GeoHealth--USGS Newsletter, October 2014 Completed
By Environmental Health Program
October 6, 2014
This edition of the GeoHEALTH—USGS Newsletter features recent research from the Environmental Health Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology Programs.
Featured Articles
Featured Articles
-
Disasters and Environmental Health
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are focusing on new efforts to help protect human and environmental health during disasters. Two papers published recently summarize important characteristics of materials released into the environment by natural and anthropogenic disasters, such as volcanic ash, building collapse dusts and debris, flood sediments, flood waters, wildfire ash and debris...
-
Neonicotinoid Insecticides Documented in Midwestern U.S. Streams
Three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid) were detected commonly throughout the growing season in water samples collected from nine Midwestern stream sites during the 2013 growing season according to a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists. Clothianidin was detected most frequently (75 percent) and at the highest maximum concentration (257 nanograms...
-
Small Decadal–Scale Changes in Pesticides in Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) scientists have completed the most comprehensive evaluation to date (2014) of decadal–scale changes in pesticide concentrations in groundwater of the United States. Such assessments are essential for tracking long–term responses to changes in pesticide use and land–management practices.
-
Black-Light Detects White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and collaborators discovered that long-wave ultraviolet (UV) light directed at the wings of bats with white-nose syndrome (WNS) produced points of distinctive orange-yellow fluorescence. The orange-yellow glow corresponds directly with microscopic skin lesions that define the current "gold standard" for diagnosing WNS . White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease...
-
Winter Eagle Deaths at Great Salt Lake due to West Nile Virus
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) diagnosed West Nile Virus (WNV) in numerous eared grebes and bald eagles that died in a 2013 mortality event in the Great Salt Lake (GSL). Diagnoses were based on findings during pathological analysis to determine cause of death, including molecular detection of WNV genetic material in tissues, and isolation of WNV from multiple tissues from each...
-
Human Influenza Virus Infects Sea Otters
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have discovered evidence of the same influenza virus (H1N1) in sea otters living off the coast of Washington State that caused the 2009 "swine flu" pandemic in humans. During a sea otter health monitoring projectconducted in 2011, researchers discovered antibodies for the pandemic 2009...
-
Complex Response to Decline in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury
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...
-
Satellite Tracking of Birds in Alaska Points to Distant Sources of Lead and Mercury Exposure
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists measured lead in blood from tundra swans that nest in Alaska and then followed the migration of these birds using satellite telemetry. Levels of lead in blood were higher in adults than young swans,suggesting exposure to lead occurs on wintering areas and/or during migration, rather than on the summer breeding grounds in Alaska. The lowest blood levels were...
-
Mercury in Fish from 21 National Parks in the West
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service (NPS) scientists collaborated in the first study to measure mercury in fish from remote places in 21 National Parks spanning 10 Western States, including Alaska. Mercury levels in fish generally were low, but were elevated in some local areas, including two parks in Utah and Alaska where samples taken from sport fish exceeded the U.S...
-
Pipeline Crude Oil Spill Still a Cleanup Challenge after 30 Years
Research at a 1979 crude oil spill from a ruptured pipeline has exposed and helped to overcome many challenges facing an effective, cost-efficient cleanup of crude oil, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have found. The environmental release of crude oil occurred near Bemidji, Minnesota.
-
Newly Discovered Picornavirus Spread by Baitfish
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) contributed to a publication that reports the complete gene sequence of a novel picornavirus isolated from minnows and baitfish in several areas of the United States. The scientists used the molecular sequence and characterization of this virus to determine the evolutionary (phylogenetic) placement in the "family tree" of known fish viruses. The...
-
Sea Urchin Mortality in the Hawaiian Islands
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), University of Hawaii, the State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, and The Nature Conservancy are investigating unusual mortality of collector urchins ( Tripneustes gratilla ) that has been ongoing since February 2014. As grazers, urchins play a critical role in preventing overgrowth of algae on tropical coral reefs. Awareness of the linkage...
-
Does Biodiversity Protect Humans Against Infectious Disease?
Conserving nature can improve human lives. From forest watersheds that perform natural filtration of drinking water to coral reefs that break tsunami waves before they flatten seaside villages, intact ecosystems provide innumerable services to human society. Might biodiversity be healthy for the ecosystem and also protect people against infectious diseases? While most disease ecologists would say...
-
Arsenic in Minnesota Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Minnesota Department of Health ( MDH ) scientists are assessing the distribution of arsenic in groundwater in Minnesota. Naturally occurring arsenic is common in groundwater in Minnesota. About 15 percent of drinking water wells statewide have arsenic concentrations that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) drinking water standard of 10 micrograms...
-
Metals in Acid Mine Drainage Affect Aquatic Insects
Studies conducted in subalpine streams in Colorado by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that aqueous metals resulting from acid mine drainage and natural weathering can almost eliminate adult insect emergence from streams, even at metal levels too low to reduce aquatic larval densities. This pattern suggests that adult insects might be a more sensitive indicator of metals than...
-
Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
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.
-
Nutrient Inputs to the Nation's Estuaries and Great Lakes
Maps and data tables that describe nutrient loading to major estuaries throughout the conterminous United States are now available online. These maps show the major sources of nutrients and their contributing areas for 115 estuaries along the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Northwest coast and from 160 watersheds draining into the Great Lakes. Information on the sources and areas...
-
USGS Health-Based Screening Levels Available Online
A U.S. Geological Survey USGS Health-Based Screening Level ( HBSL ) Web site includes human-health benchmarks for 351 contaminants (79 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) Maximum Contaminant Levels ( MCLs ), 117 EPA Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides ( HHBPs ), and 155 USGS HBSLs ). The Web site also provides detailed toxicity information used to calculate HBSLs . A comprehensive...
