Contaminants of Concern

Four papers by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists document tree swallow ( Tachycineta bicolor) chemical exposure, physiological responses, and reproductive success in the Great Lakes region. These studies were designed to understand if there are health threats to swallows from contaminant exposure, and to provide resource managers with information about the actual as opposed to the perceived...

Laboratory study shows that both uptake and elimination of selected pharmaceuticals within bluegill tissues is rapid indicating that persistence in bluegills in the environment is likely to be low except in those fish that reside downstream from a consistent, substantial, contaminant source.

Changes in the regulation and use of some organic chemicals have caused environmental concentrations to stabilize or decline during the past 35 years coincident with a rebound in the osprey ( Pandion haliaetus) population of the Chesapeake Bay.

Tree swallow eggs at most study sites in the Great Lakes basin were minimally exposed to legacy organic contaminants and brominated flame retardants.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists developed 129 sediment-toxicity benchmarks for use in evaluating currently used pesticides in whole sediment.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Dr. Edward T. Furlong has been designated a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, ranking among the top 1 percent of researchers from 2003 to 2013 for most cited documents in their specific field (Environment/Ecology). He was listed in Thomson Reuters' "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015" report.

Estrogens are recognized as modulators of immune responses in mammals, but how these effects might occur in fish was not understood. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists published findings that fish white blood cells (leukocytes) have specific estrogen receptors (ERs)—a discovery that moves scientists one step closer to understanding the connection between exposure to estrogenic substances and...

A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Colorado measured seven neuroactive pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater and downstream receiving waters at 24 sites across Minnesota. The analysis of samples collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants indicated that wastewater treatment plants were the major source of these chemicals.

A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station, Switzerland, found that some mycotoxins are common in U. S. stream waters. Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by molds (fungi) that can cause disease and even death in humans and animals. Mycotoxins can grow on a wide variety of crops.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that mercury concentrations in shallow waters and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, were not consistent with decreases in the wet atmospheric deposition of mercury recorded at nearby monitoring stations for over a decade. Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury (Hg) that accumulates and...

Animal manure and biosolids, the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment, often are applied to agricultural crops to provide nutrients for plant growth and to improve the quality of soil. Earthworms studied in agricultural fields where manure and biosolids were applied have been found to contain organic chemicals from household products and manure. Earthworms continuously ingest soils and may...

A groundwater bioaugmentation field experiment, conducted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., and University of Toronto, Canada, scientists, demonstrates the effectiveness and potential weaknesses of this cleanup technology and provides guidance for improved design of bioaugmentation in fractured-rock aquifers. The experiment also demonstrates the benefits of advanced...