Environmental Health Commons^™

Genomic Based Environmental Health Assessment: Vieques, Puerto Rico, Valeria Hernandez Talavera

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

From 1941 to 2003, the United States Navy and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) used Vieques, Puerto Rico, for military training, which led to long-term pollution from metals, organic chemicals, explosives, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While earlier research found these contaminants in the environment and in living organisms, their combined effects on local ecosystems remain poorly understood.

This dissertation used a Genomic-Based Environmental Health Assessment (GEHA) framework to study the ecological risks from past military pollution in Vieques. The approach combined sediment toxicity tests, chemical analysis, gene expression studies, microbial community analysis, and community-based research. The four main …

Neonicotinoid Bioaccumulation In Bluegill And Bullhead Within Lake Julia And Lake Zumwalde, Jake Stuber

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus, Yellow Bullhead Ameiurus natalis, and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus are unique in their stark differences. Bullhead are scaleless bottom feeders that can tolerate high pollution and low O₂ conditions. In contrast, Bluegill are scaled, aggressive nesters and are less tolerant of high pollutants or low-oxygen conditions. Among these pollutants include a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids (hereafter referred to as neonics). Neonics are a class of insecticides primarily used within agriculture and pest management. Due to the effectiveness, application has escalated on a global scale. They have been well documented by many toxicology assessments. …

Effects Of Photo-Oxidized Crude Oil On Gulf Killifish Early Life Stages, Charles Campbell

LSU Master's Theses

Photo-oxidation of spilled crude oil generates polar compounds that can heighten toxicity to marine fish embryos. We investigated the effects of photo-oxidized crude oil on early life stages of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) by exposing embryos under flow-through conditions to water-accommodated fractions of four oil treatments: fresh oil unexposed to either sunlight or weathering referred to as dark control (DC), a UV-light oxidized whole oil (LT), the polar fraction extracted from LT (Pol) and the remnants after extracting the Pol from LT (NP). Oil loadings of 0.38–3.00 g oil/kg water were tested. Total PAH concentrations and chemical profiles …

Examining The Oxidative Stress Effects In Rats Exposed To 2-Aminoanthracene In Utero And High Fat Diet Three Months After, Brianna A. Lanoix

Honors College Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are organic compounds that are created synthetically or found in partially burned oil, gasoline, and coal. 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) is a common example of a PAH and can affect lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and resulting in inflammatory problems and oxidative stress. The objective of the research project is to investigate oxidative stress in relation to diabetes in rats exposed to 2AA in utero and a high fat diet later in life. Pregnant dams were separated into treatment groups based on their dosages of 2AA; 0 mg/kg (control), 50 mg/kg (low), 100 mg/kg (high). During the gestation -postpartum period, …

The Sublethal Response Of Cambarus Sp. To Acute Low Dose Herbicide Exposure Evidenced By A Change In Ggt Levels And Apoptosis, Amelia Wickham

Senior Honors Theses

Following application, herbicidal runoff can collect in freshwater ecosystems, briefly exposing non-target organisms. As biological indicators, crayfish serve as models to assess freshwater health. Chemically stressed crayfish form reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are neutralized by the glutathione pathway. As glutathione depletes, γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) upregulates to increase glutathione formation. High oxidative stress lowers glutathione levels and subsequent apoptosis occurs. For this acute study, crayfish were exposed to 5ppb and 50ppb of atrazine, glyphosate, and 2,4-D. Herbicide exposures were expected to induce higher GGT production, increased oxidative stress, and increased apoptosis. Instead, GGT and apoptosis predominately decreased relative to the control. …

Cardenolide, Potassium, And Pyrethroid Insecticide Combinations Reduce Growth And Survival Of Monarch Butterfly Caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Annie J. Krueger, Emily A. Robinson, Thomas J. Weissling, Ana M. Vélez, Troy D. Anderson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L., has evolved to be insensitive to milkweed cardenolides via genetic modifications of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase. There is concern for insecticide exposures near agriculture, with little information on monarch caterpillar toxicology. It is unclear how cardenolide insensitivity may affect the sensitivity of monarch caterpillars to pyrethroid insecticides. Additionally, potassium fertilizers may affect monarch caterpillar physiology and cardenolide sequestration. Here, we investigated the growth, survival, and development of caterpillars exposed to the cardenolide ouabain, bifenthrin, and potassium chloride (KCl) alone and in combination. Caterpillars were either exposed to (1) ouabain from third- to fifth-instar …

