Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Moderate-Temperature Hydrothermal Treatment Removes Detectable Dna And Antibiotic Resistance Genes From Municipal Sludge While Preserving Resource Value, R Sean Norman M.Sc., Ph.D., Mirza Isanovic, Gabrielle Kartzmark, Nicole Berge

Faculty Publications

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are key reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with municipal sludge containing high bacterial densities and diverse ARGs that may spread through land application. Hydrothermal treatment (HT) is a process that inactivates pathogens and stabilizes biomass, but its performance at moderate temperatures is less understood. We evaluated HT (100°C–250°C; 2–24 h) for degrading bacterial DNA and ARGs in dewatered municipal sludge. DNA was quantified by fluorometry, bacterial presence confirmed by 16S rRNA gene PCR, and ARGs profiled by qPCR targeting 84 clinically and environmentally relevant genes. HT up to 250°C produced modest carbon densification, high solids …

Moderate-Temperature Hydrothermal Treatment Removes Detectable Dna And Antibiotic Resistance Genes From Municipal Sludge While Preserving Resource Value, R. Sean Norman, Mirza Isanovic, Gabrielle Kartzmark, Nicole Berge

Faculty Publications

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are key reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with municipal sludge containing high bacterial densities and diverse ARGs that may spread through land application. Hydrothermal treatment (HT) is a process that inactivates pathogens and stabilizes biomass, but its performance at moderate temperatures is less understood. We evaluated HT (100°C–250°C; 2–24 h) for degrading bacterial DNA and ARGs in dewatered municipal sludge. DNA was quantified by fluorometry, bacterial presence confirmed by 16S rRNA gene PCR, and ARGs profiled by qPCR targeting 84 clinically and environmentally relevant genes. HT up to 250°C produced modest carbon densification, high solids …

Mineral-Associated Organic Nitrogen Pool Size, Composition, And Accessibility Mediated By Agricultural Management And Soil Geochemical Characteristics, Gabriella M. Griffen, Andrew H. Whitaker, Emma L. Bergh, Marian Carrell, Erik Knatvold, Aniko Konya, A. Stuart Grandy, Andrea Jilling Ph.D., Marco Keiluweit, Rachel Hestrin

Faculty Publications

Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) contains a substantial portion of soil nitrogen (N). MAOM-N could serve as an important N source for crops, but its availability and response to agricultural management across different soil types remains largely unknown. We characterized MAOM-N isolated from nine paired soils spanning a range of geochemical characteristics and maintained under two land uses—more intensively managed annual cropping systems or less intensively managed grasslands. On average, we found that MAOM contained approximately two-thirds of total soil N. Across all soil types, more intensive agricultural management resulted in a 50% decline in MAOM-N stocks, as well as a …

Investigation Of Metals And Incidental Nanomaterials In Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Ashes And Their Impacts On Marine Phytoplankton, Talal Abdullah Alshehri

Theses and Dissertations

Wildfires are natural processes that have played a vital role in ecosystems for millions of years. However, with increasing anthropogenic activities and climate change, wildfires' frequency and intensity have increased. A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that burns forests, grasses, and savannas. In addition to vegetation combustible materials, wildfire burn structure items such as homes, stores, and storage sheds in areas where the transition zone between urban and wildland is defined as the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Moreover, wildfires in WUI can burn vehicles, including automobiles, tractors, and boats on trails. Recently, there have been concerns regarding the metals, metalloids, and …

Compost Grinder For The University Of South Carolina Office Of Sustainability, Rori E. Pumphrey, Grace Yaegel, Aaron R. Sawyer, Bradley White

Senior Theses

This project originates from a collaboration with the USC Office of Sustainability, which seeks to improve the handling and processing of food waste generated on campus. The primary challenge is the difficulty in composting certain types of food waste, such as avocado pits, pumpkin rinds, and other dense or fibrous organic materials that are not easily broken down using conventional methods. Existing commercial solutions are often too large and expensive, or electrically powered, and are thus not well suited for the volume or nature of USC's food waste. To address these limitations, our team designed a manually operated food waste …

A 12,800-Year-Old Layer With Cometary Dust, Microspherules, And Platinum Anomaly Recorded In Multiple Cores From Baffin Bay, Christopher R. Moore, Vladimir A. Tselmovich, Malcolm A. Lecompte, Allen West, Stephen J. Culver, David J. Mallinson, Mohammed Baalousha M.Sc, Ph.D., James P. Kennett, William M. Napier, Michael Bizimis, Victor Adedeji, Seth R. Sutton, Gunther Kleteschka, Kurt A. Langworthy, Jesus P. Perez, Timothy Witwer, Marc D. Young, Jordan Jeffreys, Richard C. Greenwood, James A. Malley

