Environmental Health Commons^™

Visualizing Parcel-Level Lead Risk Using An Exterior Housing-Based Index., Neal J. Wilson, Ryan Allenbrand, Elizabeth Friedman, Kevin Kennedy, Amy Roberts, Stephen Simon

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Pediatric lead poisoning remains a persistent public health problem. Children in the US spend the preponderance of their time at home; thus, housing is an important social determinant of health. Improving health outcomes derived from housing-based sources involves differentiating the risks posed by the existing housing stock. In this paper, we developed a parcel-level lead risk index (LRI) based on external housing conditions and the year of home construction. The purpose of this study was to introduce a housing-based lead risk index (LRI), developed using retrospective data, to estimate parcel-by-parcel variation in housing-based lead risk. We described how the LRI …

Using Bivalves As An Indicator For Fecal Bacteria, Kamala Chuss

Honors Scholar Theses

This project focuses on the integration of fecal bacteria from warm-blooded animals into bivalve tissue, and the utilization of bivalves as an indicator for fecal bacteria in waterways. Bivalves may give a more representative long-term average of fecal bacteria in water as compared to direct water testing. The primary objective is to create a standard operating procedure to use bacterial testing of bivalves as a proxy for bacteria concentration in the water. This method can be used in places where bivalves do not already exist by adding them to a body of water, or by collecting bivalves that already exist …

Composting For Cleaner Air, Simi Benisty, Katie Bui, Narmin Solman, David Woo

Master's Projects and Capstones

The aim of this project was to address food waste at Mary's Kitchen by implementing a composting initiative to divert organic waste from landfills. The project took place in a nonprofit organization that serves food to the homeless, where the target population includes staff, volunteers, and clients of the kitchen. Key interventions involved creating educational materials on composting, recycling, and waste management, including flyers in both English and Spanish, as well as a QR code for easy access. Additionally, smaller, color-coded buckets were introduced to replace the 33-gallon bins, making waste sorting more manageable. Measures included staff and volunteer compliance …

Investigating The Acute Physiological Effects Of Effluent Crystal Violet On The Freshwater Bioindicator Daphnia Pulex, Hoang K. Ho

2024 Fall Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This study examines the effects of acute exposure to crystal violet (CV) on the freshwater zooplankton Daphnia pulex in response to growing concerns over synthetic dyes from industrial runoff in aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective is to assess CV's impact on D. pulex's heart rate, mobility, morphology, and lethality via a series of acute exposure tests. 48-h acute toxicity (0-2000 μg/L), 48-h immobilization (0-180 μg/L), and 9-h heart rate (0-2,000 μg/L) tests were conducted using third-generation daphnids, followed by stereomicroscopic examination and statistical analysis. Results showed increasing mortality and decreasing mobility and heart rate with increasing CV concentration; the …

Evaluation Of Biochar As A Remediation Tool For Aminopyralid Contaminated Compost, Steven James Parris

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Aminopyralid is a synthetic auxin herbicide which is applied to grass pastures to control broadleaf weed populations. Aminopyralid can contaminate compost through inputs derived from treated pastures such as manure and grass clippings. This possibility poses the threat of inadvertent herbicide exposure to sensitive vegetable plants through using compost contaminated with aminopyralid. Biochar can absorb pollutants and has a synergistic effect with compost when applied to the compost mixture. This study examined the relationship between biochar and aminopyralid through compost consisting of dairy manure and sawdust 1:1 mixture, aminopyralid (10μg/kg), and biochar at four treatment levels of total mass of …

Leveraging High-Frequency Water Quality Data And Machine Learning For Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms, Ibrahim Busari

All Dissertations

Freshwater management is one of the most critical resources on the earth due to the plethora of water use and its limited availability. Increased algae proliferation is one of the significant problems of freshwater bodies that is triggered by nutrient enrichment and enabling conditions such as light and warm temperatures. This algal proliferation is toxic to the ecosystem through their biomass and potential toxin production that can cause hypoxic conditions and is often referred to as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Current monitoring approaches include laboratory analysis of water samples to observe algal cells, monitoring of water quality parameters using water …

