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Environmental Health Featured Science Activities

Our science activities are summarized in a series of feature articles that highlight recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) environmental health science activities. They are short summaries of peer-reviewed journal articles and USGS reports co-authored by our specialized teams of scientists.
 

Filter Total Items: 228

Emerging Contaminants Targeted in a Reconnaissance of Ground Water and Untreated Drinking-Water Sources

Two national-scale reconnaissance studies recently conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were the first to collect baseline information on the environmental occurrence of pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, detergents, flame retardants, naturally occurring sterols, and other organic contaminants in ground water and untreated sources of drinking water in the United States. These...
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Emerging Contaminants Targeted in a Reconnaissance of Ground Water and Untreated Drinking-Water Sources

Two national-scale reconnaissance studies recently conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were the first to collect baseline information on the environmental occurrence of pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, detergents, flame retardants, naturally occurring sterols, and other organic contaminants in ground water and untreated sources of drinking water in the United States. These...
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Household Chemicals and Drugs Found in Biosolids from Wastewater Treatment Plants

Biosolids, the treated sludge generated by the treatment of sewage at wastewater treatment plants, is something that most people don't think about as they flush everyday chemicals and drugs down the drain. However, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that biosolids contain relatively high concentrations (hundreds of milligrams per kilogram) of the active ingredients commonly found in a...
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Household Chemicals and Drugs Found in Biosolids from Wastewater Treatment Plants

Biosolids, the treated sludge generated by the treatment of sewage at wastewater treatment plants, is something that most people don't think about as they flush everyday chemicals and drugs down the drain. However, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that biosolids contain relatively high concentrations (hundreds of milligrams per kilogram) of the active ingredients commonly found in a...
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Pharmaceuticals Found in Soil Irrigated with Reclaimed Water

Many areas of the Nation are faced with water shortages due to significant demand for water. As a result, supplies are being augmented with treated wastewater for uses such as irrigation. In a study recently published in the journal "Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry," a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists reported that pharmaceuticals in wastewater used for irrigation persist in...
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Pharmaceuticals Found in Soil Irrigated with Reclaimed Water

Many areas of the Nation are faced with water shortages due to significant demand for water. As a result, supplies are being augmented with treated wastewater for uses such as irrigation. In a study recently published in the journal "Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry," a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists reported that pharmaceuticals in wastewater used for irrigation persist in...
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Microorganisms Degrade MTBE Even at Winter Ground-Water Temperatures

Shallow ground waters in northern climates often have temperatures below 10° Celsius (C) [50° Fahrenheit (F)] during the winter season. The ability of microorganisms to degrade contaminants under these conditions has long been questioned by the scientific community because microbial activity often decreases with decreasing temperatures and because rates of biodegradation typically are assumed to...
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Microorganisms Degrade MTBE Even at Winter Ground-Water Temperatures

Shallow ground waters in northern climates often have temperatures below 10° Celsius (C) [50° Fahrenheit (F)] during the winter season. The ability of microorganisms to degrade contaminants under these conditions has long been questioned by the scientific community because microbial activity often decreases with decreasing temperatures and because rates of biodegradation typically are assumed to...
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Glyphosate Found in Wastewater Discharged to Streams

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, and is widely used to control weeds in both agricultural fields and in urban and suburban settings. In 2002, USGS scientists sampled the wastewater discharged into streams from 10 wastewater treatment plants. Although the observed concentrations were small, these results are the first to demonstrate that the discharge from wastewater...
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Glyphosate Found in Wastewater Discharged to Streams

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, and is widely used to control weeds in both agricultural fields and in urban and suburban settings. In 2002, USGS scientists sampled the wastewater discharged into streams from 10 wastewater treatment plants. Although the observed concentrations were small, these results are the first to demonstrate that the discharge from wastewater...
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A Decade of Research on the Occurrence of Triazine Herbicides in the Environment Leads to a Unique Summary

