Food Resources Lifecycle Integrated Science Team Active
The Team Studies Toxicants and Pathogens
Associated with raising, processing, and manufacturing of animal products
The Team Studies Toxicants and Pathogens
Associated with growing, processing, and manufacturing of plant products
The Team Studies Microbial Contaminants
Associated with Production and Processing of Plant and Animal Products
The team studies the movement of toxicants and pathogens that could originate from the growing, raising, and processing/manufacturing of plant and animal products through the environment where exposure can occur. This information is used to understand if there are adverse effects upon exposure and to develop decision tools to protect health.
Access to an adequate, safe, and sustainable supply of plant and animal products is one of the highest priorities for our society. During the growing and raising of such products requires the management of pests, diseases, and other threats by using a variety of tools such as organic and inorganic nutrients, pesticides, and veterinary pharmaceuticals. These tools often have the added advantage of improving crop yields and increasing livestock weight gain. Best management practices, manufacturer's guidance on safe use, and chemical registration and approval processes administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration help farmers minimize health threats. Public concerns, however, regarding potential health threats to fish, wildlife, livestock, and humans posed by use of these tools and management practices are common,and are often based on perceptions rather than scientific information. The Food Resources Lifecycle Science Team designs and implements interdisciplinary research needed to help understand whether these concerns are warranted, and provides objective, unbiased information that decision makers need to address legitimate concerns.
Scientific Focus
The Food Resources Lifecycle Integrated Science Team, part of the Environmental Health Program in the Ecosystems Mission Area, focuses on hazards to the environment and humans associated with complex chemical and biological contaminant mixtures (i.e., antibiotic resistance bacteria/genes, viruses, pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS], pharmaceuticals, microplastics, etc.) that could originate from the growing, raising, and processing/manufacturing of plant and animal products. The team conducts research in both field and laboratory settings to collectively deliver science to document contaminant sources, fate/transport through the environment to points of exposure, and whether such contaminant exposures pose a health hazard either individually or as complex mixtures.
Research Trajectory
The Team's research consists of multi-year/multi-phased/multidisciplinary efforts conducted to answer questions of national and global significance. These studies build on the knowledge gained from previous research that identified chemical, microbial, and zoonotic environmental contaminants translating to wildlife and human exposures and potential effects. This research often employs a One Health (where human, plant, animal, and environmental interactions are characterized) combined with a source-to-receptor approach to understand chemical and biological contaminants in the environment from their sources through to aquatic and/or terrestrial organisms.
Priority Research Examples
Infectious avian Influenza (AIV) in environmental waters. AIV maintained in wild bird hosts is episodically spread to domestic poultry, which can lead to economically disastrous outbreaks. The Team is determining if the environment is a medium for maintenance and spread of AIV, which has important implications for the economy, food security, and human/animal health.
Environmental source and distribution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic genes (ARG). Antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat to human health globally. The Team is determining the role of environmental sources and transfer plays in the development and distribution of AMR and ARG using a One-Health approach that acknowledges the connection between the physical environment and the health of humans and wildlife.
Fate and effects of process wastewaters from food, beverage, and feedstock processing plants. Municipal wastewater treatment plants and urban storm water runoff are well documented sources of environmental contaminants. This Team is providing a comparable understanding of chemical and biological contaminants from food-related plant discharges and their potential effects on humans and wildlife.
Environmental exposures and effects of recycled waste reuse on farmland. The demand for treated effluent reuse (as a beneficial source of water) and recycling of solid waste (as a beneficial source of nutrients) is growing and this Team is examining the potential effects and consequences of such reuse and recycling of liquid and solid waste onto farmland.
Effects of agricultural management practices on insect pollinators. Insect pollinators (both domestic and wild) provide a critical role through the maintenance of global plant diversity and pollination of food and fiber crops. Research is underway to better understand the effects of pesticides and other agricultural management practices on insect pollinators.