Faculty Publications

The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH) posits that ~12,800 years ago Earth encountered the debris stream of a disintegrating comet, triggering hemisphere-wide airbursts, atmospheric dust loading, and the deposition of a distinctive suite of extraterrestrial (ET) impact proxies at the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB). Until now, evidence supporting this hypothesis has come only from terrestrial sediment and ice-core records. Here we report the first discovery of similar impact-related proxies in ocean sediments from four marine cores in Baffin Bay that span the YDB layer at water depths of 0.5–2.4 km, minimizing the potential for modern contamination. Using scanning electron microscopy …

The Pharmaceutical Applications Of Poisonous Compounds Found In Datura Stramonium, Ruby M. Raffaldt

Senior Theses

Datura stramonium is a plant that is known for its toxicity. However, a facet of this plant’s noxious chemicals, namely its tropane alkaloids, can be used medicinally. The aim of this paper was to compile knowledge on the botanical, chemical, and medicinal properties of Datura stramonium L with a focus on atropine, scopolamine, and anisodamine; three tropane alkaloid compounds with the ability to be both a poison and a medicine. Information was compiled using pre-existing studies, articles, and literature reviews on D. stramonium. For each of the three alkaloids, their biosynthetic pathways, targets, administration, distribution, metabolism, and excretion were discussed. …

Harvesting Health: The Role Of City Policy In Urban Agriculture And The Downstream Effects On Youth, Lesley Leake

Theses and Dissertations

Contextualizing environmental health within the socio-ecological framework, acknowledges the diverse factors at play in the environment-human dynamic. The research design, methods, and study populations of each chapter vary to match the socio-ecological level(s) of focus and reinforce the translational and interdisciplinary nature of this research. Chapter 2 examines the policy-supports for urban agriculture using a mixed-methods case-study of the City of Charleston, SC to understand how municipal policy (societal) impacts urban agriculture implementation (community) and what impact this has on residents (relationship and individual). Chapter 3 centers on the potential impact of urban farms (community) and their programming (community and …

Growth And Mobility Of Physella Acuta Under Individual And Combined Acetaminophen And Salinity Exposure, Rhea Wilder, Jason Doll, Daniel Elias

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Global climate change, driven by rapid population growth and anthropogenic activities, presents an urgent challenge to aquatic ecosystems. Salinity intrusion threatens water quality and availability for human and wildlife populations. At the same time, due to the demand for pharmaceuticals, these pollutants are increasingly detected in freshwater environments, with acetaminophen being one of the most prevalent. This research analyzed the individual and combined effects of salinity (2.5 g/L) and acetaminophen (488 μg/L) on Physella acuta. Overall, we observed reduced snail movement under elevated salinity and no effects on growth or movement with acetaminophen alone or in combination with salinity. …

Investigation Of The Environmental Factors Regulating The Biomass And Toxin Production Of The Benthic Cyanobacterium Microseira Wollei In Lake Wateree, South Carolina, Kara Clyburn

Theses and Dissertations

Impacts from anthropogenic activities and climate change are significantly altering nitrogen (N) cycling processes and biological productivity along the freshwater to marine continuum, and the acceleration rate of excessive N and phosphorus (P) concentrations entering aquatic environments is unprecedented. As a result, nutrient pollution is contributing to the increasing magnitude and duration of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), oxygen (O2) depletion, loss of biodiversity, and impacts to human and ecosystem health. Lake Wateree, South Carolina (SC) is a freshwater drinking and contact recreational water resource with elevated symptoms of eutrophication, including the increasing prevalence of the N2 fixing benthic cyanobacterium …

Optimization Of A Nanotechnology-Based System For The Treatment Of Electroplating Wastewater, Madeleine Mary Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

To protect humans and the environment, human actions that may expose living organisms to toxic metals are heavily regulated in developed countries. The use and production of toxicants in commercial applications is tightly controlled in the United States of America by federal and state laws. Due to this fact, United States manufacturing companies are required to control the amount of regulated toxicants that leave their facilities. Toxic metals in wastewater are heavily regulated by federal and state law, with manufacturing facilities permitted individually for the concentrations of metals they are allowed to discharge via their wastewater. From previous research conducted …

Viability Of Elutriation For The Extraction Of Microplastics From Environmental Soil Samples, Kyle Forsythe, Mason Egermeier, Marcus Garcia, Rui Liu, Matthew Minghetti, Andrea Jilling Ph.D., Jorge Gonzalez-Estrella

