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
Finding minimal herbicide concentrations in ground water? Try looking for their degradates
Occurrence of acetochlor and acetochlor metabolites in alluvial aquifers in Iowa
Testing water quality for pesticide pollution: U.S. Geological Survey investigations reveal widespread contamination of the nation's water resources
Assessing groundwater vulnerability to agrichemical contamination in the Midwest US
Agrichemicals in ground water of the midwestern USA: Relations to soil characteristics
Nitrate in groundwater of the midwestern United States: A regional investigation on relations to land use and soil properties
Distribution of major herbicides in ground water of the United States
Occurrence of acetanilide herbicide metabolites in tile runoff and ground
Degradation of chloroacetanilide herbicides: The prevalence of sulfonic and oxanilic acid metabolites in Iowa groundwaters and surface waters
The environmental occurrence of herbicides: The importance of degradates in ground water
Source and transport of desethylatrazine and desisopropylatrazine to groundwater of the midwestern United States
Herbicides in ground water of the Midwest: A regional study of shallow aquifers, 1991-94
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Finding minimal herbicide concentrations in ground water? Try looking for their degradates
Extensive research has been conducted regarding the occurrence of herbicides in the hydrologic system, their fate, and their effects on human health and the environment. Few studies, however, have considered herbicide transformation products (degradates). In this study of Iowa ground water, herbicide degradates were frequently detected. In fact, herbicide degradates were eight of the 10 most frequAuthorsD.W. Kolpin, E. M. Thurman, S. M. LinhartOccurrence of acetochlor and acetochlor metabolites in alluvial aquifers in Iowa
No abstract available.AuthorsStephen J. Kalkhoff, Mark E. Savoca, Eric M. Sadorf, Dana W. Kolpin, Earl M. ThurmanTesting water quality for pesticide pollution: U.S. Geological Survey investigations reveal widespread contamination of the nation's water resources
No abstract available.AuthorsRobert J. Gilliom, Jack E. Barbash, Dana W. Kolpin, Steven J. LarsonAssessing groundwater vulnerability to agrichemical contamination in the Midwest US
Agrichemicals (herbicides and nitrate) are significant sources of diffuse pollution to groundwater. Indirect methods are needed to assess the potential for groundwater contamination by diffuse sources because groundwater monitoring is too costly to adequately define the geographic extent of contamination at a regional or national scale. This paper presents examples of the application of statisticaAuthorsM. R. Burkart, D.W. Kolpin, D.E. JamesAgrichemicals in ground water of the midwestern USA: Relations to soil characteristics
A comprehensive set of soil characteristics were examined to determine the effect of soil on the transport of agrichemicals to ground water. This paper examines the relation of local soil characteristics to concentrations and occurrence of nitrate, atrazine (2-chloro-4 ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-trazine), and atrazine residue [atrazine + deethylatrazine (2-amino-4-chloro-6-isopropylamino-s-triaAuthorsM. R. Burkart, D.W. Kolpin, R.J. Jaquis, K.J. ColeNitrate in groundwater of the midwestern United States: A regional investigation on relations to land use and soil properties
The intense application of nitrogen-fertilizer to cropland in the midwestern United States has created concern about nitrate contamination of the region's aquifers. Since 1991, the US Geological Survey has used a network of 303 wells to investigate the regional distribution of nitrate in near-surface aquifers of the midwestern United States. Detailed land use and soil data were compiled within a 2AuthorsD. Kolpin, M. Burkart, D. GoolsbyDistribution of major herbicides in ground water of the United States
Information on the concentrations and spatial distributions of pesticides and their transformation products, or degradates, in the hydrologic system is essential for managing pesticide use in both agricultural and nonagricultural settings to protect water resources. This report examines the occurrence of selected herbicides and their degradates in ground water, primarily on the basis of results frAuthorsJack E. Barbash, Gail P. Thelin, Dana W. Kolpin, Robert J. GilliomOccurrence of acetanilide herbicide metabolites in tile runoff and ground
No abstract available.AuthorsE. M. Thurman, D.W. Kolpin, S. J. Kalkhoff, P. J. PhillipsDegradation of chloroacetanilide herbicides: The prevalence of sulfonic and oxanilic acid metabolites in Iowa groundwaters and surface waters
Water samples were collected from 88 municipal wells throughout Iowa during the summer and were collected monthly at 12 stream sites in eastern Iowa from March to December 1996 to study the occurrence of the sulfonic and oxanilic metabolites of acetochlor, alachlor, and metolachlor. The sulfonic and oxanilic metabolites were present in almost 75% of the groundwater samples and were generally preseAuthorsStephen J. Kalkhoff, Dana W. Kolpin, E. M. Thurman, I. Ferrer, D. BarceloThe environmental occurrence of herbicides: The importance of degradates in ground water
Numerous studies are being conducted to investigate the occurrence, fate, and effects on human health and the environment from the extensive worldwide use of herbicides to control weeds. Few studies, however, are considering the degradates of these herbicides in their investigations. Our study of herbicides in aquifers across Iowa found herbicide degradates to be prevalent in ground water, being dAuthorsD.W. Kolpin, E. M. Thurman, S. M. LinhartSource and transport of desethylatrazine and desisopropylatrazine to groundwater of the midwestern United States
Based on usage of the parent compounds and studies of their dissipation in corn fields, atrazine (6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine)), cyanazine (2-[[4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl]amino]-2-methylpropionitrile), and simazine (6-chloro-N,N'diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) are thought to be the important contributors of desethylatrazine (6-chloro-N-(1-methyAuthorsE. M. Thurman, D.W. Kolpin, D. A. Goolsby, M. T. MeyerHerbicides in ground water of the Midwest: A regional study of shallow aquifers, 1991-94
The intensive herbicide use associated with the 'Corn Belt' marks the Midwestern United States as a region where herbicide contamination of ground water could be a problem. To better understand the regional occurrence of herbicides in shallow aquifers of the Midwest, a sampling network of 303 wells across 12 States was developed. The results documented relatively widespread, low-level concentratioAuthorsDana W. Kolpin, J. K. Stamer, D. A. Goolsby, E. M. Thurman - News