Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Comparison Of Microbial Water Quality Parameters Of Four Geographically Similar Creeks In Northeast Tennessee, Kimberlee K. Hall, L. K. Gallagher, Brian G. Evanshen, Kurt J. Maier, Phillip R. Scheuerman

ETSU Faculty Works

Four creeks within the Watauga River watershed in Northeast Tennessee are routinely monitored for water quality assessments. To identify sources and monitor remediation, Sinking Creek, Cash Hollow Creek, Buffalo Creek and Boones Creek are monitored for chemical and microbial parameters. These parameters include phosphates, nitrates, BOD and fecal coliforms. Sinking Creek is a tributary of the Watauga River with 10 miles of impaired water. Cash Hollow Creek enters the Watauga River at river mile 11.4 with 3.4 miles of impaired water. Boones Creek contains 18.6 impaired miles while the status of water quality in Buffalo Creek is not yet determined. …

Comparison Study Of Sediment Microbial Enzyme Activities To Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrate Concentration, Phosphate Concentration In The Sediments Of A Fecally-Contaminated Stream In Northeast Tennessee Relative To Season And Land Use, Brian G. Evanshen, Kurt J. Maier, Phillip R. Scheuerman

ETSU Faculty Works

Microbial metabolism reacts quickly to environmental conditions. These reactions are dependent on the need for nutrients and respiration and can be measured using an assay of individual microbial enzyme activities (MEA’s). In this study, we measured MEA’s in the sediments of a stream in northeast Tennessee that had an approved fecal coliform Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). These values were compared to biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate concentration and nitrate concentration in the water column of this stream. Comparisons were grouped by season and land use. Stream sediments and water were collected monthly for one year and then quarterly for …

Sl1 Rna Gene Recovery From Enterobius Vermicularis Ancient Dna In Pre-Columbian Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl Reinhard, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Luiz Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo, Ana Carolina Paulo Vincente

Karl Reinhard Publications

Enterobius vermicularis, pinworm, is one of the most common helminths worldwide, infecting nearly a billion people at all socio-economic levels. In prehistoric populations the paleoparasitological findings show a pinworm homogeneous distribution among hunter-gatherers in North America, intensified with the advent of agriculture. This same increase also occurred in the transition from nomad hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers in South America, although E. vermicularis infection encompasses only the ancient Andean peoples, with no record among the pre-Colombian populations in the South American lowlands. However, the outline of pinworm paleo epidemiology has been supported by microscopic finding of eggs recovered from coprolites. …

Environmental Factors In Autoimmunity: Assessment Of Immunotoxicity Of Phthalates In The Induction Of Lupus-Type Anti-Dna Antibodies, So-Yon Lim

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Little is known of the role of specific environmental factors in promoting autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The broad objective of this study was to address how exposure to phthalates, common environmental factors m foods, and biomedical devices could affect the immune functions of resistant and autoimmune-prone mice. Methods: The environmental chemical model used in this study is phthalates, which are widely used in various forms and readily occur during day-to-day human contacts. Groups of nonautoimmune-prone (BALB/c, DBA/2 and C57BL/6) and susceptible (NZB, NZB/W Fl) mice were immunized with phthalates ( ortho, meta and para) conjugated …

A New Kind Of "Outrageous Misconduct": Effects To Undermine The Law's Ability To Deter And Punish Intentional And Outrageous Corporate Behavior, Candace Howard

Student Articles and Papers

The current tort "reform" movement, if successful, will completely undermine our most effective tool for deterring outrageous corporate misconduct: the threat of punitive damages. Such "reform" would have a particularly egregious impact on the environment and public health because, due to a lack of enforcement and the undetectable nature of many pollutants, environmental offenses are often more difficult to deter than other types of offenses. The essay argues that, although rarely imposed for environmental offenses, punitive damages are especially vital in that arena because, when imposed, they are richly deserved. It concludes that, rather than tort reform, what we need …

Population And Sustainability, Geoffrey Mcnicoll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Sustainability refers to the preservation of human-valued natural capital—the resources that provide environmental services—at a level sufficient to assure the well-being of future generations. This Population Council working paper assess the effects on the total and per capita availability of those services. The degradation of environmental services—exemplified by the overuse of aquifers or (at a global level) of the atmospheric carbon sink—is a significant threat to sustainable development, one that is often exacerbated by population growth. The critical management issue in such cases is the design of effective governing institutions to restrain service demand and safeguard supply. Uncertainties arising from …

