Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

2017 Nebraska Water Monitoring Programs Report, Marty Link, Ryan Chapman

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is charged with monitoring, assessing, and to the extent possible, managing the state’s water resources. The purpose of this work is to protect and maintain high quality water and encourage or execute activities to improve poor water quality. Monitoring is done on nearly 17,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, more than 134,000 acres of surface water in lakes and reservoirs, as well as the vast storage of groundwater in Nebraska’s aquifers.

A Photosynthesis-Based Two-Leaf Canopy Stomatal Conductance Model For Meteorology And Air Quality Modeling With Wrf/Cmaq Px Lsm, Limei Ran, Jonathan Pleim, Conghe Song, Larry Band, John T. Walker, Francis S. Binkowski

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

A coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance model with single-layer sunlit and shaded leaf canopy scaling is implemented and evaluated in a diagnostic box model with the Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM) and ozone deposition model components taken directly from the meteorology and air quality modeling system—WRF/CMAQ (Weather Research and Forecast model and Community Multiscale Air Quality model). The photosynthesis-based model for PX LSM (PX PSN) is evaluated at a FLUXNET site for implementation against different parameterizations and the current PX LSM approach with a simple Jarvis function (PX Jarvis). Latent heat flux (LH) from PX PSN is further evaluated at five …

Phthalate And Non-Phthalate Plasticizers In Indoor Dust From Childcare Facilities, Salons, And Homes Across The Usa, Bikram Subedi, Kenneth D. Sullivan, Birendra Dhungana

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

The quality of indoor environment has received considerable attention owing to the declining outdoor human activities and the associated public health issues. The prolonged exposure of children in childcare facilities or the occupational exposure of adults to indoor environmental triggers can be a culprit of the pathophysiology of several commonly observed idiopathic syndromes. In this study, concentrations of potentially toxic plasticizers (phthalates as well as non-phthalates) were investigated in 28 dust samples collected from three different indoor environments across the USA. The mean concentrations of non-phthalate plasticizers [acetyl tri-n-butyl citrate (ATBC), di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), and diisobutyl adipate (DIBA)] were found …

Using Consumer Accessible Mobile Devices To Collect Vehicle Emissions Compliance Data, Joshua N. Jensen

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The emissions inspection procedure has been largely stagnate for the last 20 years. Vehicle owners in the United States spend approximately 1.7 billion dollars annually for a technician to perform the simple task of plugging an emissions inspection computer into their car’s computer. Smart Emissions was developed as an Android application to provide a new procedure for emissions inspection utilizing consumer-accessible mobile devices and an ELM327 Bluetooth adapter. With Smart Emissions, vehicle owners utilize the Android devices they already own to connect to a Bluetooth adapter inserted into the diagnostic link connector port of their vehicle. The adapter communicates with …

Statistical Survey Of Persistent Organic Pollutants: Risk Estimations To Humans And Wildlife Through Consumption Of Fish From U.S. Rivers, Angela L. Batt, John B. Wathen, James M. Lazorchak, Anthony R. Olsen, Thomas M. Kincaid

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

U.S. EPA conducted a national statistical survey of fish tissue contamination at 540 river sites (representing 82 954 river km) in 2008−2009, and analyzed samples for 50 persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including 21 PCB congeners, 8 PBDE congeners, and 21 organochlorine pesticides. The survey results were used to provide national estimates of contamination for these POPs. PCBs were the most abundant, being measured in 93.5% of samples. Summed concentrations of the 21 PCB congeners had a national weighted mean of 32.7 μg/kg and a maximum concentration of 857 μg/kg, and exceeded the human health cancer screening value of 12 μg/kg …

The Cosmological Liveliness Of Terril Calder's The Lodge: Animating Our Relations And Unsettling Our Cinematic Spaces, Salma Monani

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

I first saw Métis artist Terril Calder's 2014 stop-frame feature, The Lodge, an independently made, relatively small- budget film, at its premiere at the ImagineNative Film + Media Arts festival, held annually in Toronto, Canada. The feature-length animation played to a full house at the Light-box Theater downtown. Many were there to attend the five-day festival, which is dedicated to Indigenous media made by and for Indigenous people. Others were there because as members of Toronto's general public they wanted to catch a movie during a night out in the city. Since then The Lodge has shown at various other …

