Dana W Kolpin
Dana Kolpin is a Research Hydrologist, with the Central Midwest Water Science Center in Iowa City, Iowa. Dana started his career with the USGS in 1984. His research interests include the fate, transport, and effects of environmental contaminants (e.g. pesticides, human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, hormones, etc.) in the environment.
Dana was the project lead of the USGS Toxic Program’s CECs in the Environment Project for its entire history (1998 – 2017). He is now project lead of the USGS Toxic Program’s newly formed Food Project (i.e. understanding the potential for health risks from contaminant exposures associated with production, manufacturing, use, and consumption of food, beverage, and feedstock products). He has published over 200 papers and reports on environmental contaminants. His paper "Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance" was a seminal paper on the occurrence of CECs in water resources, and was the first national-scale study of such compounds conducted in the United States. This paper has become the most heavily cited paper in Environmental Science & Technology history. He has published a diverse array of papers on the topic of environmental contaminants including research on CECs in landfills, changes in stream water chemistry and hydrology related to the closure of a wastewater treatment plant, detection of swine hepatitis E virus in streams, the transport of neonicotinoid insecticides in streams, the uptake of CECs into earthworms and into fish neural tissue, the occurrence of natural toxins (i.e. phytoestrogens and mycotoxins) in streams, and the first ever documentation of the off-field transport on nitrapyrin and herbicide safeners to streams. His most recent research interests include linking tap water quality to human health end points, investigating PFAS exposures in rural settings, determining the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment, and understanding chemical and microbial contaminants being discharged into the environment by food and feedstock processing plants.
Education and Certifications
M.S., Geology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
B.S., Geology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Science and Products
Pre/post-closure assessment of groundwater pharmaceutical fate in a wastewater‑facility-impacted stream reach
Detection of hepatitis E virus and other livestock-related pathogens in Iowa streams
Contamination with bacterial zoonotic pathogen genes in U.S. streams influenced by varying types of animal agriculture
Dairy-impacted wastewater is a source of iodinated disinfection byproducts in the environment
Municipal solid waste landfills harbor distinct microbiomes
Spatial and temporal variation in microcystins occurrence in wadeable streams in the southeastern USA
Complex mixtures, complex responses: Assessing pharmaceutical mixtures using field and laboratory approaches
Landfill leachate as a mirror of today's disposable society: Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in final leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States
First national-scale reconnaissance of neonicotinoid insecticides in streams across the USA
Chemical mixtures and environmental effects: a pilot study to assess ecological exposure and effects in streams
2013 Survey of Iowa groundwater and evaluation of public well vulnerability classifications for contaminants of emerging concern
Genes indicative of zoonotic and swine pathogens are persistent in stream water and sediment following a swine manure spill
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Pre/post-closure assessment of groundwater pharmaceutical fate in a wastewater‑facility-impacted stream reach
Pharmaceutical contamination of contiguous groundwater is a substantial concern in wastewater-impacted streams, due to ubiquity in effluent, high aqueous mobility, designed bioactivity, and to effluent-driven hydraulic gradients. Wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) closures are rare environmental remediation events; offering unique insights into contaminant persistence, long-term wastewater impacAuthorsPaul M. Bradley, Larry B. Barber, Jimmy M. Clark, Joseph W. Duris, William T. Foreman, Edward T. Furlong, Carrie E. Givens, Laura E. Hubbard, Kasey J. Hutchinson, Celeste A. Journey, Steffanie H. Keefe, Dana W. KolpinDetection of hepatitis E virus and other livestock-related pathogens in Iowa streams
Manure application is a source of pathogens to the environment. Through overland runoff and tile drainage, zoonotic pathogens can contaminate surface water and streambed sediment and could affect both wildlife and human health. This study examined the environmental occurrence of gene markers for livestock-related bacterial, protozoan, and viral pathogens and antibiotic resistance in surface watersAuthorsCarrie E. Givens, Dana W. Kolpin, Mark A. Borchardt, Joseph W. Duris, Thomas B. Moorman, Susan K. SpencerContamination with bacterial zoonotic pathogen genes in U.S. streams influenced by varying types of animal agriculture
Animal waste, stream water, and streambed sediment from 19 small (< 32 km2) watersheds in 12 U.S. states having either no major animal agriculture (control, n = 4), or predominantly beef (n = 4), dairy (n = 3), swine (n = 5), or poultry (n = 3) were tested for: 1) cholesterol, coprostanol, estrone, and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations, and 2) shiga-toxin producing and enterotoxigenicAuthorsSheridan K. Haack, Joseph W. Duris, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael J. Focazio, Michael T. Meyer, Heather E. Johnson, Ryan J. Oster, William T. ForemanDairy-impacted wastewater is a source of iodinated disinfection byproducts in the environment
Iodinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are among the most toxic DBPs, but they are not typically measured in treated water. Iodinated DBPs can be toxic to humans, and they also have the potential to affect aquatic communities. Because of the specific use of iodine and iodine-containing compounds in dairies, such livestock operations can be a potential source of iodinated DBPs in corresponding reAuthorsMichelle Hladik, Laura E. Hubbard, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael J. FocazioMunicipal solid waste landfills harbor distinct microbiomes
Landfills are the final repository for most of the discarded material from human society and its “built environments.” Microorganisms subsequently degrade this discarded material in the landfill, releasing gases (largely CH4 and CO2) and a complex mixture of soluble chemical compounds in leachate. Characterization of “landfill microbiomes” and their comparison across several landfills should allowAuthorsBlake W. Stamps, Christopher N. Lyles, Joseph M. Suflita, Jason R. Masoner, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Dana W. Kolpin, Bradley S. StevensonSpatial and temporal variation in microcystins occurrence in wadeable streams in the southeastern USA
Despite historical observations of potential microcystin-producing cyanobacteria (including Leptolyngbya,Phormidium, Pseudoanabaena, and Anabaena species) in 74% of headwater streams in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina (USA) from 1993 to 2011, fluvial cyanotoxin occurrence has not been systematically assessed in the southeastern United States. To begin to address this data gap,AuthorsKeith A. Loftin, Jimmy M. Clark, Celeste A. Journey, Dana W. Kolpin, Peter C. Van Metre, Paul M. BradleyComplex mixtures, complex responses: Assessing pharmaceutical mixtures using field and laboratory approaches
Pharmaceuticals are present in low concentrations (<100 ng/L) in most municipal wastewater effluents but may be elevated locally because of factors such as input from pharmaceutical formulation facilities. Using existing concentration data, the authors assessed pharmaceuticals in laboratory exposures of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and added environmental complexity through effluent exposAuthorsHeiko L. Schoenfuss, Edward T. Furlong, Patrick J. Phillips, Tia-Marie Scott, Dana W. Kolpin, Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje, Kelsey E. Lesteberg, Daniel C. RearickLandfill leachate as a mirror of today's disposable society: Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in final leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States
Final leachates (leachate after storage or treatment processes) from 22 landfills in 12 states were analyzed for 190 pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), which were detected in every sample, with the number of CECs ranging from 1 to 58 (median = 22). In total, 101 different CECs were detected in leachate samples, including 43 prescription pharmaceuticals, 22 industriaAuthorsJason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, James L. GrayFirst national-scale reconnaissance of neonicotinoid insecticides in streams across the USA
To better understand the fate and transport of neonicotinoid insecticides, water samples were collected from streams across the United States. In a nationwide study, at least one neonicotinoid was detected in 53 % of the samples collected, with imidacloprid detected most frequently (37 %), followed by clothianidin (24 %), thiamethoxam (21 %), dinotefuran (13 %), acetamiprid (3 %) and thiaclopridAuthorsMichelle Hladik, Dana W. KolpinChemical mixtures and environmental effects: a pilot study to assess ecological exposure and effects in streams
Assessment and management of the risks of exposure to complex chemical mixtures in streams are priorities for human and environmental health organizations around the world. The current lack of information on the composition and variability of environmental mixtures and a limited understanding of their combined effects are fundamental obstacles to timely identification and prevention of adverse humAuthorsHerbert T. Buxton, Timothy J. Reilly, Kathryn Kuivila, Dana W. Kolpin, Paul M. Bradley, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Marc A. Mills2013 Survey of Iowa groundwater and evaluation of public well vulnerability classifications for contaminants of emerging concern
Studies in Iowa have long documented the vulnerability of wells with less than 50 feet (15 meters) of confining materials above the source aquifer to contamination from nitrate and various pesticides. Recent studies in Wisconsin have documented the occurrence of viruses in untreated groundwater, even in wells considered to have little vulnerability to contamination from near-surface activities. InAuthorsClaire E. Hruby, Robert D. Libra, Chad L. Fields, Dana W. Kolpin, Laura E. Hubbard, Mark R. Borchardt, Susan K. Spencer, Michael D. Wichman, Nancy Hall, Michael D. Schueller, Edward T. Furlong, Peter J. WeyerGenes indicative of zoonotic and swine pathogens are persistent in stream water and sediment following a swine manure spill
Manure spills to streams are relatively frequent, but no studies have characterized stream contamination with zoonotic and veterinary pathogens, or fecal chemicals, following a spill. We tested stream water and sediment over 25 days and downstream for 7.6 km for: fecal indicator bacteria (FIB); the fecal indicator chemicals cholesterol and coprostanol; 20 genes for zoonotic and swine-specific bactAuthorsSheridan K. Haack, Joseph W. Duris, Dana W. Kolpin, Lisa R. Fogarty, Heather E. Johnson, Kristen E. Gibson, Michael J. Focazio, Kellogg J. Schwab, Laura E. Hubbard, William T. Foreman - News