Barnett Rattner, Ph.D.
Dr. Barnett Rattner is an ecotoxicologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.
He conducts hypothesis-driven laboratory and field investigations, risk assessments and scholarly evaluations on the toxicity of legacy and contemporary pollutants (industrial contaminants, metals, pesticides, petroleum crude oil) to wildlife and the environment. His current focus is on exposure and adverse effects of anticoagulant rodenticides, flame retardants and pharmaceuticals, comparative toxicology, non-target secondary poisoning associated with rodenticides, alternative testing methods, and screening-level risk assessments. Dr. Rattner actively represents the DOI as a member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods, and serves as a special consultant to the Fish and Wildlife Service on issues related to nontoxic shot used in hunt nontoxic shot used in hunt waterfowl.
Active Projects:
- Development of data and models to evaluate the hazard and risk of anticoagulant rodenticides to non-target raptorial species
- Absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity of neonicotinoids in seed-eating birds
- Harmful algal blooms and bird die-offs in the Chesapeake Bay: A potential link?
- Contaminant exposure and potential reproductive effects in ospreys nesting in Chesapeake and Delaware Bay
- Contaminant-related activities and synoptic reviews in support of client agencies in the Department of the Interior
- Technical assistance to the Fish and Wildlife Service on alternative shot
Accomplishments:
- Authored over 135 publications, co-edited three books (Handbook of Ecotoxicology, Ecotoxicology of Wild Mammals, Anticoagulant Rodenticides and Wildlife), and made over 160 presentations at scientific meetings, workshops and symposia.
- Compiled two widely used internet-accessible ecotoxicological databases (Contaminant Exposure and Effects—Terrestrial Vertebrates database, Biological and Ecotoxicological Characteristics of Terrestrial Vertebrate Species Residing in Estuaries).
- Serves as Terrestrial Editor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and as an Editorial Board member of the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, and Outlooks on Pest Management.
Professional Experience
Ecotoxicologist and Physiologist (research scientist, section leader, deputy branch chief) Department of the Interior, FWS, NBS, and USGS (1978-present)
Adjunct Professor University of Maryland, Department of Animal and Avian Sciences & Department of Environmental Science and Technology (1988-2022)
National Research Council Post-doctoral Research Associate, National Naval Medical Center (1978
Guest Worker, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH (1974-1981)
Instructor and Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Maryland, Department of Zoology (1972-1977)
Education and Certifications
B.S., University of Maryland, 1972 - Zoology
M.S., University of Maryland, 1974 - Zoology, Developmental Biology
Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1977 - Zoology, Environmental Physiology
National Research Council Postdoctoral Associateship, Naval Medical Research Institute, 1978 - Hyperbaric Physiology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Society of Toxicology
The Wildlife Society
American Physiological Society
Honors and Awards
Distinguished Service Award, Department of the Interior 2018
Fellow, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2017
President, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry World Council 2015
President, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - North America 2012
SETAC Government Service Award 2007
Science and Products
Critique on the use of the standardized avian acute oral toxicity test for first generation anticoagulant rodenticides
Assessment of toxicity and potential risk of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone using Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio)
Copper pellets simulating oral exposure to copper ammunition: Absence of toxicity in American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
Comparative risk assessment of the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone to raptors
Wildlife toxicology: environmental contaminants and their national and international regulation
Acute toxicity, histopathology, and coagulopathy in American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following administration of the rodenticie diphacinone
History of wildlife toxicology and the interpretation of contaminant concentrations in tissues
Fifty-ninth Christmas Bird Count. 176. Ocean City, Md
Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and effects in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) residing at eight locations
Acute toxicity of diphacinone in Northern bobwhite: Effects on survival and blood clotting
Absorption and biotransformation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers DE-71 and DE-79 in chicken (Gallus gallus), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) eggs
Comparative toxicity of diphacinone to northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
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Critique on the use of the standardized avian acute oral toxicity test for first generation anticoagulant rodenticides
Avian risk assessments for rodenticides are often driven by the results of standardized acute oral toxicity tests without regards to a toxicant's mode of action and time course of adverse effects. First generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) generally require multiple feedings over several days to achieve a threshold concentration in tissue and cause adverse effects. This exposure regimen iAuthorsNimish B. Vyas, Barnett A. RattnerAssessment of toxicity and potential risk of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone using Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio)
