An international team of scientists from government agencies and universities in the United State... more An international team of scientists from government agencies and universities in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), Trinidad & Tobago, the Republic of Cape Verde, and the Republic of Mali (West Africa) is working together to elucidate the role Saharan dust may play in the degradation of Caribbean ecosystems. The first step has been to identify and quantify the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), trace metals, and viable microorganisms in the atmosphere in dust source areas of West Africa, and in dust episodes at downwind sites in the eastern Atlantic (Cape Verde) and the Caribbean (USVI and Trinidad & Tobago). Preliminary findings show that air samples from Mali contain a greater number of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and in higher concentrations than the Caribbean sites. Overall, POP concentrations were similar in USVI and Trinidad samples. Trace metal concentrations were found to be similar to crustal compos...
Fishes were collected at 16 sites within the three major river drainages (Delaware, Susquehanna, ... more Fishes were collected at 16 sites within the three major river drainages (Delaware, Susquehanna, and Ohio) of Pennsylvania. Three species were evaluated for biomarkers of estrogenic/antiandrogenic exposure, including plasma vitellogenin and testicular oocytes in male fishes. Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, white sucker Catostomus commersonii, and redhorse sucker Moxostoma species were collected in the summer, a period of low flow and low reproductive activity. Smallmouth bass were the only species in which testicular oocytes were observed; however, measurable concentrations of plasma vitellogenin were found in male bass and white sucker. The percentage of male bass with testicular oocytes ranged from 10 to 100 %, with the highest prevalence and severity in bass collected in the Susquehanna drainage. The percentage of males with plasma vitellogenin ranged from 0 to 100 % in both bass and sucker. Biological findings were compared with chemical analyses of discrete water samples collected at the time of fish collections. Estrone concentrations correlated with testicular oocytes prevalence and severity and with the percentage of male bass with vitellogenin. No correlations were noted with the percentage of male sucker with vitellogenin and water chemical concentrations. The prevalence and severity of testicular oocytes in bass also correlated with the percent of agricultural land use in the watershed above a site. Two sites within the Susquehanna drainage and one in the Delaware were immediately downstream of wastewater treatment plants to compare results with upstream fish. The percentage of male bass with testicular oocytes was not consistently higher downstream; however, severity did tend to increase downstream.
Bioassay of estrogenicity and chemical analyses of estrogens in streams across the United States associated with livestock operations
Water Research, 2013
Animal manures, used as a nitrogen source for crop production, are often associated with negative... more Animal manures, used as a nitrogen source for crop production, are often associated with negative impacts on nutrient levels in surface water. The concentrations of estrogens in streams from these manures also are of concern due to potential endocrine disruption in aquatic species. Streams associated with livestock operations were sampled by discrete samples (n = 38) or by time-integrated polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS, n = 19). Samples were analyzed for estrogens by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS(2)) and estrogenic activity was assessed by three bioassays: Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES), T47D-KBluc Assay, MCF-7 Estrogenicity Screen (E-Screen). Samples were collected from 19 streams within small (≈ 1-30 km(2)) watersheds in 12 U.S. states representing a range of hydrogeologic conditions, dominated by: dairy (3), grazing beef (3), feedlot cattle (1); swine (5); poultry (3); and 4 areas where no livestock were raised or manure was applied. Water samples were consistently below the United Kingdom proposed Lowest Observable Effect Concentration for 17β-estradiol in fish (10 ng/L) in all watersheds, regardless of land use. Estrogenic activity was often higher in samples during runoff conditions following a period of manure application. Estrone was the most commonly detected estrogen (13 of 38 water samples, mean 1.9, maximum 8.3 ng/L). Because of the T47D-KBluc assay's sensitivity towards estrone (1.4 times 17β-estradiol) it was the most sensitive method for detecting estrogens, followed by the E-Screen, GC-MS(2), and YES. POCIS resulted in more frequent detections of estrogens than discrete water samples across all sites, even when applying the less-sensitive YES bioassay to the POCIS extracts.