Evaluation Of The Biological Sampling Kit (Biskit) For Large-Area Surface Sampling, Mark P. Buttner, Patrica Cruz, Linda Stetzenbach, Amy Klima-Comba

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Current surface sampling methods for microbial contaminants are designed to sample small areas and utilize culture analysis. The total number of microbes recovered is low because a small area is sampled, making detection of a potential pathogen more difficult. Furthermore, sampling of small areas requires a greater number of samples to be collected, which delays the reporting of results, taxes laboratory resources and staffing, and increases analysis costs. A new biological surface sampling method, the Biological Sampling Kit (BiSKit), designed to sample large areas and to be compatible with testing with a variety of technologies, including PCR and immunoassay, was …

Determination Of The Efficacy Of Two Building Decontamination Strategies By Surface Sampling With Culture And Quantitative Pcr Analysis, Mark P. Buttner, Patrica Cruz, Linda Stetzenbach, Amy Klima-Comba

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

The efficacy of currently available decontamination strategies for the treatment of indoor furnishings contaminated with bioterrorism agents is poorly understood. Efficacy testing of decontamination products in a controlled environment is needed to ensure that effective methods are used to decontaminate domestic and workplace settings. An experimental room supplied with materials used in office furnishings (i.e., wood laminate, painted metal, and vinyl tile) was used with controlled dry aerosol releases of endospores of Bacillus atrophaeus (“Bacillus subtilis subsp. niger,” also referred to as BG), a Bacillus anthracis surrogate. Studies were performed using two test products, a foam decontaminant and chlorine dioxide …

Musculoskeletal Injuries Associated With Selected University Staff And Faculty In An Office Environment, R. Steven Konkel, Thomas F. Fisher, Carolyn Harvey

Environmental Health Science Faculty and Staff Research

A research team with backgrounds in occupational therapy, rehabilitation, policy and rulemaking, and prevention programs affecting occupational health and safety designed, validated, and analyzed an ergonomics survey of university staff and faculty. The purpose of the study was to validate identified risk factors from the literature contributing to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) in an office setting within a university setting. The study was also designed to determine differences between faculty and staff in the university setting and their exposure to physical risk factors to WRMDs. The results suggest faculty have their keyboard in awkward positions more frequently than staff, and …

Do Recent Data From The Seychelles Islands Alter The Conclusions Of The Nrc Report On The Toxicological Effects Of Methylmercury?, Alan H. Stern, Joseph L. Jacobson, Louise Ryan, Thomas A. Burke

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

In 2000, the National Research Council (NRC), an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report entitled, "Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury." The overall conclusion of that report was that, at levels of exposure in some fish- and marine mammal-consuming communities (including those in the Faroe Islands and New Zealand), subtle but significant adverse effects on neuropsychological development were occurring as a result of in utero exposure. Since the release of that report, there has been continuing discussion of the public health relevance of current levels of exposure to Methylmercury. Much of this discussion has been linked to …

Content And Criterion Validity Evaluation Of National Public Health Performance Standards Measurement Instruments., Joyce Beaulieu, F. Douglas Scutchfield, Ann V. Kelly

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed instruments to measure the performance of local and state public health departments on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health," which have been tested in several states. This article is a report of the evaluation of the content and criterion validity of the local public health performance assessment instrument, and the content validity of the state public health performance assessment instrument.

METHODS: Health department performance is measured using a set of indicators developed for the 10 Essential Services of Public Health and a …

Environmental Planning, R. Steven Konkel

Environmental Health Science Faculty and Staff Research

Our understanding of the importance of healthy ecosystems and the impact of people on the natural and the built environment continues to grow. The need for stewardship to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural environment and promote healthy populations is increasingly seen as a universal responsibility of environmental health and safety (EHS) professionals.