Knowledge And Barriers To Safe Disposal Of Pharmaceutical Products Entering The Environment, Aldo Francesco Fidora

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of pharmaceutical products has steadily increased in the United States from 2 billion prescriptions in 1999 to 3.9 billion in 2009. Half of patients do not comply with the recommended prescription regimen and dispose of unused drugs in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many researchers have highlighted the human-health risks associated with improperly disposing of pharmaceutical products. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the potential correlations between people's actual disposal practices and their knowledge of the impact of disposal practices on the environment and human health, and availability of disposal options. The conceptual framework selected for …

Informing Oregon's Marine Protected Area (Mpa) Baseline Past And Present Tribal Uses Of Marine Resources, Sabra Marie Tallchief Comet

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Oregon implemented a series of marine reserves from 2012 through the beginning of 2016 that will be evaluated in 2023. As part of that evaluation, several studies are focusing on the impact of the reserves on coastal communities. This project focused on tribal members with ancestral territory on the Oregon coast. Tribal members from three tribes, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians were interviewed for this project. The interviews centered around two themes: 1) past and present use of marine and coastal species, and 2) …

Nebraska Public Water Supply Program Summary Report 2017

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program under the authority of the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Under the SDWA and the 1986 Amendments, EPA sets national limits on contaminant levels in drinking water to ensure that the water is safe for human consumption. These limits are known as Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and Maximum Residual Disinfectant Levels (MRDLs). For some regulations, EPA establishes treatment techniques in lieu of an MCL to control unacceptable levels of contaminants in water.

2017 Nebraska Groundwater Quality Monitoring Report

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The 2001 Nebraska Legislature passed LB329 (Neb. Rev. Stat. §46-1304) which, in part, directed the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to report on groundwater quality monitoring in Nebraska. Reports have been issued annually since December 2001. The text of the statute applicable to this report follows: “The Department of Environmental Quality shall prepare a report outlining the extent of ground water quality monitoring conducted by natural resources districts during the preceding calendar year. The department shall analyze the data collected for the purpose of determining whether or not ground water quality is degrading or improving and shall present the …

Weight Of Evidence Evaluation Of A Network Of Adverse Outcome Pathways Linking Activation Of The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor In Honey Bees To Colony Death, Carlie A. Lalone, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Judy Wu-Smart, Rebecca Y. Milsk, Keith Sappington, Kristina V. Garber, Justin Housenger, Gerald T. Ankley

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Ongoing honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony losses are of significant international concern because of the essential role these insects play in pollinating crops. Both chemical and non-chemical stressors have been implicated as possible contributors to colony failure; however, the potential role(s) of commonly-used neonicotinoid insecticides has emerged as particularly concerning. Neonicotinoids act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the central nervous system to eliminate pest insects. However, mounting evidence indicates that neonicotinoids also may adversely affect beneficial pollinators, such as the honey bee, via impairments on learning and memory, and ultimately foraging success. The specificmechanisms linking activation …

Atp Binding Cassette Sub-Family Member 2 (Abcg2) And Xenobiotic Exposure During Early Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation, Mitchell B. Rosen, Susan C. Jeffay, Harriette P. Nichols, Maria R. Hoopes, E. Sidney Hunter Iii

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Background: ATP binding cassette sub-family member 2 (ABCG2) is a welldefined efflux transporter found in a variety of tissues. The role of ABCG2 during early embryonic development, however, is not established. Previous work which compared data from the ToxCast screening program with that from in-house studies suggested an association exists between exposure to xenobiotics that regulate Abcg2 transcription and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC), a relationship potentially related to redox homeostasis.

Methods: mESC were grown for up to 9 days. Pharmacological inhibitors were used to assess transporter function with and without xenobiotic exposure. Proliferation and differentiation were …

Coral Gardening: Issues And Challenges, Michelle Z. Reyes, Darwin J. C. Raymundo, Sameen J. Rizwan, Wilfredo Y. Licuanan

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Coral gardening is the process of restoring cover of a damaged reef by affixing live coral fragments. This method of reef rehabilitation has been gaining popularity in the Philippines, and while it has its applications, it should be the last option for bringing a reef back to a healthy state. Proper management of reef resources through marine protected areas, removal of stressors, and easing of fishing pressure provides a broader and more holistic approach while allowing the reef to recover by itself. If coral gardening is the only viable option available for rehabilitating a certain reef, careful consideration must be …