Environmental exposures to neonicotinoid insecticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides have quickly become the most widely used insecticide globally. Previous research has documented widespread environmental and human exposures and toxicity to selected organisms upon exposure. Consequently, additional research is underway to better understand human and wildlife environmental exposures to neonicotinoid pesticides and effects on humans and wildlife.
Related science products listed below.
The following are the data releases from this science team’s research activities.
Below are publications associated with this science team.
A critical review on the potential impacts of neonicotinoid insecticide use: Current knowledge of environmental fate, toxicity, and implications for human health
Uptake and toxicity of clothianidin to monarch butterflies from milkweed consumption
Uptake, metabolism, and elimination of fungicides from coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
A novel method to characterise levels of pharmaceutical pollution in large scale aquatic monitoring campaigns
Fungicides: An overlooked pesticide class?
Toxicokinetics of imidacloprid-coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and an evaluation of hazard
Critical review: Grand challenges in assessing the adverse effects of contaminants of emerging concern on aquatic food webs
Chlorinated byproducts of neonicotinoids and their metabolites: An unrecognized human exposure potential?
Environmental risks and challenges associated with neonicotinoid insecticides
Year-round presence of neonicotinoid insecticides in tributaries to the Great Lakes, USA
Leaching and sorption of neonicotinoid insecticides and fungicides from seed coatings
A pesticide paradox: Fungicides indirectly increase fungal infections
- Overview
The team studies the movement of toxicants and pathogens that could originate from the growing, raising, and processing/manufacturing of plant and animal products through the environment where exposure can occur. This information is used to understand if there are adverse effects upon exposure and to develop decision tools to protect health.
Access to an adequate, safe, and sustainable supply of plant and animal products is one of the highest priorities for our society. During the growing and raising of such products requires the management of pests, diseases, and other threats by using a variety of tools such as organic and inorganic nutrients, pesticides, and veterinary pharmaceuticals. These tools often have the added advantage of improving crop yields and increasing livestock weight gain. Best management practices, manufacturer's guidance on safe use, and chemical registration and approval processes administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration help farmers minimize health threats. Public concerns, however, regarding potential health threats to fish, wildlife, livestock, and humans posed by use of these tools and management practices are common,and are often based on perceptions rather than scientific information. The Food Resources Lifecycle Science Team designs and implements interdisciplinary research needed to help understand whether these concerns are warranted, and provides objective, unbiased information that decision makers need to address legitimate concerns.
Scientific Focus
The Food Resources Lifecycle Integrated Science Team, part of the Environmental Health Program in the Ecosystems Mission Area, focuses on hazards to the environment and humans associated with complex chemical and biological contaminant mixtures (i.e., antibiotic resistance bacteria/genes, viruses, pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS], pharmaceuticals, microplastics, etc.) that could originate from the growing, raising, and processing/manufacturing of plant and animal products. The team conducts research in both field and laboratory settings to collectively deliver science to document contaminant sources, fate/transport through the environment to points of exposure, and whether such contaminant exposures pose a health hazard either individually or as complex mixtures.
Research Trajectory
The Team's research consists of multi-year/multi-phased/multidisciplinary efforts conducted to answer questions of national and global significance. These studies build on the knowledge gained from previous research that identified chemical, microbial, and zoonotic environmental contaminants translating to wildlife and human exposures and potential effects. This research often employs a One Health (where human, plant, animal, and environmental interactions are characterized) combined with a source-to-receptor approach to understand chemical and biological contaminants in the environment from their sources through to aquatic and/or terrestrial organisms.
Priority Research Examples
Infectious avian Influenza (AIV) in environmental waters. AIV maintained in wild bird hosts is episodically spread to domestic poultry, which can lead to economically disastrous outbreaks. The Team is determining if the environment is a medium for maintenance and spread of AIV, which has important implications for the economy, food security, and human/animal health.
Environmental source and distribution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic genes (ARG). Antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat to human health globally. The Team is determining the role of environmental sources and transfer plays in the development and distribution of AMR and ARG using a One-Health approach that acknowledges the connection between the physical environment and the health of humans and wildlife.