Toxicology Of Chemical Stress To Monarch Butterflies (Danaus Plexippus L.), Annie Krueger

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) population declines have caught the attention of the country and prompted nationwide conservation initiatives. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has identified insecticide exposure and loss of milkweed (Asclepias spp.) reproductive habitat as primary threats to the monarch. In the Midwestern US, milkweed largely occurs around cropland borders where there may be a spatial and temporal overlap of monarch larvae, insecticide usage, and fertilizer applications. In this study, the acute toxicity and sub-lethal effects on growth and diet consumption of two commonly used pyrethroid insecticides, bifenthrin and beta-cyfluthrin, were characterized …

Addressing Uncertainties Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Schools, Alice Fan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Despite the potential neurological health deficits resulting from polychlorinated biphenyls, there is a lack of inhalation studies and regulations to protect students and teachers who are widely exposed to PCBs in older (1950 to 1979) schools. To estimate the extent of PCB detections in Los Angeles County schools, I applied a mathematical model to estimate the range of PCB detections in schools built between 1950 and 1984. I estimate the range of 17-34% PCB detections of open schools within Los Angeles County. Next, I reviewed exposure tools provided by the US EPA to bridge the uncertainty gaps between ingestion and …

David S. Miller: Scientist, Mentor, Friend--A Tribute And Thank You, Björn Bauer, J. Larry Renfro, Karl J. Karnaky, Rosalinde Masereeuw, Gert Fricker, Ron E. Cannon, Anika M. S. Hartz

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

David S. Miller was Acting Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and Head of the Intracellular Regulation Group in the Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology before he retired in 2016. David received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Maine in 1973. David was a Group Leader at the Michigan Cancer Foundation before joining the NIEHS in 1985. His research covered a wide range from renal excretory transport mechanisms to regulation of transporters at the blood-CSF and blood-brain barriers, from fish, amphibians and birds to …

Maternal Engineered Nanomaterial Inhalation During Gestation Alters The Fetal Transcriptome, P.A. Stapleton, Q.A. Hathaway, C.E. Nichols, A.B. Abukabda, M.V. Pinti, D.L. Shepherd, C.R. Mcbride, J. Yi, V.C. Castranova, J.M Hollander, Timothy Robert Nurkiewicz

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: The integration of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) is well-established and widespread in clinical, commercial, and domestic applications. Cardiovascular dysfunctions have been reported in adult populations after exposure to a variety of ENM. As the diversity of these exposures continues to increase, the fetal ramifications of maternal exposures have yet to be determined. We, and others, have explored the consequences of ENM inhalation during gestation and identified many cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes in the F1 generation. The purpose of these studies was to identify genetic alterations in the F1 generation of Sprague-Dawley rats that result from maternal ENM inhalation during gestation. …

Poison In Pink, Sydney V. Cook

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Humans slather, spray, mist, and cleanse their bodies with personal care products like lotion, hairspray, cologne, and shampoo every day. Our cupboards are stocked full of them, but few of us understand what is in those jars and bottles. We trust that if it’s on the shelf at the store, it’s safe. However, this is not always the case, and many personal care products contain chemicals that are harmful to human and environmental health.

My multi-disciplinary Environmental Studies thesis project combines evidenced-based research, interviews, nonfiction narrative, and science communication to create part of a book manuscript intended to educate general …

Effects Of Nanosilver And Silver Nitrate Exposure On Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) And Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Adam D. Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) due to their unique antimicrobial properties are among the most widely utilized nanoparticle. Because of the nature of the products that utilize AgNPs, environmental release of AgNPs is inevitable. At greatest risk is the aquatic ecosystem due to known toxicity of the Ag + ion to aquatic organisms. Our goal was to use two fish models, fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas; FHMs) and zebrafish ( Danio rerio; ZFs), to study the effects of AgNPs on gill histopathology, Na+/K+-ATPase immunoreactivity, mucus production, bioaccumulation, particle uptake characterization, gill gene expression, and lethality in varying water parameters in comparison to the …

Policy For Identifying And Assessing The Health Risks Of Toxic Substances, Maine Bureau Of Health

Maine Collection

Policy for Identifying and Assessing the Health Risks of Toxic Substances

by Norman T. Anderson, Environmental Toxicology Program, Division of Disease Control, Bureau of Health (February, 1988).

Contents: Section I: Introduction / Section II: Methods / Section III: Exposure Assessment / Section IV: Hazard Identification / Section V: Hazard Assessment / Section VI: Risk Characterization / List of Figures / List of Tables