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
Toxicological significance of soil ingestion by wild and domestic animals
Animal species endangerment: The role of environmental pollution
Handbook of ecotoxicology, second edition
Lead accumulation in feathers of nestling black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) experimentally treated in the field
Use of retrospective data to assess ecotoxicological monitoring needs for terrestrial vertebrates residing in Atlantic coast estuaries
Experimental lead poisoning in Turkey Vultures, Cathartes aura
Concentrations of metals in feathers and blood of nestling Black-Crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays
Ranking terrestrial vertebrate species for utility in biomonitoring and vulnerability to environmental contaminants
Methodological refinements in the determination of 146 polychlorinated biphenyls, including non-ortho- and mono-ortho-substituted PCBs, and 26 organochlorine pesticides as demonstrated in heron eggs
Environmental factors affecting contaminant toxicity in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates
Determination of alkylphenol and alkylphenolethoxylates in biota by liquid chromatography with detection by tandem mass spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopy
Petroleum and individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
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Toxicological significance of soil ingestion by wild and domestic animals
Most wild and domestic animals ingest some soil or sediment, and some species may routinely, or under special circumstances, ingest considerable amounts. Ingested soil supplies nutrients, exposes animals to parasites and pathogens, and may play a role in developing immune systems.1 Soil ingestion is also sometimes the principal route of exposure to various environmental contaminants.2-7 IngestionAuthorsW. Nelson Beyer, George F. FriesAnimal species endangerment: The role of environmental pollution
Multiple factors contribute to the decline of species. Habitat destruction is the primary factor that threatens species. affecting 73 % of endangered species. The second major factor causing species decline is the introduction of nonnative species. affecting 68% of endangered species. Pollution and overharvesting were identified as impacting, respectively, 38 and 15% of endangered species. Other fAuthorsOliver H. Pattee, Valerie L. Fellows, Dixie L. BoundsHandbook of ecotoxicology, second edition
Handbook of Ecotoxicology, Second Edition focuses on toxic substances and how they affect ecosystems worldwide. It presents methods for quantifying and measuring ecotoxicological effects in the field and in the lab, as well as methods for estimating, predicting, and modeling in ecotoxicology studies. Completely revised and updated with 18 new chapters, this second edition includes contributions frLead accumulation in feathers of nestling black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) experimentally treated in the field
Although lead can attain high concentrations in feathers, interpretation of the biological significance of this phenomenon is difficult. As part of an effort to develop and validate non-invasive methods to monitor contaminant exposure in free-ranging birds, lead uptake by feathers of nestling black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) was evaluated in a controlled exposure study. Four toAuthorsN. H. Golden, Barnett A. Rattner, J.B. Cohen, D. J. Hoffman, E. Russek-Cohen, M. A. OttingerUse of retrospective data to assess ecotoxicological monitoring needs for terrestrial vertebrates residing in Atlantic coast estuaries
The “Contaminant Exposure and Effects–Terrestrial Vertebrates” (CEE-TV) database contains 4,336 records of ecotoxicological information for free-ranging amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals residing in Atlantic and Florida Gulf coast estuaries and their drainages. To identify spatial data gaps, those CEE-TV records for which the specific study location were known (n=2,740) were combined with wAuthorsJ.B. Cohen, Barnett A. Rattner, N. H. GoldenExperimental lead poisoning in Turkey Vultures, Cathartes aura
Lead-induced mortality appears to have been a major factor in the decline of the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus). We orally dosed turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) with BB-sized lead shot from January 1988 through July 1988 to determine physiologic response (delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase inhibition, erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels, anemia), diagnostic tissue lead concentrationAuthorsJ. W. Carpenter, O. H. Pattee, S. H. Fritts, Barnett A. Rattner, Stanley N. Wiemeyer, J. Andrew Royle, M. R. SmithConcentrations of metals in feathers and blood of nestling Black-Crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays
Over the past decade, destruction and degradation of wetland habitat has contributed to the decline of wading bird colonies on the Atlantic Coast. In 1998, an initial assessment of the possible contribution of metal pollution to declining heron populations in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays was conducted. Study sites included two heronries in industrialized locations (Pea Patch Island, DE and BaltiAuthorsN. H. Golden, Barnett A. Rattner, P. C. McGowan, K.C. Parsons, M. A. OttingerRanking terrestrial vertebrate species for utility in biomonitoring and vulnerability to environmental contaminants
The measurement of contaminant tissue concentrations or exposure-related effects in biota has been used extensively to monitor pollution and environmental health. Terrestrial vertebrates have historically been an important group of species in such evaluations, not only because many are excellent sentinels of environmental contamination, but also because they are valued natural resources in their oAuthorsN. H. Golden, Barnett A. RattnerMethodological refinements in the determination of 146 polychlorinated biphenyls, including non-ortho- and mono-ortho-substituted PCBs, and 26 organochlorine pesticides as demonstrated in heron eggs
A method for the determination of 146 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including four non-ortho- and eight mono-ortho-substituted congeners, and 26 chlorinated pesticides is described. The method consists of ultrasonic extraction, Florisil cleanup, HPLC fractionation over porous graphitic carbon (PGC), and final determination with GC/ECD, GC/MS, or both. Two PCB congeners (PCB 30 and PCB 161) andAuthorsS. Chu, Chia-Swee Hong, Barnett A. Rattner, P. C. McGowanEnvironmental factors affecting contaminant toxicity in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates
Physical and natural factors have long been known to influence the toxicity of environmental contaminants to vertebrates. The majority of data that address this topic have been derived from studies on fish, highly inbred laboratory rodents, and man.' The degree to which these factors modify toxicity has principally been elucidated by controlled laboratory experiments. Until recently, the significaAuthorsBarnett A. Rattner, Alan G. HeathDetermination of alkylphenol and alkylphenolethoxylates in biota by liquid chromatography with detection by tandem mass spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopy
A quantitative method for the simultaneous determination of octylphenol, nonylphenol and the corresponding ethoxylates (1 to 5) in biota is presented. Extraction methods were developed for egg and fish matrices based on accelerated solvent extraction followed by a solid-phase extraction cleanup, using octadecylsilica or aminopropyl cartridges. Identification and quantitation were accomplished byAuthorsI. Schmitz-Afonso, J.E. Loyo-Rosales, M. de la Paz Aviles, Barnett A. Rattner, C.P. RicePetroleum and individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
A general treatment of petroleum and PAHs including presentations on composition and characteristics, sources, environmental fate, and effects on plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and mammals. A revision of the 1995 book chapter of the same title.AuthorsPeter H. Albers - Web Tools
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government