Fate and effects of process wastewaters from food, beverage, and feedstock processing plants. Municipal wastewater treatment plants and urban storm water runoff are well documented sources of environmental contaminants. This Team is providing a comparable understanding of chemical and biological contaminants from food-related plant discharges and their potential effects on humans and wildlife.
Environmental exposures and effects of recycled waste reuse on farmland. The demand for treated effluent reuse (as a beneficial source of water) and recycling of solid waste (as a beneficial source of nutrients) is growing and this Team is examining the potential effects and consequences of such reuse and recycling of liquid and solid waste onto farmland.
Effects of agricultural management practices on insect pollinators. Insect pollinators (both domestic and wild) provide a critical role through the maintenance of global plant diversity and pollination of food and fiber crops. Research is underway to better understand the effects of pesticides and other agricultural management practices on insect pollinators.
Environmental exposures to neonicotinoid insecticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides have quickly become the most widely used insecticide globally. Previous research has documented widespread environmental and human exposures and toxicity to selected organisms upon exposure. Consequently, additional research is underway to better understand human and wildlife environmental exposures to neonicotinoid pesticides and effects on humans and wildlife.
- Science
Related science products listed below.
- Data
The following are the data releases from this science team’s research activities.
Filter Total Items: 15No Result Found - Publications
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Filter Total Items: 38A critical review on the potential impacts of neonicotinoid insecticide use: Current knowledge of environmental fate, toxicity, and implications for human health
Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used in both urban and agricultural settings around the world. Historically, neonicotinoid insecticides have been viewed as ideal replacements for more toxic compounds, like organophosphates, due in part to their perceived limited potential to affect the environment and human health. This critical review investigates the environmental fate and toxicity of neonAuthorsHans-Joachim Lehmler, Dana W. Kolpin, Michelle L. Hladik, John D. Vargo, Keith E. Schilling, Gregory H. LeFevre, Tonya L. Peeples, Matthew C. Poch, Lauren E. LaDuca, David M. Cwiertny, R. William FieldUptake and toxicity of clothianidin to monarch butterflies from milkweed consumption
Recent concern for the adverse effects from neonicotinoid insecticides has centered on risk for insect pollinators in general and bees specifically. However, natural resource managers are also concerned about the risk of neonicotinoids to conservation efforts for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and need additional data to help estimate risk for wild monarch butterflies exposed to those inAuthorsTimothy A. Bargar, Michelle L. Hladik, Jaret C. DanielsUptake, metabolism, and elimination of fungicides from coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
Pesticides coated to the seed surface potentially pose an ecological risk to granivorous birds that consume incompletely buried or spilled seeds. To assess the toxicokinetics of seeds treated with current-use fungicides, Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were orally dosed with commercially coated wheat seeds. Quail were exposed to metalaxyl, tebuconazole, and fludioxonil at either a low (0.07, 0.AuthorsMichael S. Gross, Thomas G. Bean, Michelle Hladik, Barnett A. Rattner, Kathryn KuivilaA novel method to characterise levels of pharmaceutical pollution in large scale aquatic monitoring campaigns
Much of the current understanding of pharmaceutical pollution in the aquatic environment is based on research conducted in Europe, North America and other select high-income nations. One reason for this geographic disparity of data globally is the high cost and analytical intensity of the research, limiting accessibility to necessary equipment. To reduce the impact of such disparities, we presentAuthorsJohn W. Wilkinson, Alistair Boxall, Dana KolpinFungicides: An overlooked pesticide class?