Health And Environmental Effects Of Landfilling And Incineration Of Waste - A Literature Review, D. Crowley, A. Staines, C. Collins, J. Bracken, M. Bruen, J Fry, Victor Hrymak, D. Malone, B. Magette, M. Ryan, C Thunhurst

Reports

A literature review on the health effects of landfill and incineration is presented together with an application to Ireland of the findings

Enhancement Of Disease And Pathology By Synergy Of Trichuris Suis And Campylobacter Jejuni In The Colon Of Immunologically Naive Swine, Linda S. Mansfield, David T. Gauthier, Sheila R. Abner, Kathryn M. Jones, Stacey R. Wilder, Joseph F. Urban

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Campylobacter jejuni, a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, has different age distribution and disease expression in developing and developed countries, which may be due to the endemnicity of infection and the age of acquisition of immunity. Differences in disease expression are not solely dependent on the C jejuni strain or virulence attributes. Another modulating factor in developing countries may be endemic nematode infections such as Trichuris, which drive type 2 cytokine responses and down-regulate type I immune responses. In this study, three-day-old germfree pigs given dual infections with Trichuris suis and C jejuni had more frequent, more severe …

Production Of A Monoclonal Antibody Against Benzo[Α]Pyrene Diol Epoxide Dna Adducts, Brian Peden Austin

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Benzo[α]pyrene is a ubiquitous pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of organic material such as fossil fuels. It is found in the workplace, urban air, drinking water, and the food supply. Recently, it has been proposed that benzo[α]pyrene may be the causative agent in the formation of lung adenocarcinomas among some Taiwanese women exposed to cooking oil fumes without adequate ventilation. In this study, calf thymus DNA was modified in vitro with benzo[α]pyrene-diol epoxide (BPDE) to a level consistent with that found in biological samples. This DNA of low modification was used as an immunogen in the production of a …

How Should Governments Address High Levels Of Natural Radiation And Radon--Lessons From The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident And Ramsar, Iran, S. M. Javad Mortazavi, M. Ghiassi-Nejad, Azam Niroomand-Rad, P. Andrew Karam, John R. Cameron

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors discuss the high levels of natural background radiation in Ramsar, Iran, and offer data indicating that this has had little effect on the health of Ramsar's inhabitants. The authors then examine the implications their research could have for public health policy.

Assessment Of Validity Of The National Public Health Performance Standards: The Local Public Health Performance Assessment Instrument., Joyce Beaulieu, F. Douglas Scutchfield

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed performance standards measurement instruments, based on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health" that are being tested in several states. This article is a report on the face and content validity of the instrument designed for local public health systems. Judgments about the face validity of the standards were obtained in a survey of local public health systems that had used the instrument in a test state. The validity of each standard was addressed along the following dimensions: the importance of the standard as a measure of the Essential Service; …

Safety Behaviour In The Construction Industry, Nick Macdonald, Victor Hrymak

Reports

The influences on safety standards and employee safety behaviour was analysed on 18 large construction sites on the island of Ireland. The safety management and documentation of these sites was also analysed. The results are discussed at length together with comprehensive recommendations for the industry.

Cancer Dose-Response Modeling Of Low Dose Radiation Exposure, Gizelle Susette Baker

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Many late effects from exposure to ionizing radiation, including cancers, have been described in the literature. The identification and quantification of radiation-induced health effects is an important and complex issue. Recommendations for radiation safety and protection from the International Commission on Radiological Protection are made using a linear no threshold risk model on epidemiological data. A major obstacle in this process is the limited availability of data to directly measure the health effects of radiation on human populations. One way to circumvent this problem IS to use experimental data from laboratory animals and extrapolate across species to man. The cancer …

Detection Of Giardia Duodenalis Antigen In Coprolites Using A Commercially Available Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Adauto Araújo, Rosemere Duarte, Joaquim Pereira Da Silva, Karl Reinhard, Françoise Bouchet, Luis Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

The objective of this experiment was to assess the utility of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for diagnosis of giardiasis in archaeological human remains. The kit, a monoclonal antibody assay, is used to detect the presence of Giardia-specific antigen 65 (GSA65) in human feces. We utilized the assay in ancient fecal material. The material included desiccated feces found in mummies or in archaeological sites, and sediments from latrines. A total of 83 specimens, previously examined microscopically for parasites, were examined. The ELISA detected 3 positive samples, dated to about 1200 AD, 1600 AD, and 1700 AD. …

