. De Wild, David A. Lawler

United States Geological Survey: Publications

In 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated studies of mercury and methylmercury occurrence, transformation, and transport in the Bear River and Yuba River watersheds of the northwestern Sierra Nevada. Because these watersheds were affected by large-scale, historical gold extraction using mercury amalgamation beginning in the 1850s, they were selected for a pilot study of mercury transport by the USGS and other cooperating agencies. This report presents data on methylmercury (MeHg) and total mercury (THg) concentrations in water, bed sediment, invertebrates, and frogs collected at 40 stations during 1999−2001 in the Greenhorn Creek drainage, a major tributary to the Bear …

Unopa Notes 2004

UNOPA: Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Analysis Of Bat Hair As Evidence For Seasonal Molt And Long-Distance Migration, Paul M. Cryan, Michael A. Bogan, Robert O. Rye, Gary P. Landis, Cynthia L. Kester

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Although hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) are presumed to be migratory and capable of long-distance dispersal, traditional marking techniques have failed to provide direct evidence of migratory movements by individuals. We measured the stable hydrogen isotope ratios of bat hair (∂D_h) and determined how these values relate to stable hydrogen isotope ratios of precipitation (∂D_p). Our results indicate that the major assumptions of stable isotope migration studies hold true for hoary bats and that the methodology provides a viable means of determining their migratory movements. We present evidence that a single annual molt occurs in L. cinereus …

Mercury And Methylmercury Concentrations And Loads In The Cache Creek Watershed, California, Joseph L. Domagalski, Charles N. Alpers, Darell G. Slotton, Thomas H. Suchanek, Shaun M. Ayers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Concentrations and loads of total mercury and methylmercury were measured in streams draining abandoned mercury mines and in the proximity of geothermal discharge in the Cache Creek watershed of California during a 17-month period from January 2000 through May 2001. Rainfall and runoff were lower than long-term averages during the study period. The greatest loading of mercury and methylmercury from upstream sources to downstream receiving waters, such as San Francisco Bay, generally occurred during or after winter rainfall events. During the study period, loads of mercury and methylmercury from geothermal sources tended to be greater than those from abandoned mining …

The H4iie Cell Bioassay As An Indicator Of Dioxin-Like Chemicals In Wildlife And The Environment, J. J. Whyte, Christopher J. Schmitt, D. E. Tillitt

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The H4IIE cell bioassay has proven utility as a screening tool for planar halogenated hydrocarbons (PHHs) and structurally similar chemicals accumulated in organisms from the wild. This bioassay has additional applications in hazard assessment of PHH exposed populations. In this review, the toxicological principles, current protocols, performance criteria, and field applications for the assay are described. The H4IIE cell bioassay has several advantages over the analytical measurement of PHHs in environmental samples, but conclusions from studies can be strengthened when both bioassay and analytical chemistry data are presented together. Often, the bioassay results concur with biological effects in organisms and …

Contamination Of Groundwater Under Cultivated Fields In An Arid Environment, Central Arava Valley, Israel, O. Oren, Y. Yechieli, J.K. Bohlke, A. Dody

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The purpose of this study is to obtain a better understanding of groundwater contamination processes in an arid environment (precipitation of 50 mm/year) due to cultivation. Additional aims were to study the fate of N, K, and other ions along the whole hydrological system including the soil and vadose zone, and to compare groundwater in its natural state with contaminated groundwater (through the drilling of several wells).

A combination of physical, chemical, and isotopic analyses was used to describe the hydrogeological system and the recharge trends of water and salts to the aquifers. The results indicate that intensive irrigation and …

Why Is She So Mean? Review Of Marion K. Underwood, Social Aggression Among Girls. New York: Guilford Press, 2003, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Review of Marion K. Underwood, Social Aggression among Girls. New York: Guilford Press, 2003, 300 pp. $44.00, ISBN: 1572308664 (cloth). $24.00, ISBN: 1-57230-865-6 (paper).

Do Maternal/Paternal Child Relationships Have A Similar Pattern When The Child Has Tourette's Syndrome? A Case Study, Judy Olson Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Although I did not realize it at the time, my first experiences in parenting evolved around a child who was diagnosed with onset pervasive developmental disorder by age five. Due to his hyperactivity, he was prescribed Ritalin. Within two weeks after being given this medication, he developed motor and vocal tics and was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome (TS) by the time he reached nine years of age. Subsequently, I began a teaching career in special education. During this time, I had guidance by a psychologist and two physicians who taught me a great deal about Tourette’s syndrome (TS). In the …

Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act Of 2004.

Propositions

Kindergarten–University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004. • This act provides for a bond issue of twelve billion three hundred million dollars ($12,300,000,000) to fund necessary education facilities to relieve overcrowding and to repair older schools. • Funds will be targeted to areas of greatest need and must be spent according to strict accountability measures. • Funds will also be used to upgrade and build new classrooms in the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California, to provide adequate higher education facilities to accommodate growing student enrollment. • Appropriates money from General Fund to …

Emergency Medical Services. Funding. Telephone Surcharge.

Propositions

Emergency Medical Services. Funding. Telephone Surcharge. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. • Provides funding to physicians for uncompensated emergency care, hospitals for emergency services, community clinics for uncompensated care, emergency personnel training/ equipment, and emergency telephone system improvements. • Funded by addition of 3% to existing surcharge rate on telephone use within California, portions of tobacco taxes, and criminal and traffic penalties. • Limits surcharge collected by residential telephone service providers to 50 cents per month. Monthly cap does not apply to cell phones or business lines. • Excludes funding from government appropriations limitations, and telephone surcharge from Proposition 98’s …

Evaporation Basin Guidelines For Disposal Of Saline Water, Jda Consultant Hydrologists, Edward Hauck

Agriculture reports

The purpose of this guideline is to provide information and criteria for evaporation basin planning, design, construction, monitoring, and maintenance for purposes of disposal of water and storage of disposed salts in dryland agricultural areas of Western Australia. The application of the guidelines will assist in the management of saline discharge and the protection of natural resources. The guidelines have been tailored specifically for saline evaporation disposal sites located in the wheatbelt areas of Western Australia.

The Continuing Crisis In Affordable Housing: Systemic Issues Requiring Systemic Solutions, Paulette J. Williams

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article compares programs designed to provide rental housing and programs designed to promote homeownership and attempts to determine which of the existing programs better promotes economic security among the population both are designed to benefit. Part II presents a framework for a discussion of affordable housing policy issues, outlining the complex environment of affordable housing development, and the multiple interests that need to be involved in developing any coherent policy. Part III gives a short history of public housing policies from 1937 to the end of the twentieth century. Part IV discusses the major rental housing programs, including the …

In Pursuit Of Safety And Soundness: An Analysis Of The Occ's Anti-Predatory Lending Standard, Diana Mcmonagle

Fordham Urban Law Journal

In order to combat the escalating problem of predatory lending, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”), a federal regulator of the national banking industry, issued a Final Rule in 2004 which sets forth a uniform federal standard to guide banking policies on predatory practices and to aid regulator’s identification of predatory loans. The anti-predatory standard states that “a national bank shall not make a consumer loan . . . based predominantly on the bank’s realization of the foreclosure or liquidation value of the borrower’s collateral, without regard to the borrower’s ability to repay the loan according to …

Concerning The Regulation Of Notaries Public, And, In Connection Therewith, Modernizing The Office Of Notary Public, And Making An Appropriation., Colorado General Assembly

Session Laws 2001-Present

No abstract provided.