In the United States, new regulatory restrictions have been placed on the use of some second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. This action may be offset by expanded use of first-generation compounds (e.g., diphacinone; DPN). Single-day acute oral exposure of adult Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio) to DPN evoked overt signs of intoxication, coagulopathy, histopathological lesions (e.g., heAuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Karen M. Eisenreich, Carol U. Meteyer, Steven F. Volker, Christopher M. Campton, John D. Eisemann, John J. JohnstonCopper pellets simulating oral exposure to copper ammunition: Absence of toxicity in American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper (Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered 5 mg Cu/g body mass in the form of Cu pellets (1.18–2.00 mm in diameter) nine timAuthorsJ. Christian Franson, Lesanna L. Lahner, Carol U. Meteyer, Barnett A. RattnerComparative risk assessment of the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone to raptors
New regulatory restrictions have been placed on the use of some second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in the United States, and in some situations this action may be offset by expanded use of first-generation compounds. We have recently conducted several studies with captive adult American kestrels and eastern screech-owls examining the toxicity of diphacinone (DPN) using both acute oral anAuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Karen M. Eisenreich, Katherine E. Horak, Steven F. Volker, Christopher M. Campton, John D. Eisemann, Carol U. Meteyer, John J. JohnsonWildlife toxicology: environmental contaminants and their national and international regulation
No abstract available.AuthorsK. Christiana Grim, Anne Fairbrother, Barnett A. RattnerAcute toxicity, histopathology, and coagulopathy in American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following administration of the rodenticie diphacinone
The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be over 20 times greater in American kestrels (Falco sparverius; median lethal dose 96.8 mg/kg body weight) compared with Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Modest evidence of internal bleeding was observed at necropsy, although histological examination of heart, liver, kidney,AuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, Daniel D. Day, Carol U. Meteyer, Steven F. Voler, John D. Eisemann, John J. JohnstonHistory of wildlife toxicology and the interpretation of contaminant concentrations in tissues
The detection and interpretation of contaminants in tissues of wildlife belongs to the field of toxicology, a scientific discipline with a long, intriguing, and illustrious history. Concern over poisoning of wildlife began in the late nineteenth century, and initially focused more on identifying environmental problems than determining contaminant concentrations in tissues. Endpoint measurements weAuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Anton M. Scheuhammer, J. E. ElliottFifty-ninth Christmas Bird Count. 176. Ocean City, Md
No abstract available.AuthorsB. A. Rattner, S.D. MichaelPolychlorinated biphenyl exposure and effects in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) residing at eight locations
Twelve-day-old Tree Swallow nestlings were studied at eight sites exhibiting a range of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination. In addition to determining PCB concentrations in eggs, nestlings, and food items, hepatic cytochromes P450-associated monooxygenase activity quantified as a biomarker of exposure. Nestlings from several of the sites exhibited elevated PCB concentrations and P450 indAuthorsA.L. Yorks, B. A. Rattner, M. J. MelanconAcute toxicity of diphacinone in Northern bobwhite: Effects on survival and blood clotting
The anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was slightly toxic (acute oral LD50 2014 mg/kg) to Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in a 14-day acute toxicity trial. Precise and sensitive assays of blood clotting (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, and thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in quail, and this combination of assays is recommended to measure the effects of anticoagAuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, John J. JohnstonAbsorption and biotransformation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers DE-71 and DE-79 in chicken (Gallus gallus), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) eggs
We recently reported that air cell administration of penta-brominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE; DE-71) evokes biochemical and immunologic effects in chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos at very low doses, and impairs pipping (i.e., stage immediately prior to hatching) and hatching success at 1.8 ug g-1 egg (actual dose absorbed) in American kestrels (Falco sparverius). In the present study, absorptionAuthorsMoira A. McKernan, Barnett A. Rattner, Jeff S. Hatfield, Robert C. Hale, Mary Ann OttingerComparative toxicity of diphacinone to northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be about 20 times greater to American kestrels (LD50=97 mg/kg) than to northern bobwhite (LD50=2,014 mg/kg). Several precise and sensitive clotting assays (prothrombin time, Russell's Viper venom time, thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in these species, and this combination of assays is recommended to deteAuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, Daniel D. Day, John J. Johnston - Web Tools
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