Faculty Publications

In this study, we evaluated the suitability of elutriation, a method successfully employed in the extraction of microplastics from marine sediments, for the extraction of microplastics from freshwater and terrestrial soils. Five soils were sampled throughout Oklahoma, USA in order to capture a range of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter composition. Each soil was subjected to microplastic extraction with and without elutriation, followed by digestion in 7.5% NaOCl, and then flotation in 6 M ZnCl₂. The mass of each soil was measured after elutriation to determine sample mass reduction, and multiple methods including fluorescence imaging and automated …

From Oceans To Public Health: Impact Of Climate Change And Socioecological Factors On Non-Cholera Vibrio Spp., Karlen Enid Correa Vélez

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change-induced stressors, such as temperature, salinity, pH, and wildfire, are contributing factors to the increase in frequency of Vibrio infections, altering Vibrio geographical constraints. At the same time, the expansion of the coastal population is resulting in increased input of treated municipal wastewater into areas that are also experiencing Vibrio proliferation. Given that increases in ocean temperature and sea level coupled with increases in human activity in coastal waters support greater Vibrio-human interactions, it is important to examine factors and mechanisms within this socio-ecological coupled system that may further strengthen this interaction. This study aimed to better understand the …

Transdisciplinary Approaches To Community Engagement, Research Translation And Science Communication Through Application Of The Socio-Environmental Report Card Process And Product In Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Ekaterina Negodyaeva Altman

Theses and Dissertations

Public health and environmental sustainability are interlinked. Three pillars of sustainable development are society, environment, and economy are supported and reinforced by healthy populations. Balancing these values in a long-term vision and application requires active involvement of communities and stakeholders in decision-making process of management of environmental resources and personal health choices. Transdisciplinary sustainability science provides a framework for addressing complex issues in sustainability and generates actionable knowledge to link science and policy and involved stakeholders in the scientific process. Transdisciplinary research processes use co-design, co-production, and co-implementation framework to create and re-integrate useful knowledge into practice on a local …

Infection Intensity And Prevalence From Perkinsus Marinus In The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica (Gmelin 1791) And Their Association With Salinity, Temperature, And Sex In South Carolina Estuaries, Deja E. Best

Theses and Dissertations

This project aimed to identify the associations between the infection intensity and prevalence of Perkinsus marinus infection (i.e., Dermo ) in the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), with extrinsic environmental factors such as changes in salinity and temperature along with oyster host factors such as sex ratio. The objectives of the study were to: (1) identify significant associations between the dependent variables, P. marinus prevalence and infection intensity, in relation to salinity and water temperature which may be affected by climate change; and (2) identify any intrinsic factors related to sex (i.e., male, female, intersex, and indeterminant) that may affect …

Replenishment Of Essential Natural Resources: An Assessment Of The Ability Of Freshwater Algae To Enhance Crop Quality And Soil Health, Lala Christina Ek

Theses and Dissertations

Disregard for soil, an essential natural resource, hinders global food production. Food insecurity is a major concern for both public health officials and environmental scientists due to soil quality decline, pollution, and climate change. Alternatives or targeted additions to chemical fertilizers can bolster soil quality, improve crop yields, lengthen crop shelf life, and mitigate environmental pollution. One potential alternative to chemical fertilizers is replacement of them with biological soil amendments, including algae, to enhance crop growth and improve soil health. Research was conducted at the University of South Carolina-Columbia campus garden to determine impacts of non-toxic freshwater algae on crop …

Integrated Wastewater Surveillance For Sars-Cov-2 And Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria: Implications For Public Health And Environmental Management, Mirza Isanovic

Theses and Dissertations

While current technologies have inadvertently resulted in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) becoming major sources of global antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination, wastewater can be leveraged to provide vital community-level health information. This project examined both of these aspects through wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and metagenomic analysis of specific ARGs collected from both activated sludge and bioaerosols. In this study, we investigated treatment steps between the influent and final treated effluent to identify the point at which viral RNA is below detection. Additionally, we examined air surrounding high turbulence treatment steps to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in WWTP-generated …

Quantification Of The Internalization Of A Commercially Available Silver Nanoparticle To The Bacterium Escherichia Coli, Samantha Mcneal Case

Theses and Dissertations

Nanoparticles (NPs), materials with dimensions ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers, are widely used in various consumer products, with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) being the most prominent. Exposure to AgNPs occurs through multiple sources, including food packaging, supplements, and disinfectants, owing to their antimicrobial properties. Prior research has identified adverse health effects, such as cytotoxicity, toxicity, and Ag bioaccumulation resulting from AgNP exposure to bacteria in biological systems and the environment. However, most studies employ pristine, highly concentrated NPs, which may not accurately represent realistic exposure scenarios at environmentally relevant concentrations. This project investigates the fate and internalization of AgNPs, found …