Multidisciplinary Coprolite Analysis, Karl Reinhard, Dennis R. Danielson, Mark Daniels, Sérgio Augusto De Miranda Chaves

Karl Reinhard Publications

Coprolite analysis, as reviewed by Reinhard and Bryant (1992), contributes unique and detailed information regarding diet and parasitic disease. We present here an analysis of dietary components of coprolites from Bighorn Cave using macroscopic remains, pollen concentrations, and phytoliths. In addition, we analyzed Bighorn Cave coprolites for evidence of parasitic organisms, especially intestinal worms. Such analyses of coprolites have become important methods for reconstructing past dietary and medicinal practices. Pollen concentration and phytolith quantification techniques have recently been developed, but until this report no known attempt has been made to synthesize pollen, macroscopic, and phytolith data from a single coprolite …

The Standardized Fish Bioassay Procedure For Detecting And Culturing Actively Toxic Pfiesteria, Used By Two Reference Laboratories For Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Joann M. Burkholder, Harold G. Marshall, David W. Seaborn, Nora J. Deamer-Melia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the absence of purified standards of toxins from Pfiesteria species, appropriately conducted fish bioassays are the "gold standard" that must be used to detect toxic strains of Pfiesteria slop. from natural estuarine water or sediment samples and to culture actively toxic Pfiesteria. In this article, we describe the standardized steps of our fish bioassay as an abbreviated term for a procedure that includes two sets of trials with fish, following the Henle-Koch postulates modified for toxic rather than infectious agents. This procedure was developed in 1991, and has been refined over more than 12 years of experience in …

The Distribution Of Airborne Coal Dust In Soil Profiles Of Norfolk, Va And Its Implication For Arsenic Loading To These Soils, William Joseph Bounds

OES Theses and Dissertations

Norfolk, Virginia is home to the Northern Hemisphere's largest coal terminal the Lamberts Point Docks. The coal loading process of this terminal creates large amounts of coal dust, which subsequently is distributed throughout the local region by atmospheric transport and deposition. While the coal dust itself poses only minor health hazards, certain trace elements within the coal, particularly arsenic, may pose environmental as well as significant health hazards. Within coal, arsenic occurs primarily in the mineral pyrite. As pyrite in the coal dust is subsequently oxidized via exposure to the atmosphere and/or meteoric water, arsenic may be released to the …

The Kentucky Plan: An Innovative Approach To Professional Doctoral Education In Public Health., Joel M. Lee, F. Douglas Scutchfield

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) degree is designed to prepare graduates for the highest levels of leadership in public health related careers in both public and private settings. The Kentucky School of Public Health has developed an innovative generalist professional degree program offering an extensive battery of courses based on the body of professional public health knowledge. The degree includes extensive supervised field experience as part of the academic training, linking theory with practice. Issues related to professional degrees, curriculum, accreditation and certification, admission, evaluation, plans for institutional cooperation, and demand are addressed.

Enhanced Detection Of Surface-Associated Bacteria In Indoor Environments By Quantitative Pcr, Mark P. Buttner, Patrica Cruz-Perez, Linda Stetzenbach

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Methods for detecting microorganisms on surfaces are needed to locate biocontamination sources and to relate surface and airborne concentrations. Research was conducted in an experimental room to evaluate surface sampling methods and quantitative PCR (QPCR) for enhanced detection of a target biocontaminant present on flooring materials. QPCR and culture analyses were used to quantitateBacillus subtilis (Bacillus globigii) endospores on vinyl tile, commercial carpet, and new and soiled residential carpet with samples obtained by four surface sampling methods: a swab kit, a sponge swipe, a cotton swab, and a bulk method. The initial data showed that greater overall sensitivity was obtained …

History Of Love Canal And Suny At Buffalo's Response, Adeline Levine Ph.D.

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

History Of Love Canal And Suny At Buffalo's Response: History, The University Role, And Health Research, A. Theodore Steegmann Jr.

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Science And Health Risks Research Since Love Canal, John E. Vena

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Science And Health Risks Research Since Love Canal, James R. Olson

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Reflections On Love Canal, David Hahn-Baker

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.