Health Risks
Health Risks
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Comparison of Predicted and Measured Pharmaceutical Concentrations in Rivers
New study evaluated if predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of pharmaceuticals (based on pharmaceutical usage data, degree of metabolism in humans, removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and environmental dilution), reflect actual measured environmental concentrations (MECs) in two rivers of different sizes and demographics.
Efficacy of Eggshell Analyses as a Nonlethal Method to Estimate Mercury Exposure in Bird Embryos
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists evaluated a nonlethal method to estimate mercury in the embryos of 23 bird species using mercury content in eggshells. This method was effective for a wide range of ages and species.
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Science Team
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and provides critical resources to fish, wildlife and people. For more than a decade, recreational fish species have been plagued with skin lesions and intersex conditions (the presence of male and female sex characteristics in the same fish) that biologists attributed to exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)...
New Method Improves Measurement of Bullet Fragments in Culled Varmints
A creative combination of radiography and techniques borrowed from meat processing and gold prospecting led to a better method for determining the lead content in ground squirrels shot by hunters to evaluate potential exposure risk to avian scavengers such as golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos ).
Understanding Chemical and Microbial Contaminants in Public Drinking Water
Collaborative joint agency study provides nationally consistent and rigorously quality-assured datasets on a wide range of chemical and microbial contaminants present in source and treated public drinking water supplies. Tap water was not analyzed in this study.
Presidential Early Career Award Given to Environmental Health Researcher Diann Prosser
Dr. Diann J. Prosser was awarded the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Frequent Fliers—Web-Based Tool Aids in Understanding the Role of Wild Birds in Transmission of Avian Influenza
This visualization tool helps researchers and public health officials see how relations between poultry density and waterfowl migration routes affect the threat of avian influenza to people and the poultry industry.
Assessing Contaminant Hazards Without a Critter—Advancements in Alternatives to Animal Toxicity Testing
During the past two decades, great strides have been made toward the development and use of ecotoxicity testing methods that reduce animal use or replace animals altogether with in vitro tests or in silico models.
Synthesis of Mercury Distribution and Bioaccumulation Across Western North America
The unique combination of natural processes and human activities present in western North America can strongly affect the exposure of fish and birds to methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury (Hg).
Low Levels of Contaminants Found in Great Lakes Tree Swallow Eggs
Tree swallow eggs at most study sites in the Great Lakes basin were minimally exposed to legacy organic contaminants and brominated flame retardants.
New Hepatitis B Virus Discovered in White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii)
The first known hepatitis B virus to infect fish (white sucker; Catostomus commersonii ) has been discovered by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists.
Environmental Contaminants and Beak Deformities in Alaskan Chickadees
A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides some of the first environmental contaminants data for a species of passerine bird (perching birds) in Alaska but leaves unanswered questions as to the cause of beak abnormalities found in this species.Beginning in the late 1990s, biologists and members of the public reported an unusual number of beak abnormalities among black-capped...