Using Podcasts To Bring National Estuarine Research Reserves Into The Classroom For Grades 6-12, Kaitlyn M. Dirr

Senior Theses

In a typical classroom setting, there are significant challenges to exposing students to concepts related to earth sciences and the environment. These challenges are exacerbated when conveying lessons about geographic areas with limited access, such as oceans and coastlines (Louv, 2010). It is now more important than ever for environmental education to improve and adapt to our changing world. Educators may have the opportunity to bring these subjects to life by using media content such as podcasts to introduce students to new places and the scientists, managers and educators that work in those spaces. In the United States, there exists …

Accuracy Of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring In Vancomycin And The Pharmacist Role: A Retrospective Case-Series, Kateryna Parkhomenko

Senior Theses

Vancomycin is a mainstay of therapy for treating virulent and resistant infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, vancomycin requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for optimal dosing and treatment. This requires pharmacists to calculate a dosing regimen that correlates to appropriate goal vancomycin concentrations in the blood. Dosing vancomycin can be difficult, as it varies on a patient’s weight, renal function, age, etc. Doses may have to be adjusted in response to out-of-range concentrations, which requires further pharmacy calculations. Inaccurate dosing poses a risk to patient safety and places a resource and time burden on pharmacists. If vancomycin dosing methods …

Customer Discovery And Applied Research And Development For An Environmental Nanotechnology, Paul Michael Vecchiarelli

Theses and Dissertations

Technology transfer is a process by which an innovative technology, typically produced in a non-commercial setting such as academia, is developed into a potential market opportunity. The first phase of technology transfer, once a technology has been developed, is to identify a customer segment and determine a value proposition that describes what need the technology will fulfill for them. This phase has been systematized into a framework known as customer discovery. Success in customer discovery will indicate technological gaps, such as scale-up, prototyping, and realistic testing, that are needed to deliver the value proposition to the initial customer. Both phases …

Parent Perspectives On Barriers And Facilitators To Optimal Healthcare And Medical Screenings For Children With Down Syndrome In South Carolina, Vinita Oberoi Leedom

Theses and Dissertations

Children with Down syndrome (DS) often have co-occurring conditions affecting vision, hearing, sleeping, and more. Screenings, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), can help prevent secondary disability, and allow children to thrive. Studies have evaluated the receipt of recommended screenings, but barriers and facilitators surrounding access to screenings and care have not been described.

Parents of 24 children with DS in SC were recruited through schools and family support groups. One-hour long interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Information was collected on health, healthcare quality, respiratory concerns, pandemic effects, access to care, and knowledge about AAP …

The Effects Of Salinity And Acetaminophen On The Aquatic Snail Physa Acuta, Michelle Sackey-Ansah, Megan Mackey, Daniel Elias, Jason Doll, Alyssa Brookhart

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in water bodies, and their presence can negatively impact aquatic organisms. This effect can be amplified when combined with increasing salinity in freshwater ecosystems. Acetaminophen is a widely used analgesic that is commonly found in river, streams, and waters where it is discharged directly. Therefore, organisms present in these locations (e.g., insects, snails, amphibians, and fish) are likely to be affected by acetaminophen. In this study, we determined the effects of elevated salinity (0.68 g/L), acetaminophen (500 µg/L) and combined elevated salinity (0.68 g/L) and acetaminophen (500 µg/L), on the growth, reproduction, and movement of the …

Potential Use Of Engineered Nanoparticles In Ocean Fertilization For Large-Scale Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Removal, Peyman Babakhani, Tanapon Phenrat, Mohammed Baalousha M.Sc, Ph.D., Kullapa Soratana, Caroline L. Peacock, Benjamin S. Twining, Michael F. Hochella Jr.

Faculty Publications

Artificial ocean fertilization (AOF) aims to safely stimulate phytoplankton growth in the ocean and enhance carbon sequestration. AOF carbon sequestration efficiency appears lower than natural ocean fertilization processes due mainly to the low bioavailability of added nutrients, along with low export rates of AOF-produced biomass to the deep ocean. Here we explore the potential application of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to overcome these issues. Data from 123 studies show that some ENPs may enhance phytoplankton growth at concentrations below those likely to be toxic in marine ecosystems. ENPs may also increase bloom lifetime, boost phytoplankton aggregation and carbon export, and address …