This edition of the GeoHEALTH—USGS Newsletter features recent research from the Environmental Health Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology Programs.
Featured Articles
Featured Articles
-
Disasters and Environmental Health
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are focusing on new efforts to help protect human and environmental health during disasters. Two papers published recently summarize important characteristics of materials released into the environment by natural and anthropogenic disasters, such as volcanic ash, building collapse dusts and debris, flood sediments, flood waters, wildfire ash and debris...
-
Neonicotinoid Insecticides Documented in Midwestern U.S. Streams
Three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid) were detected commonly throughout the growing season in water samples collected from nine Midwestern stream sites during the 2013 growing season according to a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists. Clothianidin was detected most frequently (75 percent) and at the highest maximum concentration (257 nanograms...
-
Small Decadal–Scale Changes in Pesticides in Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) scientists have completed the most comprehensive evaluation to date (2014) of decadal–scale changes in pesticide concentrations in groundwater of the United States. Such assessments are essential for tracking long–term responses to changes in pesticide use and land–management practices.
-
Black-Light Detects White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and collaborators discovered that long-wave ultraviolet (UV) light directed at the wings of bats with white-nose syndrome (WNS) produced points of distinctive orange-yellow fluorescence. The orange-yellow glow corresponds directly with microscopic skin lesions that define the current "gold standard" for diagnosing WNS . White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease...
-
Winter Eagle Deaths at Great Salt Lake due to West Nile Virus
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) diagnosed West Nile Virus (WNV) in numerous eared grebes and bald eagles that died in a 2013 mortality event in the Great Salt Lake (GSL). Diagnoses were based on findings during pathological analysis to determine cause of death, including molecular detection of WNV genetic material in tissues, and isolation of WNV from multiple tissues from each...
-
Human Influenza Virus Infects Sea Otters
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have discovered evidence of the same influenza virus (H1N1) in sea otters living off the coast of Washington State that caused the 2009 "swine flu" pandemic in humans. During a sea otter health monitoring projectconducted in 2011, researchers discovered antibodies for the pandemic 2009...
-
Complex Response to Decline in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury
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...
-
Satellite Tracking of Birds in Alaska Points to Distant Sources of Lead and Mercury Exposure
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists measured lead in blood from tundra swans that nest in Alaska and then followed the migration of these birds using satellite telemetry. Levels of lead in blood were higher in adults than young swans,suggesting exposure to lead occurs on wintering areas and/or during migration, rather than on the summer breeding grounds in Alaska. The lowest blood levels were...
-
Mercury in Fish from 21 National Parks in the West
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service (NPS) scientists collaborated in the first study to measure mercury in fish from remote places in 21 National Parks spanning 10 Western States, including Alaska. Mercury levels in fish generally were low, but were elevated in some local areas, including two parks in Utah and Alaska where samples taken from sport fish exceeded the U.S...
-
Pipeline Crude Oil Spill Still a Cleanup Challenge after 30 Years
Research at a 1979 crude oil spill from a ruptured pipeline has exposed and helped to overcome many challenges facing an effective, cost-efficient cleanup of crude oil, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have found. The environmental release of crude oil occurred near Bemidji, Minnesota.
-
Newly Discovered Picornavirus Spread by Baitfish
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) contributed to a publication that reports the complete gene sequence of a novel picornavirus isolated from minnows and baitfish in several areas of the United States. The scientists used the molecular sequence and characterization of this virus to determine the evolutionary (phylogenetic) placement in the "family tree" of known fish viruses. The...
-
Sea Urchin Mortality in the Hawaiian Islands
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), University of Hawaii, the State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, and The Nature Conservancy are investigating unusual mortality of collector urchins ( Tripneustes gratilla ) that has been ongoing since February 2014. As grazers, urchins play a critical role in preventing overgrowth of algae on tropical coral reefs. Awareness of the linkage...
-
Does Biodiversity Protect Humans Against Infectious Disease?
Conserving nature can improve human lives. From forest watersheds that perform natural filtration of drinking water to coral reefs that break tsunami waves before they flatten seaside villages, intact ecosystems provide innumerable services to human society. Might biodiversity be healthy for the ecosystem and also protect people against infectious diseases? While most disease ecologists would say...
-
Arsenic in Minnesota Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Minnesota Department of Health ( MDH ) scientists are assessing the distribution of arsenic in groundwater in Minnesota. Naturally occurring arsenic is common in groundwater in Minnesota. About 15 percent of drinking water wells statewide have arsenic concentrations that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) drinking water standard of 10 micrograms...
-
Metals in Acid Mine Drainage Affect Aquatic Insects
Studies conducted in subalpine streams in Colorado by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that aqueous metals resulting from acid mine drainage and natural weathering can almost eliminate adult insect emergence from streams, even at metal levels too low to reduce aquatic larval densities. This pattern suggests that adult insects might be a more sensitive indicator of metals than...
-
Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
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.
-
Nutrient Inputs to the Nation's Estuaries and Great Lakes
Maps and data tables that describe nutrient loading to major estuaries throughout the conterminous United States are now available online. These maps show the major sources of nutrients and their contributing areas for 115 estuaries along the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Northwest coast and from 160 watersheds draining into the Great Lakes. Information on the sources and areas...
-
USGS Health-Based Screening Levels Available Online
A U.S. Geological Survey USGS Health-Based Screening Level ( HBSL ) Web site includes human-health benchmarks for 351 contaminants (79 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) Maximum Contaminant Levels ( MCLs ), 117 EPA Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides ( HHBPs ), and 155 USGS HBSLs ). The Web site also provides detailed toxicity information used to calculate HBSLs . A comprehensive...