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Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 3746

NETPATH-WIN: an interactive user version of the mass-balance model, NETPATH

NETPATH-WIN is an interactive user version of NETPATH, an inverse geochemical modeling code used to find mass-balance reaction models that are consistent with the observed chemical and isotopic composition of waters from aquatic systems. NETPATH-WIN was constructed to migrate NETPATH applications into the Microsoft WINDOWS® environment. The new version facilitates model utilization by eliminating
Authors
A. I. El-Kadi, Niel Plummer, P. Aggarwal

Simulating the potential effects of climate change in two Colorado basins and at two Colorado ski areas

The mountainous areas of Colorado are used for tourism and recreation, and they provide water storage and supply for municipalities, industries, and agriculture. Recent studies suggest that water supply and tourist industries such as skiing are at risk from climate change. In this study, a distributed-parameter watershed model, the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), is used to identify t
Authors
William Battaglin, Lauren E. Hay, Steve Markstrom

Assessment of field-related influences on polychlorinated biphenyl exposures and sorbent amendment using polychaete bioassays and passive sampler measurements

Field-related influences on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure were evaluated by employing caged deposit-feeders, Neanthes arenaceodentata, along with polyoxymethylene (POM) samplers using parallel in situ and ex situ bioassays with homogenized untreated or activated carbon (AC) amended sediment. The AC amendment achieved a remedial efficiency in reducing bioaccumulation by 90% in the laborat
Authors
E.M. Janssen, A.M. Oen, Samuel N. Luoma, R.G. Luthy

Lagrangian mass-flow investigations of inorganic contaminants in wastewater-impacted streams

Understanding the potential effects of increased reliance on wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents to meet municipal, agricultural, and environmental flow requires an understanding of the complex chemical loading characteristics of the WWTPs and the assimilative capacity of receiving waters. Stream ecosystem effects are linked to proportions of WWTP effluent under low-flow conditions as well
Authors
L. B. Barber, Ronald C. Antweiler, J.L. Flynn, S.H. Keefe, D.W. Kolpin, D.A. Roth, D.J. Schnoebelen, Howard E. Taylor, P. L. Verplanck

A novel approach reveals that zinc oxide nanoparticles are bioavailable and toxic after dietary exposures

If engineered nanomaterials are released into the environment, some are likely to end up associated with the food of animals due to aggregation and sorption processes. However, few studies have considered dietary exposure of nanomaterials. Here we show that zinc (Zn) from isotopically modified 67ZnO particles is efficiently assimilated by freshwater snails when ingested with food. The 67Zn from na
Authors
Marie Noële Croteau, A.D. Dybowska, S. N. Luoma, E. Valsami-Jones

Synthesis of isotopically modified ZnO nanoparticles and their potential as nanotoxicity tracers

Understanding the behavior of engineered nanoparticles in the environment and within organisms is perhaps the biggest obstacle to the safe development of nanotechnologies. Reliable tracing is a particular issue for nanoparticles such as ZnO, because Zn is an essential element and a common pollutant thus present at elevated background concentrations. We synthesized isotopically enriched (89.6%) wit
Authors
A.D. Dybowska, Marie Noële Croteau, S.K. Misra, D. Berhanu, Samuel N. Luoma, P. Christian, P. O'Brien, E. Valsami-Jones

Diurnal trends in methylmercury concentration in a wetland adjacent to Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

A 24-h field experiment was conducted during July 2008 at a wetland on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake (GSL) to assess the diurnal cycling of methylmercury (MeHg). Dissolved (< 0.45 μm) MeHg showed a strong diurnal variation with consistently decreasing concentrations during daylight periods and increasing concentrations during non-daylight periods. The proportion of MeHg relative to total Hg
Authors
D. L. Naftz, J.R. Cederberg, D. P. Krabbenhoft, K.R. Beisner, J. Whitehead, J. Gardberg

Evaluation of environmental contaminants and elements in bigheaded carps of the Missouri River at Easley, Missouri, USA

No abstract available.
Authors
Carl E. Orazio, Duane Chapman, Thomas W. May, John C. Meadows, Michael J. Walther, Kathy R. Echols, Joseph E. Deters, Ellen S. Dierenfeld

Formation of nanocolloidal metacinnabar in mercury-DOM-sulfide systems

Direct determination of mercury (Hg) speciation in sulfide-containing environments is confounded by low mercury concentrations and poor analytical sensitivity. Here we report the results of experiments designed to assess mercury speciation at environmentally relevant ratios of mercury to dissolved organic matter (DOM) (i.e., <4 nmol Hg (mg DOM)−1) by combining solid phase extraction using C18 resi
Authors
Chase A. Gerbig, Christopher S. Kim, John P. Stegemeier, Joseph N. Ryan, George R. Aiken

Comparison of atmospheric mercury speciation and deposition at nine sites across central and eastern North America

This study presents >5 cumulative years of tropospheric mercury (Hg) speciation measurements, over the period of 2003–2009, for eight sites in the central and eastern United States and one site in coastal Puerto Rico. The purpose of this research was to identify local and regional processes that impact Hg speciation and deposition (wet + dry) across a large swath of North America. Sites sampled we
Authors
Mark A. Engle, Michael T. Tate, David P. Krabbenhoft, James J Schauer, Allan Kolker, James B. Shanley, Michael Bothner

Geochemical data for core and bottom-sediment samples collected in 2007 from Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, northeast Oklahoma

Grand Lake O' the Cherokees is a large reservoir in northeast Oklahoma, below the confluence of the Neosho and Spring Rivers, both of which drain the Tri-State Mining District to the north. The Tri-State district covers an area of 1,200 mi2 (3,100 km2) and comprises Mississippi Valley-type lead-zinc deposits. A result of 120 years of mining activity is an estimated 75 million tons of processed min
Authors
David L. Fey, Mark F. Becker, Kathleen S. Smith