Subchronic Oral Cylindrospermopsin Exposure Alters The Host Gut Microbiome And Is Associated With Progressive Hepatic Inflammation, Stellate Cell Activation, And Mild Fibrosis In A Preclinical Study, Punnag Saha, Macayla Upright, Dipro Bose, Subhajit Roy, Ayushi Trivedi, Madhura More, Geoff Scott Ph.D., Bryan W. Brooks, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Epidemiological studies have reported a strong association between liver injury and incidences of hepatocellular carcinoma in sections of humans globally. Several preclinical studies have shown a strong link between cyanotoxin exposure and the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a precursor of hepatocellular carcinoma. Among the emerging threats from cyanotoxins, new evidence shows cylindrospermopsin release in freshwater lakes. A known hepatotoxin in higher concentrations, we examined the possible role of cylindrospermopsin in causing host gut dysbiosis and its association with liver pathology in a mouse model of toxico-pharmacokinetics and hepatic pathology. The results showed that oral exposure to cylindrospermopsin caused decreased diversity …

Response Of Soil Bacterial Diversity, Predicted Functions And Co-Occurrence Patterns To Nanoceria And Ionic Cerium Exposure, Jie Zhang, Hui Sheng, Yan-Meng Shang, Jamie Lead, Zhang-Zhen Guo, Jian-Ping Hong

Faculty Publications

Release of nanoceria (nCeO₂) into the environment has caused much concern about its potential toxicity, which still remains poorly understood for soil microorganisms. In this study, nanoceria and cerium (III) nitrate at different doses (10, 100 and 500 mg/kg) were applied to bok choy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis), grown in potting soil, to investigate the responses of soil bacterial communities to nanoceria (NC) and ionic cerium (IC) applications. The results showed that bacterial richness was slightly increased in all cerium treatments relative to the negative control without cerium amendment (CK), but a significant increase was only found in …

Monitoring Titanium Dioxide Engineered Particles In Rural And Urban Surface Waters, Md Mahmudun Nabi

Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying and characterizing engineered particles in environmental systems is key for assessing their risk but remains challenging and requires the distinction between natural and engineered particles. The Ph.D. dissertation research described in this thesis contributes to the current attempts to improve environmental nanoparticle analysis and better understand nanoparticle behavior in natural systems, with the focus being on natural streams, and the application of single particle inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-TOF-MS) for distinguishing and tracing the origins of environmental nanoparticles. The objective of this dissertation is to characterize and quantify the concentrations of titanium dioxide engineered particles in urban …

Coastal Stormwater Pond Pollutants And The Potential For Development Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Vibrio And Enterococcus Bacteria, Cassandra L. Horton

Theses and Dissertations

The Southeastern coastal plain is the most rapidly urbanizing region in the United States. Associated landscape changes which increase imperviousness lead to hydrological cycle alterations, increasing runoff of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Urban and agricultural NPS runoff is generally discharged into stormwater ponds, which sequester chemical contaminants, nutrients, and microbes to reduce loading into coastal ecosystems. Studies of these ponds have indicated elevated levels of trace metals, antimicrobial compounds, and bacterial contamination (SCSGC 2018).

Interactions of aquatic pathogens Vibrio vulnificus and Enterococcus faecium with trace metals (arsenic, copper, zinc) and clinically relevant antimicrobials (triclosan, ciprofloxacin, oxytetracycline) commonly found in coastal …

Xenobiotic Exposures On Women’S Reproductive Health, Maria Zubizarreta Mcclam

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental and chemical exposures are continually introduced into our bodies. The female reproductive cycle is complex and particularly sensitive to toxic substances. A recent rise in infertility and reproductive diseases and cancers make reproductive toxicity a public health concern. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to explore how environmental and chemical exposures impact women’s reproductive health and overall wellbeing. To do this, a variety of topics related to women’s reproductive health are explored, including how environmental exposures can impact reproduction, methods for studying reproductive dysfunctions, fertility preservation among cancer patients, and the overall wellbeing of female cancer patients.

The …

Participatory And Spatial Analyses Of Environmental Justice Communities' Concerns About A Proposed Storm Surge And Flood Protection Seawall, Judith Taylor, Norman S. Levine, Ernest Muhammad, Dwayne E. Porter, Annette M. Watson, Paul A. Sandifer

Faculty Publications

In response to increasing threats from sea-level rise and storm surge, the City of Charleston, South Carolina, and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) propose constructing a seawall around the Charleston peninsula. The proposed seawall will terminate close to lower wealth, predominantly minority communities. These communities are identified as environmental justice (EJ) communities due to their history of inequitable burdens of industrial and urban pollution and proximity to highways and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Superfund sites. The present study documents community concerns and opinions related to the proposed seawall, existing flooding problems, and other issues. The project …