Fungicides are indispensable to global food security and their use is forecasted to intensify. Fungicides can reach aquatic ecosystems and occur in surface water bodies in agricultural catchments throughout the whole growing season due to their frequent, prophylactic application. However, in comparison to herbicides and insecticides, the exposure to and effects of fungicides have received less attAuthorsJochen Zubrod, Micro Bundschuh, Gertie Arts, Carsten Bruhl, Gwenaël Imfeld, Anja Knäbel, Sylvain Payraudeau, Jes J Rasmussen, Jason Rohr, Andreas Scharmüller, Kelly L. Smalling, Sebastian Stehle, Ralf Schulz, Ralf B. SchäferToxicokinetics of imidacloprid-coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and an evaluation of hazard
Birds are potentially exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides by ingestion of coated seeds during crop planting. Adult male Japanese quail were orally dosed with wheat seeds coated with an imidacloprid (IMI) formulation at either 0.9 mg/kg body weight (BW) or 2.7 mg/kg BW (~3 and 9% of IMI LD50 for Japanese quail, respectively) for 1 or 10 days. Quail were euthanized between 1 and 24 h post-exposureAuthorsThomas G. Bean, Michael S. Gross, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Paula F. P. Henry, Sandra L. Schultz, Michelle Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila, Barnett A. RattnerCritical review: Grand challenges in assessing the adverse effects of contaminants of emerging concern on aquatic food webs
Much progress has been made in the past few decades in understanding the sources, transport, fate, and biological effects of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic ecosystems. Despite these advancements, significant obstacles still prevent comprehensive assessments of the environmental risks associated with the presence of CECs. Many of these obstacles center around the extrapolation oAuthorsElena Nilsen, Kelly L. Smalling, Lutz Ahrens, Meritxell Gros, Karina S. B. Miglioranza, Yolanda Picó, Heiko L. SchoenfussChlorinated byproducts of neonicotinoids and their metabolites: An unrecognized human exposure potential?
We recently reported the initial discovery of neonicotinoid pesticides in drinking water and their potential for transformation through chlorination and alkaline hydrolysis during water treatment. The objectives of this research were: (1) to determine if neonicotinoid metabolites are relevant to drinking water exposure and (2) to identify the products formed from chlorination of neonicotinoids andAuthorsKathryn L. Klarich Wong, Danielle T. Webb, Matthew R. Nagorzanski, Dana W. Kolpin, Michelle L. Hladik, David M. Cwiertny, Gregory H. LeFevreEnvironmental risks and challenges associated with neonicotinoid insecticides
Neonicotinoid use has increased rapidly in recent years, with a global shift towards insecticide applications as seed coatings rather than aerial spraying. While the use of seed coatings can lessen the amount of overspray and drift, the near universal and prophylactic use of neonicotinoid seed coatings on major agricultural crops has led to widespread detections in the environment (pollen, soil, wAuthorsMichelle L. Hladik, Anson Main, Dave GoulsonYear-round presence of neonicotinoid insecticides in tributaries to the Great Lakes, USA
To better characterize the transport of neonicotinoid insecticides to the world's largest freshwater ecosystem, monthly samples (October 2015–September 2016) were collected from 10 major tributaries to the Great Lakes, USA. For the monthly tributary samples, neonicotinoids were detected in every month sampled and five of the six target neonicotinoids were detected. At least one neonicotinoid was dAuthorsMichelle L. Hladik, Steven R. Corsi, Dana W. Kolpin, Austin K. Baldwin, Brett R. Blackwell, Jenna E. CavallinLeaching and sorption of neonicotinoid insecticides and fungicides from seed coatings
Seed coatings are a treatment used on a variety of crops to improve production and offer protection against pests and fungal outbreaks. The leaching of the active ingredients associated with the seed coatings and the sorption to soil was evaluated under laboratory conditions using commercially available corn and soybean seeds to study the fate and transport of these pesticides under controlled conAuthorsKelly L. Smalling, Michelle L. Hladik, Corey Sanders, Kathryn KuivilaA pesticide paradox: Fungicides indirectly increase fungal infections
There are many examples where the use of chemicals have had profound unintended consequences, such as fertilizers reducing crop yields (paradox of enrichment) and insecticides increasing insect pests (by reducing natural biocontrol). Recently, the application of agrochemicals, such as agricultural disinfectants and fungicides, has been explored as an approach to curb the pathogenic fungus, BatrachAuthorsJason R. Rohr, Jenise Brown, William A. Battaglin, Teagan A. McMahon, Rick A. Reylea