Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 4047
Environmental contaminants and chromosomal damage associated with beak deformities in a resident North American passerine
A large cluster of beak abnormalities among black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska raised concern about underlying environmental factors in this region. Metals and trace elements, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD-Fs) were analyzed in adults, nestlings, and eggs of the affected
Authors
Colleen M. Handel, Caroline R. Van Hemert
Investigating endocrine and physiological parameters of captive American kestrels exposed by diet to selected organophosphate flame retardants
Organophosphate triesters are high production volume additive flame retardants (OPFRs) and plasticizers. Shown to accumulate in abiotic and biotic environmental compartments, little is known about the risks they pose. Captive adult male American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were fed the same dose (22 ng OPFR/g kestrel/d) daily (21 d) of tris(2- butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tris(2-chloroethyl) ph
Authors
KJ Fernie, V. Palace, L. Peters, Niladri Basu, R.J. Letcher, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Sandra L. Schultz, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner
Sensitivity of shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) and pallid sturgeon (S. albus) early life stages to 3,30,4,40,5-pentachlorobiphenyl and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin exposure
Concern exists that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may be contributing to the current decline of shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) and the US federally endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Waterborne exposures with newly fertilized eggs were used to assess developmental and morphological effects of 2 of the most potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, 3,3′,
Authors
Justin Buckler, James S. Candrl, Michael J. McKee, Diana M. Papoulias, Donald E. Tillitt, David L. Galat
Drought-caused delay in nesting of Sonoran Desert birds and its facilitation of parasite- and predator-mediated variation in reproductive success
As our understanding of climate change has increased, so has our awareness of the impacts of these changes on biotic systems. Climate models are nearly unanimous in their predictions for increased drought frequency in southwestern North America, and delays in nest initiation due to drought may influence nesting success and productivity for many Sonoran Desert bird species. In southeastern Californ
Authors
Chris McCreedy, Charles van Riper
Mercury concentrations of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) vary by sex
Patterns in relative differences in contaminant concentrations between the sexes across many species of fish may reveal clues for important behavioral and physiological differences between the sexes, and may also be useful in developing fish consumption advisories and efficient designs for programs meant to monitor contaminant levels in fish. We determined skin-off fillet and whole-fish total merc
Authors
Charles P. Madenjian, James T. Francis, Jeffrey J. Braunscheidel, Joseph R. Bohr, Matthew J. Geiger, G. Mark Knottnerus
Spatial and temporal migration of a landfill leachate plume in alluvium
Leachate from unlined or leaky landfills can create groundwater contaminant plumes that last decades to centuries. Understanding the dynamics of leachate movement in space and time is essential for monitoring, planning and management, and assessment of risk to groundwater and surface-water resources. Over a 23.4-year period (1986–2010), the spatial extent of the Norman Landfill leachate plume incr
Authors
Jason R. Masoner, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Concentrations and distributions of metals associated with dissolved organic matter from the Suwannee River (GA, USA)
Concentrations and distributions of metals in Suwannee River (SR) raw filtered surface water (RFSW) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) processed by reverse osmosis (RO), XAD-8 resin (for humic and fulvic acids [FA]), and XAD-4 resin (for “transphilic” acids) were analyzed by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF). SR samples were compared with DOM samples from Nelson's Creek (NLC), a
Authors
M. Keshia Kuhn, Elisabeth Neubauer, Thilo Hofmann, Frank von der Kammer, George R. Aiken, Patricia A. Maurice
Effects of natural organic matter properties on the dissolution kinetics of zinc oxide nanoparticles
The dissolution of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) is a key step of controlling their environmental fate, bioavailability, and toxicity. Rates of dissolution often depend upon factors such as interactions of NPs with natural organic matter (NOM). We examined the effects of 16 different NOM isolates on the dissolution kinetics of ZnO NPs in buffered potassium chloride solution using anodic str
Authors
Chuanjia Jiang, George R. Aiken, Heileen Hsu-Kim
Using chromate to investigate the impact of natural organics on the surface reactivity of nanoparticulate magnetite
Chromate was used as a chemical probe to investigate the size-dependent influence of organics on nanoparticle surface reactivity. Magnetite–chromate sorption experiments were conducted with ∼90 and ∼6 nm magnetite nanoparticles in the presence and absence of fulvic acid (FA), natural organic matter (NOM), and isolated landfill leachate (LL). Results indicated that low concentrations (1 mg/L) of or
Authors
Andrew L. Swindle, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Andrew S. Elwood Madden
Mobilization of microspheres from a fractured soil during intermittent infiltration events
Pathogens or biocolloids mobilized in the vadose zone may consequently contaminate groundwater. We found that microspheres were mobilized from a fractured soil during intermittent rainfall and the mobilization was greater when the microsphere size was larger and when the soil had greater water permeability.The vadose zone filters pathogenic microbes from infiltrating water and consequently protect
Authors
Sanjay Mohanty, Mark Bulicek, David W. Metge, Ronald W. Harvey, Joseph N. Ryan, Alexandria B. Boehm
Changes in thyroid parameters of hatchling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following embryonic exposure to technical short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs; C10-13, 55.5% CL)
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are complex mixtures of polychlorinated n-alkanes categorized according to their carbon chain length: short chain (SCCPs, C10 – C13), medium (C14 - C17), and long chain (C>17), chlorinated paraffins. SCCPs are primarily used in metalworking applications, as flame retardants, and in paints, adhesives, sealants, textiles, plastics and rubber (UNEP 2012). In 2012, the Unit
Authors
Kimberly J. Fernie, Paula F. P. Henry, Robert J. Letcher, Vince P. Palace, Lisa E. Peters, Barnett A. Rattner, Edward Sverko, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier
Characterizing toxicity of metal-contaminated sediments from mining areas
This paper reviews methods for testing the toxicity of metals associated with freshwater sediments, linking toxic effects with metal exposure and bioavailability, and developing sediment quality guidelines. The most broadly applicable approach for characterizing metal toxicity is whole-sediment toxicity testing, which attempts to simulate natural exposure conditions in the laboratory. Standard met
Authors
John M. Besser, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher G. Ingersoll