Anthropogenic semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) that persist in the environment, bioaccumulat... more Anthropogenic semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate, are toxic at low concentrations, and undergo long-range atmospheric transport (LRT) were identified and quantified in the atmosphere of a Saharan dust source region (Mali) and during Saharan dust incursions at downwind sites in the eastern Caribbean (U.S. Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago) and Cape Verde. More organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides (OCPPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected in the Saharan dust region than at downwind sites. Seven of the 13 OCPPs detected occurred at all sites: chlordanes, chlorpyrifos, dacthal, dieldrin, endosulfans, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and trifluralin. Total SOCs ranged from 1.9-126 ng/m 3 (mean = 25 ± 34) at source and 0.05-0.71 ng/m 3 (mean = 0.24 ± 0.18) at downwind sites during dust conditions. Most SOC concentrations were 1-3 orders of magnitude higher in source than downwind sites. A Saharan source was confirmed for sampled air masses at downwind sites based on dust particle elemental composition and rare earth ratios, atmospheric back trajectory models, and field observations. SOC concentrations were considerably below existing occupational and/or regulatory limits; however, few regulatory limits exist for these persistent organic compounds. Long-term effects of chronic exposure
The enantiomeric composition of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) atropisomers was measured in river... more The enantiomeric composition of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) atropisomers was measured in river and riparian biota (fish, bivalves, crayfish, water snakes, barn swallows) from selected sites throughout the United States by using chiral gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Nonracemic enantiomeric fractions (EFs) were observed for PCBs 91, 95, 136, and 149 for aquatic and riparian biota from Lake Hartwell, SC, a reservoir heavily contaminated with PCBs, and for these congeners and PCBs 132, 174, 176, and 183 in river fish and bivalves nationwide. Fish and bivalves showed marked differences in EFs as compared to sediment found at the same sampling sites, thus suggesting that PCBs are bioprocessed in biota in a different manner from those found in sediment (e.g., reductive dechlorination). Species-dependent patterns in PCB EFs were observed, which suggest differences in the ability of different species to bioprocess PCBs enantioselectively, most likely by metabolism. The presence of nonracemic PCBs in fish and bivalves suggests greater metabolic degradation of PCBs in these organisms than indicated from previous achiral studies and underscores the powerful potential of chiral analysis as a tracer of environmental bioprocesses.
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2007
Current-use pesticides (CUPs) and banned organochlorine compounds (OCCs) were measured in precipi... more Current-use pesticides (CUPs) and banned organochlorine compounds (OCCs) were measured in precipitation (snowpack and rain) and lake sediments from two national parks in the Western United States to determine their occurrence and distribution in high-elevation environments. CUPs frequently detected in snow were endosulfan, dacthal, and chlorothalonil in concentrations ranging from 0.07 to 2.4 ng/L. Of the OCCs, chlordane, hexachlorobenzene, and two polychlorinated biphenyl congeners were detected in only one snow sample each. Pesticides most frequently detected in rain were atrazine, carbaryl, and dacthal in concentrations from 3.0 to 95 ng/L. Estimated annual deposition rates in one of the parks were 8.4 lg/m 2 for atrazine, 9.9 lg/m 2 for carbaryl, and 2.6 lg/m 2 for dacthal, of which >85% occurred during summer. p,pÕ-DDE and p,pÕ-DDD were the most frequently detected OCCs in surface sediments from lakes. However, concentrations were low (0.12 to 4.7 lg/kg) and below levels at which harmful effects for benthic organisms are likely to be observed. DDD and DDE concentrations in an age-dated sediment core suggest that atmospheric deposition of DDT and its degradates, and possibly other banned OCCs, to high-elevation areas have been decreasing since the 1970s. Dacthal and endosulfan sulfate were present in low concentrations (0.11 to 1.2 lg/kg) and were the only CUPs detected in surface sediments. Both pesticides were frequently detected in snow, confirming that some CUPs entering high-elevation aquatic environments through atmospheric deposition are accumulating in lake sediments and potentially in aquatic biota as well. A number of studies have documented the presence of organochlorine compounds (OCCs) in remote polar ecosystems. These compounds are accumulating at high latitudes because of long-range atmospheric transport and the effects of cold condensation, a process that causes semivolatile organic compounds used at warmer temperate latitudes to accumulate in colder high-latitude regions (Simonich & Hites 1995; Wania & Mackay 1996; Blais 2005). OCCs frequently detected in these environments include DDT and its degradates, aand c-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These compounds are of environmental concern because they tend to bioconcentrate in wildlife and, for some, are known or suspected endocrine disrupters (Tyler et al. 1998). Several recent studies also have documented the accumulation of OCCs in high-elevation areas at temperate latitudes (Blais et al. 1998; Carrera et al. 2001; Grimalt et al. 2001). Blais et al. (1998) detected OCCs in seasonal snowpacks in Canada and found that concentrations of the more volatile compounds tended to increase with increasing elevation. Grimalt et al. (2001) reported similar patterns in concentrations of OCCs in lake sediment and fish tissue in mountainous areas of Europe. These investigators hypothesized that low annual air temperatures were causing selective accumulation of OCCs at high elevations similar to what is observed at high latitudes. Based on these results, temperate mountains in the Western United States, such as the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, also may be susceptible to accumulation of organic contaminants because of low air temperatures, high rates of precipitation, and close proximity to agricultural and urban source areas. Although the widespread occurrence of OCCs in the environment has been documented, much less is known about the long-range atmospheric transport of current-use pesticides (CUPs) and their persistence in aquatic environments, particularly in mountainous areas. CUPs have been detected in precipitation collected in remote areas of the United States, indicating that these compounds can be transported by air currents for substantial distances. Thurman and Cromwell (2000) detected triazine herbicides in rainfall on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Analysis of predominant wind direction indicated that the herbicides originated from the upper Midwest and were transported hundreds of kilometers before being deposited by precipitation. Organophosphate insecticides were detected in rain and snow samples collected at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada of California (McConnell et al. 1998). Atmospheric transport of pesticides from CaliforniaÕs Central Valley, one of the heaviest pesticide-use areas in the United States, was considered the likely source of the pesticides.