Posthurricane Environment's Impact On Childhood Cancer Rates In Louisiana, 2004-2010, Lenora M. Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood cancer is the second leading cause of death in children aged 0-19 years. Research efforts to identify factors associated with or influencing this growing health problem are limited. The purpose of this research study was to examine, in reference to Louisiana during the period 2004-2010, the annual number of children diagnosed with cancer; the types of cancers; the possible effects of the environmental aftermath resulting from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav; and any correlation between environmental contaminants following these hurricanes with the number of children diagnosed with cancer. This study employed correlational quantitative methodology using archival data from the …

Addressing Antibiotic Resistance From Farm-Raised Fish Imported To The United States, Nicholas Ali

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

Misuse of medically important antibiotics in animal production threatens the effectiveness of drugs that are vital in combating disease and infections. Recently, the FDA implemented regulations to limit the use of and access to veterinary drugs. However, these regulations only affect domestic production operations. Because over 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported from countries with different regulatory standards and because the U.S. has an import inspection rate of less than 1%, antibiotic resistance stemming from imported aquaculture is still a risk that is not sufficiently accounted for. This research investigates how the U.S. has reacted to the …

Assessing Riparian Ecosystem Condition And Monitoring Recovery From Natural And Anthropogenic Disturbance, Rachel Powers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Riparian ecosystems are the transition zones between river systems and uplands. They provide many valuable ecological functions including creating habitat for wildlife, stabilizing banks from erosion and providing a buffer that prevents excess nutrients from entering streams. Fires and other disturbances alter the function of these ecosystems. Currently, there is a lack of broadly used standardized assessments and monitoring methods in riparian areas within our current water policy framework. This study aims to examine this gap in riparian ecosystem protection by reviewing the assessment methods currently in use, selecting one method for field testing, and analyzing the effort involved in …

A Mechanistic Study Of Micro Rna 21 Induced Hepatic Fibrosis And Use Of Sparstolonin B In Remediation Of Environmental Nafld, Diptadip Dattaroy

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the increased prevalence of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major public health problem in the Western world and Asian countries. Approximately a third of the general population in the US has NAFLD. NAFLD includes a spectrum of histological characteristics ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis and can be characterized into to two major phenotypes: nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Water disinfection byproducts like trihalomethanes can act as crucial risk factors for NAFLD progression. Here I have studied the molecular mechanisms of a water disinfection byproduct, Bromodichloromethane, in induction …

Antibiotics And Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Coastal Plain Streams, Jason Duff

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Streams across the United States and globally are influenced by environmental contamination, including antibiotics, which enter streams due to widespread use and multiple pathways into the environment. Antibiotics are also likely to enter streams in mixture with other contaminants that alter the effects on aquatic organisms. Furthermore, antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter streams through similar pathways as antibiotics with implications for natural microbial communities. Therefore, understanding the presence and effects of antibiotic-contaminant mixtures and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in streams is important for resource management.

Chapter one describes an experiment that tested the hypothesis that the antibiotic tetracycline (TC) alone influences phytoplankton communities differently …

Urban Dwellers Experiences Regarding Loss Of Natural Environments Due To Rapid Urbanization, Erica Montanye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known about how residents of rapidly growing cities are impacted by the loss of natural environments. Large cities are expanding at an exponential rate, reducing the presence of, and access to, natural environments for urban dwellers. Many benefits to human health regarding the presence of natural environments near where people live and work are known, but impacts of the loss of natural environments for urban dwellers are unknown. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand residents' experiences regarding the loss of natural environments and related impacts. Attention restoration theory and place attachment were the theoretical lenses …

A Study Of Hippocampal Microglia Distribution In Pre-Adolescent Mice Chronically Exposed To Lead, Salvador Dominguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Lead is a major unresolved child health hazard. Children are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure, which include disruption of brain development and brain function. How lead exposure alters brain development and brain function is not currently known. Our laboratory has been developing a mouse model to understand effects of low-level lead exposure in the developing brain. In previous studies, we have shown that early chronic low level lead exposure diminished the number of microglia in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus, an area responsible for learning and memory. Building on the results of the previous …