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists completed a variety of groundbreaking studies on the occurrence, fate, and transport of triazine herbicides and their degradates throughout the 1990s. The results of these studies have been summarized and condensed into a USGS report and a book chapter providing, for the first time, a comprehensive snapshot of a decade of this research.
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A Decade of Research on the Occurrence of Triazine Herbicides in the Environment Leads to a Unique Summary

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists completed a variety of groundbreaking studies on the occurrence, fate, and transport of triazine herbicides and their degradates throughout the 1990s. The results of these studies have been summarized and condensed into a USGS report and a book chapter providing, for the first time, a comprehensive snapshot of a decade of this research.
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USGS Develops Geophysical Methods to Improve Remediation Monitoring and Site Characterization

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists continue to develop and adapt new geophysical technologies and data analysis methods for monitoring the performance of remediation systems and for the characterization of contaminated sites. Geophysical monitoring methods are particularly adept at measuring changes in subsurface properties that relate to the presence of water, tracers, contaminants, and...
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USGS Develops Geophysical Methods to Improve Remediation Monitoring and Site Characterization

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists continue to develop and adapt new geophysical technologies and data analysis methods for monitoring the performance of remediation systems and for the characterization of contaminated sites. Geophysical monitoring methods are particularly adept at measuring changes in subsurface properties that relate to the presence of water, tracers, contaminants, and...
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Multidisciplinary Approach to Remediating Watersheds Contaminated from Abandoned Mine Lands

Since the late 1990s, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted an Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative . The initiative provides technical assistance to support actions by Federal Land Management Agencies in the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to remediate contamination associated with abandoned hard-rock mining sites. Acid drainage and toxic...
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Multidisciplinary Approach to Remediating Watersheds Contaminated from Abandoned Mine Lands

Since the late 1990s, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted an Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative . The initiative provides technical assistance to support actions by Federal Land Management Agencies in the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to remediate contamination associated with abandoned hard-rock mining sites. Acid drainage and toxic...
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Ground-Water Recharge Affects Fate of Petroleum Contaminant Plumes

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have discovered that rainwater recharging the water table above petroleum contamination plumes affects how plumes grow and the rate that petroleum products (in this case crude oil) degrade and weather in ground water. The amount of recharge affects the migration of oil in the subsurface, how chemicals dissolve from the oil into ground water, and the...
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Ground-Water Recharge Affects Fate of Petroleum Contaminant Plumes

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have discovered that rainwater recharging the water table above petroleum contamination plumes affects how plumes grow and the rate that petroleum products (in this case crude oil) degrade and weather in ground water. The amount of recharge affects the migration of oil in the subsurface, how chemicals dissolve from the oil into ground water, and the...
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Glyphosate Herbicide Found in Many Midwestern Streams, Antibiotics Not Common

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently investigated 51 streams in nine Midwestern States to determine the presence of a wide range of herbicides, their degradation byproducts and antibiotics. Herbicides were detected in most water samples, which were collected to coincide with runoff events following herbicide application, but antibiotics were detected in only 1 percent of the...
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Glyphosate Herbicide Found in Many Midwestern Streams, Antibiotics Not Common

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently investigated 51 streams in nine Midwestern States to determine the presence of a wide range of herbicides, their degradation byproducts and antibiotics. Herbicides were detected in most water samples, which were collected to coincide with runoff events following herbicide application, but antibiotics were detected in only 1 percent of the...
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National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams is Making an Impact

The USGS's National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals in U.S. Streams is making an impact in the scientific and regulatory communities.
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National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams is Making an Impact

The USGS's National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals in U.S. Streams is making an impact in the scientific and regulatory communities.
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National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Streams Named as One of the Top 100 Science Stories of the Year

Discover Magazine has named the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's "National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Streams" as one of the 100 top science stories of 2002.
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National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Streams Named as One of the Top 100 Science Stories of the Year

Discover Magazine has named the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's "National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Streams" as one of the 100 top science stories of 2002.
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