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Information About U.S. Geological Survey Research on Chemicals in Humans

On March 21, 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the first National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, an important new research tool that will provide better information on levels of exposure to environmental chemicals, and over time what these levels mean for public health. To improve understanding of the pathways of human exposure to many of these and other environmental chemicals, the U.S. Geological Survey monitors their occurrence in the environment. The USGS also studies factors such as land use and hydrology that influence the occurrence of the contaminants in water, air, and soil.

For example, a recently released USGS report, http://ga.water.usgs.gov/publications/abstracts/ofr00-187.html, describes the occurrence and distribution in ground water and surface water of organophosphorus pesticides including chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, parathion, disulfoton, phorate, and methyl parathion. The USGS report shows that chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion were detected in the greatest percentage of water samples and at the highest concentrations. On the other hand, disulfoton, parathion, phorate, and terbufos were rarely detected in water samples.

For more information on environmental contaminants humans are exposed to, visit the following websites.

For overall information on our nation's water quality:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1225/
http://water.usgs.gov/owq/

For information on pesticides:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1225/
http://toxics.usgs.gov/topics/agchemicals.html
http://water.wr.usgs.gov/pnsp/

For information on arsenic:
http://co.water.usgs.gov/trace/pubs/fs-063-00/

For information on mercury:
http://minerals.usgs.gov/mercury/
http://toxics.usgs.gov/regional/mercury.html

For information on herbicides in ground water:
http://water.wr.usgs.gov/pnsp/rep/wrir984245/

For information on nutrients:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1225/
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/nut_sources/Nutrient_sources_SPARROW.htm
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/nutrients/pubs/est_v34_no7/

For information on the USGS Drinking Water program:
http://water.usgs.gov/owq/dwi/index.html

For information on Nitrates:
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/wcp/

For information on MTBE and other volatile organic compounds:
http://toxics.usgs.gov/sites/laurel_page.html
http://wwwsd.cr.usgs.gov/nawqa/vocns/

For information on pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupters and other toxics:
http://toxics.usgs.gov/
http://pubs.usgs.gov/FS/FS-081-98/

For information on other trace elements:
http://co.water.usgs.gov/trace/

For information on pollution from abandoned mine lands:
http://amli.usgs.gov/amli/
http://toxics.usgs.gov/topics/minelands.html

For information on acid rain and other airborne contaminants the USGS studies:
http://bqs.usgs.gov/acidrain/

For information on radon:
http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/radon/radonhome.html

For information about USGS programs in your state:
http://water.usgs.gov/wrd002.html

Full report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/report/