Data were collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, (serving ... more Data were collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, (serving 30,000 people) to assess the relative contribution of CSO (combined sewer overflow) bypass flows and treated wastewater effluent to the load of steroid hormones and other wastewater micropollutants (WMPs) from a WWTP to a lake. Flow-weighted composite samples were collected over a 13 month period at this WWTP from CSO bypass flows or plant influent flows (n = 28) and treated effluent discharges (n = 22). Although CSO discharges represent 10% of the total annual water discharge (CSO plus treated plant effluent discharges) from the WWTP, CSO discharges contribute 40−90% of the annual load for hormones and WMPs with high (>90%) wastewater treatment removal efficiency. By contrast, compounds with low removal efficiencies (<90%) have less than 10% of annual load contributed by CSO discharges. Concentrations of estrogens, androgens, and WMPs generally are 10 times higher in CSO discharges compared to treated wastewater discharges. Compound concentrations in samples of CSO discharges generally decrease with increasing flow because of wastewater dilution by rainfall runoff. By contrast, concentrations of hormones and many WMPs in samples from treated discharges can increase with increasing flow due to decreasing removal efficiency.
Animal waste from livestock farming operations can contain varying levels of natural and syntheti... more Animal waste from livestock farming operations can contain varying levels of natural and synthetic androgens and/or estrogens, which can contaminate surrounding waterways. In the present study, surface stream water was collected from 6 basins containing livestock farming operations. Aqueous concentrations of 12 hormones were determined via chemical analyses. Relative androgenic and estrogenic activity was measured using in vitro cell assays (MDA-kb2 and T47D-Kbluc assays, respectively). In parallel, 48-h static-renewal in vivo exposures were conducted to examine potential endocrine-disrupting effects in fathead minnows. Mature fish were exposed to surface water dilutions (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) and 10-ng/L of 17a-ethynylestradiol or 50-ng/L of 17b-trenbolone as positive controls. Hepatic expression of vitellogenin and estrogen receptor a mRNA, gonadal ex vivo testosterone and 17b-estradiol production, and plasma vitellogenin concentrations were examined. Potentially estrogenic and androgenic steroids were detected at low nanogram per liter concentrations. In vitro estrogenic activity was detected in all samples, whereas androgenic activity was detected in only 1 sample. In vivo exposures to the surface water had no significant dose-dependent effect on any of the biological endpoints, with the exception of increased male testosterone production in 1 exposure. The present study, which combines analytical chemistry measurements, in vitro bioassays, and in vivo fish exposures, highlights the integrated value and future use of a combination of techniques to obtain a comprehensive characterization of an environmental chemical mixture.
The Potomac River basin is an area where a high prevalence of abnormalities such as testicular oo... more The Potomac River basin is an area where a high prevalence of abnormalities such as testicular oocytes (TO), skin lesions, and mortality has been observed in smallmouth bass (SMB, Micropterus dolomieu). Previous research documented a variety of chemicals in regional streams, implicating chemical exposure as one plausible explanation for these biological effects. Six stream sites in the Potomac basin (and one out-of-basin reference site) were sampled to provide an assessment of chemicals in these streams. Potential early life-stage exposure to chemicals detected was assessed by collecting samples in and around SMB nesting areas. Target chemicals included those known to be associated with important agricultural and municipal wastewater sources in the Potomac basin. The prevalence and severity of TO in SMB were also measured to determine potential relations between chemistry and biological effects.