Anti-Aging Properties Of Cosmetics, Anna Lipinski

The Cardinal Edge

It is well established that external factors, specifically UV exposure, are among the highest contributors to the biological aging of the skin. Prolonged exposure may disrupt skin cell homeostasis through shifts in proteostasis, accumulation of reactive oxidative species, premature cellular senescence, and inflammatory pathways. Cosmetic companies have responded to this by producing products marketed as "youthful" and "anti-aging" by including specific compounds into formulas to combat skin aging. This review discusses the specific mechanisms of anti-aging formulas, including polyphenols as senotherapeutic agents and L-ascorbic acid as an anti-inflammatory compound, in resisting the biological aging of the skin.

Evaluating Indoor Air Quality In Residential Environments: A Study Of Pm2.5 And Co2 Dynamics Using Low-Cost Sensors, Kabir Bahadur Shah, Dylan Kim, Sai Deepak Pinakana, Mkhitar A. Hobosyan, Armando Montes, Amit U. Raysoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Indoor air quality (IAQ) poses a significant public health concern, and exposures to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO2) could have detrimental health impacts. This study focused on assessing the indoor air pollutants in a residential house located in the town of Mission, Hidalgo County, South Texas, USA. The PM2.5 and CO2 were monitored indoors: the kitchen and the bedroom. This investigation also aimed to elucidate the effects of household activities such as cooking and human occupancy on these pollutants. Low-cost sensors (LCSs) from TSI AirAssure™ were used in this study. They were deployed within …

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 …

Social Worker Perspectives Of Social Determinants Of Health Related To Hospital Readmission For Chronic Illness, Crysta Michelle Tigue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unplanned or early hospital readmission have become factors used to measure standard of care in acute care settings. Because unplanned or early hospital readmission are costly, the Medicaid Hospital Readmission Reduction Program applies fines to hospitals that have early or unplanned readmissions. Though research has been conducted to identify causes and develop interventions, recent studies have not incorporated social determinants of health (SDOH). The objective of this qualitative study was to examine the impact of SDOH on unplanned and early readmission through the lived experience and perspective of the social worker. This qualitative study used phenomenological methodology and face to …

Water Quality And Macroinvertebrates Assessment Of Eniong Creek, Akwa Ibom State, Niger Delta, Nigeria, Udeme Effiong Jonah, Imeh Kokoete Esenowo, Udeme Isong Enin

Journal of Bioresource Management

The water quality and macroinvertebrates from the downstream section of Eniong Creek were studied for six months, between August 2022 and January 2023 in three sampling stations/ points; to evaluate the ecological integrity and its suitability for habitation of aquatic organisms. Water samples were collected using sterilized plastic bottles and 250 mL reagent bottles for biochemical oxygen demand, and analyzed in accordance with the standard examination methods. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), transparency (TP), total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), and pH were measured in situ while water samples were collected for determination of phosphate (PO₄^-), …

Evaluation Of The Water Quality And Distribution Of Heavy Metals In The Gomti River Flowing Through The Urban Region Of Lucknow, India, Neha Gondial, Sandhya Bharti

Makara Journal of Science

The physicochemical properties and heavy metals contents of the Gomti River water (GRW) samples collected from five selected sites covering a stretch of ~31 km in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India were ascertained. The sites were Ghaila Pul, Mehndi Ghat, Shaheed Smarak, Kukrail Junction, and Bande Dam, represented as S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5, respectively, following from upstream to downstream. S1 was considered as a reference site. The values of pH, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total hardness (TH), total chloride (TC), total alkalinity (TA), total acidity (TAC), total …

Climate Smart Agriculture, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

There are several programs encouraging producers to reduce their carbon intensity, including United States Department of Agriculture climate-smart agriculture programs, the 2024 Nebraska Climate Action Plan, and the 2024 Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act. The hope is that producers with lower carbon intensity (CI) scores will receive a premium for their products. Producers would be well advised to learn more about these programs, as reducing carbon intensity in agriculture seems to be an emerging agricultural policy trend that will be with us for some time to come.

