Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
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Relating the ability of mallards to ingest high levels of sediment to potential contaminant exposure in waterfowl
When waterfowl feed from the bottom of bodies of water, they sometimes ingest sediments along with their food, and this sediment can be a major source of contaminants. Learning how much sediment waterfowl can consume in their diet and still maintain their health would be helpful in assessing potential threats from contaminants in sediment. In a controlled laboratory study the maximum tolerated per
Authors
Gary Heinz, W. Nelson Beyer, David J. Hoffman, Daniel J. Audet
Total mercury, methylmercury, and selected elements in soils of the Fishing Brook watershed, Hamilton County, New York, and the McTier Creek watershed, Aiken County, South Carolina, 2008
Mercury is an element of on-going concern for human and aquatic health. Mercury sequestered in upland and wetland soils represents a source that may contribute to mercury contamination in sensitive ecosystems. An improved understanding of mercury cycling in stream ecosystems requires identification and quantification of mercury speciation and transport dynamics in upland and wetland soils within a
Authors
Laurel G. Woodruff, William F. Cannon, Christopher D. Knightes, Francis H. Chapelle, Paul M. Bradley, Douglas A. Burns, Mark E. Brigham, Mark A. Lowery
A water quality criteria-based evaluation of copper impacts to south Florida's freshwater environment
No abstract available.
Authors
Timothy A. Bargar
Applying dispersive changes to Lagrangian particles in groundwater transport models
Method-of-characteristics groundwater transport models require that changes in concentrations computed within an Eulerian framework to account for dispersion be transferred to moving particles used to simulate advective transport. A new algorithm was developed to accomplish this transfer between nodal values and advecting particles more precisely and realistically compared to currently used method
Authors
Leonard F. Konikow
Zn and Cu isotopes as tracers of anthropogenic contamination in a sediment core from an urban lake
In this work, we use stable Zn and Cu isotopes to identify the sources and timing of the deposition of these metals in a sediment core from Lake Ballinger near Seattle, Washington, USA. The base of the Lake Ballinger core predates settlement in the region, while the upper sections record the effects of atmospheric emissions from a nearby smelter and rapid urbanization of the watershed. δ66Zn and δ
Authors
Anita Thapalia, David M. Borrok, Peter C. Van Metre, MaryLynn Musgrove, Edward R. Landa
Patterns of organic contaminants in eggs of an insectivorous, an omnivorous, and a piscivorous bird nesting on the Hudson River, New York, USA
Belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), spotted sandpiper (Actitus macularia), and tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs were collected in 2004 from the upper Hudson River, New York, USA. This area is one of the most polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)‐contaminated locations in North America. Multivariate analyses indicated among species differences in the concentration and composition of PCB congeners, p
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Paul Dummer
North American osprey populations and contaminants: Historic and contemporary perspectives
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) populations were adversely affected by DDT and perhaps other contaminants in the United States and elsewhere. Reduced productivity, eggshell thinning, and high DDE concentrations in eggs were the signs associated with declining osprey populations in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The species was one of the first studied on a large scale to bring contaminant issues into foc
Authors
Charles J. Henny, Robert A. Grove, James L. Kaiser, Branden L. Johnson
Observed and predicted reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate
Chronic toxicities of Cl-, SO42-, and HCO3- to Ceriodaphnia dubia were evaluated in low- and moderate-hardness waters using a three-brood reproduction test method. Toxicity tests of anion mixtures were used to determine interaction effects and to produce models predicting C. dubia reproduction. Effluents diluted with low- and moderate-hardness waters were tested with animals acclimated to low- and
Authors
Peter J. Lasier, Ian R. Hardin
Metal exposure and effects in voles and small birds near a mining haul road in Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska
Voles and small passerine birds were live-captured near the Delong Mountain Regional Transportation System (DMTS) haul road in Cape Krusenstern National Monument in northwest Alaska to assess metals exposure and sub-lethal biological effects. Similar numbers of animals were captured from a reference site in southern Cape Krusenstern National Monument for comparison. Histopathological examination o
Authors
William G. Brumbaugh, Miguel A. Mora, Thomas W. May, David N. Phalen
Flood hydrology and methylmercury availability in Coastal Plain rivers
Mercury (Hg) burdens in top-predator fish differ substantially between adjacent South Carolina Coastal Plain river basins with similar wetlands coverage. In the Congaree River, floodwaters frequently originate in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont regions, where wetlands coverage and surface water dissolved methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations are low. Piedmont-driven flood events can lead to downward hyd
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Francis H. Chapelle, Mark A. Lowery, Paul Conrads
Hydrogeologic framework of fractured sedimentary rock, Newark Basin, New Jersey
The hydrogeologic framework of fractured sedimentary bedrock at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), Trenton, New Jersey, a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated site in the Newark Basin, is developed using an understanding of the geologic history of the strata, gamma-ray logs, and rock cores. NAWC is the newest field research site established as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Subs
Authors
Pierre J. Lacombe, William C. Burton
Assessment of PDMS-water partition coefficients: implications for passive environmental sampling of hydrophobic organic compounds
Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has shown potential as an in situ passive-sampling technique in aquatic environments. The reliability of this method depends upon accurate determination of the partition coefficient between the fiber coating and water (Kf). For some hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs), Kf values spanning 4 orders of magnitude have been reported for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) an
Authors
Erica L. DiFilippo, Robert P. Eganhouse