A variety of current-use pesticides were determined in weekly-composite air and rain samples coll... more A variety of current-use pesticides were determined in weekly-composite air and rain samples collected during the 1995 and 2007 growing seasons in the Mississippi Delta agricultural region. Similar sampling and analytical methods allowed for direct comparison of results. Decreased overall pesticide use in 2007 relative to 1995 generally resulted in decreased detection frequencies in air and rain, but observed concentration ranges were similar between years even though the 1995 sampling site was 500 m from active fields while the 2007 sampling site was within 3 m of a field. Mean concentration of detections were sometimes greater in 2007 than in 1995 but the median values were often lower. Seven compounds in 1995 and five in 2007 were detected in ≥50% of both air and rain samples. Atrazine, metolachlor, and propanil were detected in ≥50% of the air and rain samples in both years. Glyphosate and its degradation product, AMPA, were detected in ≥75% of air and rain samples in 2007, but were not measured in 1995. The 1995 seasonal wet depositional flux was dominated by methyl parathion (88%) and was >4.5 times the 2007 flux. Total herbicide flux in 2007 was slightly greater than in 1995, and was dominated by glyphosate. Malathion, methyl parathion, and degradation products made up most of the 2007 nonherbicide flux.
The flooding in the greater New Orleans, La., area that resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita... more The flooding in the greater New Orleans, La., area that resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005 left behind accumulations of sediments up to many centimeters thick on streets, lawns, parking lots, and other flat surfaces (fig. 1). During the flood dewatering and subsequent cleanup, there were concerns that these sediments might contain pathogens and chemical contaminants that would pose a health risk to emergency responders, cleanup workers, and local residents who came into contact with the wet sediments or inhaled dusts generated from dried sediments. In response to these concerns, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and colleagues characterized the potential environmental and health hazards of hurricane flood sediments from the greater New Orleans and Slidell, La., area.
Combined Sewer Overflows as a Source of Hormones to Surface Water
ABSTRACT Some sources of hormones to surface water, such as wastewater-treatment-plant (WWTP) eff... more ABSTRACT Some sources of hormones to surface water, such as wastewater-treatment-plant (WWTP) effluent, have been well documented, but other sources, particularly wet-weather discharges from combined-sewer-overflows (CSOs), are not well characterized. Flow-weighted composite samples of secondarily treated WWTP effluent and untreated sewage discharges from WWTP inflows and CSO discharges were collected during 12 storms and 6 non-storm conditions from November 2007-December 2008 at the main Burlington Vermont WWTP. Concentrations of many androgens and estrogens were highest in samples from untreated sewage, and lower in samples from treated sewage. For example, concentrations of estriol in CSO samples ranged from 5 to over 100 ng/L (nanograms per liter), but were generally less than 1 ng/L in treated sewage. Many androgens were detected in CSO discharge samples in concentrations ranging from 1 to over 1000 ng/L, but were not detected above 1 ng/L in treated samples. For many of the hormones, including androgens and estriol, CSO discharges comprised over half of the total load discharged by the WWTP, even though annual CSO discharge is less than 10% of the treated plant discharge. These results indicate that untreated discharges during CSO events can be a major source of some hormones and other wastewater compounds to the environment.
Characterization of flood sediments from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and potential implications for human health and the environment: Chapter 7I in Science and the storms-the USGS response to the hurricanes of 2005
A proposal to search for neutrino oscillations with high sensitivity in the appearance channels. nu. sub. mu. yields. nu. sub e and. nu. sub. mu. yields. nu. sub e
An experiment is proposed to search concurrently for ν{sub μ} â ν{sub e} and {bar ν}{sub μ} ... more An experiment is proposed to search concurrently for ν{sub μ} â ν{sub e} and {bar ν}{sub μ} â {bar ν{sub e} oscillations with high sensitivity at LAMPF. The detector consists of a tank with 200 tons of dilute liquid scintillator with 850 10-in. photomultiplier tubes mounted on the inside tank covering 28% of the surface. Both Cerenkov light and scintillation
A search for. mu. yields e. gamma. at the level of 10 sup minus 13
The status of the MEGA experiment is described. It is a search for the decay μ {r arrow} eγ wit... more The status of the MEGA experiment is described. It is a search for the decay μ {r arrow} eγ with a branching ratio sensitivity of approximately 10â»Â¹Â³. The observation of this decay would indicate the existence of physics outside the standard model of electroweak interactions. The experiment employs highly modular, fast detectors, state-of-the-art electronics, and a staged trigger with on-line
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