Influences Of Quality Of Maternal Care And Environmental Enrichment On Associative Memory Function In Rats With Early Life Lead Exposure, Jay S. Schneider, Courtney Williams, Shamaila Zafar, Jaehyun Joo, Blanca E. Himes

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Children in low socioeconomic status (SES) communities are at higher risk of exposure to lead (Pb) and potentially more severe adverse outcomes from Pb exposures. While the factors encompassing SES are complex, low SES households often have less enriching home environments and parent-child interactions. This study investigated the extent to which environmental/behavioral factors (quality of maternal care and richness of the postnatal environment) may modify adverse effects from Pb exposure.

METHODS: Long-Evans female rats were randomly assigned to Control (no Pb), Early Postnatal (EPN: birth through weaning), or Perinatal (PERI: 14 days pre-mating through weaning) Pb exposure groups. From …

Emerging Contaminants In Extreme Environments: Microplastics Monitoring In Karst Springs Of Montenegro, Marko Nikolic, Djuradj Milosevic, Ana Manovic, Vladimir Pesic, Melita Mustafic, Dragana Asceric, Milica Nikolic, Dimitrija Savic-Zdravkovic

FRONTIERS UNBOUND: Exploring Extreme Environments

No abstract provided.

Environmental Impact Of Water And Air Contaminants On Public Health, Astrid-Ines Foamkom, Luis A. Peña Marquez, Maria Sophia Malbas, Esmeralda Rodriguez, Noe Garza, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez

Research Colloquium

Background: Established literature suggests a strong relationship between exposure to air contaminants and physical health. Similarly, numerous studies have demonstrated the effects of water pollution on public health. Texas denizens are often victims of poor air and water quality, yet there are scant studies that have integrated evidence of health tolls caused by air and water pollution across the state. In this study, we assessed the relationship between particulate matter

Methods: The study used data from the 2018 Medicare and Medicaid report which displayed chronic health conditions across all counties in Texas. Additionally, the study also includes collected data on …

From Turf To Turf: Fungal Invasion Of Ascocoryne Turficola In A Northern Michigan Bog, Evan L. Coscarelli-Trott

All NMU Master's Theses

This is the first paper to report Ascocoryne turficola Boud. 1905 (Helotiales: Ascomycota) within the United States. It is an obligate bog fungus native to Europe and Siberia, where it is extremely rare across most of its range. A. turficola appeared at Lily Pond Bog in Marquette, Michigan (87.47º W, 46.59º N) in 2019, almost contemporaneous with anecdotal reports in Minnesota and Ontario. Since 2019, the Lily Pond population has exploded and become the dominant fungus in this bog but has yet to spread to similar bogs nearby. This species is adapted to long distance dispersal and carries the potential …

Unraveling The Multilevel Dynamics Of Water, Sanitation, And Child Anthropometry In Indonesia, Rifa Kirana, Ahmad Komarulzaman

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Anthropometrics, reflecting nutritional status, growth, and development, are crucial elements that can predict a person’s health and well-being. However, low anthropometric measures among children under 5 years remain a significant issue in Indonesia, often influenced by various factors at the household and community levels. Access to clean water and adequate sanitation has been identified as major determinants of these adverse health outcomes. This study analyzes the relationship between anthropometric measures and access to water and sanitation at household and community levels using a multilevel analysis approach.

Methods: The study employs cross-sectional data from the Indonesian Family Life …

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 …

Assessment Of Tce And Chiral Pcb Dechlorination Rate, Congener Diversity, And Enantioselectivity In Town Creek, Sc, Usa Sediment Microcosms, Catherine P. Sumner

All Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and trichloroethene (TCE) are ubiquitous contaminants and are recognized as persistent organic pollutants due to their extreme chemical stability. PCBs were manufactured by chlorinating biphenyls that created 209 congeners with various structures, of which 19 are chiral and can exist as a pair of stable atropisomers. PCBs have been known to cause developmental and neurological toxicity in humans and wildlife; they can act as endocrine disrupters, carcinogens, and teratogens. Sangamo Weston Inc. was an industrial plant located near Town Creek in Pickens Country, South Carolina, that manufactured capacitors and used Aroclors 1016 and 1254 as dialectic fluids …