Verplanck, P. L., Furlong, E. T., Gray, J. L., Phillips, P. J., Wolf, R. E., & Esposito, K. (2010). Evaluating the Behavior of Gadolinium and Other Rare Earth Elements through Large Metropolitan Sewage Treatment Plants. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(10), 3876-3882. doi:10.1021/es903888t
James L Gray, PhD
Science and Products
Date published: August 2, 2017
Status: Completed Commonly Used Chemicals Transported to Agricultural Field through Municipal Biosolids Application
Commonly used chemicals (including fragrances, detergents, fire retardants, plasticizers, and antibacterials) transferred to wastewater treatment plants were detected in municipal wastewater biosolids applied to agricultural field plots and subsequently detected in the runoff transported from the plots during precipitation events.
Contacts: James L Gray, PhD
Attribution: Environmental Health, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
Year Published: 2020
Mixed organic and inorganic tapwater exposures and potential effects in greater Chicago area, USA
Safe drinking water at the point of use (tapwater, TW) is a public-health priority. TW exposures and potential human-health concerns of 540 organics and 35 inorganics were assessed in 45 Chicago area United States (US) homes in 2017. No US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level(s) (MCL) were exceeded in any...
Bradley, Paul; Argos, Maria; Kolpin, Dana W.; Meppelink, Shannon M.; Romanok, Kristin; Smalling, Kelly; Focazio, Michael J.; Allen, Joshua M.; Dietze, Julie E.; Devito, Michael J.; Donovan, Ariel; Evans, Nicola; Givens, Carrie E.; Gray, James L.; Higgins, Christopher P.; Hladik, Michelle; Iwanowicz, Luke; Journey, Celeste; Lane, Rachael; Laughrey, Zachary; Loftin, Keith A.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; McDonough, Carrie A.; Medlock Kakaley, Elizabeth K; Meyer, Michael T.; Holthouse-Putz, Andrea; Richardson, Susan D; Stark, Alan ; Weis, Christopher P.; Wilson, Vickie S.; Zehraoui, Abderrahman
Year Published: 2018
Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area, initiated the Tapwater Exposure Study as part of an infrastructure project to assess human exposure to potential threats from complex mixtures of contaminants. In the pilot phase (2016), samples were collected from 11 States throughout the United States, and in the...
Romanok, Kristin M.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Meppelink, Shannon M.; Argos, Maria; Brown, Juliane B.; Devito, Michael J.; Dietze, Julie E.; Givens, Carrie E.; Gray, James L.; Higgins, Christopher P.; Hladik, Michelle L.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Loftin, Keith A.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; McDonough, Carrie A.; Meyer, Michael T.; Strynar, Mark J.; Weis, Christopher P.; Wilson, Vickie S.; Bradley, Paul M.Attribution: Environmental Health, Central Midwest Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Environmental Health, Water Resources, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Illinois, United States of America
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Romanok, K.M., Kolpin, D.W., Meppelink, S.M., Argos, M., Brown, J.B., DeVito, M.J., Dietze, J.E., Givens, C.E., Gray, J.L., Higgins, C.P., Hladik, M.L., Iwanowicz, L.R., Loftin, K.A., McCleskey, R.B., McDonough, C.A., Meyer, M.T., Strynar, M.J., Weis, C.P., Wilson, V.S., and Bradley, P.M., 2018, Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1098, 79 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181098.
Year Published: 2018
Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility discharges can substantially increase the pharmaceutical load to U.S. wastewaters
Discharges from pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities (PMFs) previously have been identified as important sources of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Yet few studies are available to establish the influence of PMFs on the pharmaceutical source contribution to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and waterways at the national scale....
Scott, Tia-Marie; Phillips, Patrick J.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Colella, Kaitlyn M.; Furlong, Edward T.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.Attribution: New York Water Science Center, Water Resources
Year Published: 2017
Rainfall-runoff of anthropogenic waste indicators from agricultural fields applied with municipal biosolids
The presence of anthropogenic contaminants such as antimicrobials, flame-retardants, and plasticizers in runoff from agricultural fields applied with municipal biosolids may pose a potential threat to the environment. This study assesses the potential for rainfall-induced runoff of 69 anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), widely found in...
Gray, James L.; Borch, Thomas; Furlong, Edward T.; Davis, Jessica; Yager, Tracy; Yang, Yun-Ya; Kolpin, Dana W.
Year Published: 2015
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
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...
Masoner, Jason R.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Furlong, Edward T.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Gray, James L.
Year Published: 2015
Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in landfill leachate of the United States
Landfills are commonly the final respository for a heterogeneous mixture of waste from residential, commercial, and industrial sources. The use of landfills as a means of waste disposal will likely increase as the global population increases and nations develop. Thus, landfills receiving such waste have the potential to produce leachate containing...
Kolpin, Dana W.; Masoner, Jason R.; Furlong, Edward T.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Gray, James L.; Schwab, Eric A.Attribution: Central Midwest Water Science Center, Environmental Health, Water Resources, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, United States of America, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory
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Kolpin, D.W., Masoner, J.R., Furlong, E.T., Cozzarelli, I.M., Gray, J.L., Schwab, E.A. 2015. Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in landfill leachate of the United States. Norman Bulletin, Issue 4, February 2015, p. 10-11.
Year Published: 2015
Concentrations of hormones, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants in groundwater affected by septic systems in New England and New York
Septic-system discharges can be an important source of micropollutants (including pharmaceuticals and endocrine active compounds) to adjacent groundwater and surface water systems. Groundwater samples were collected from well networks tapping glacial till in New England (NE) and sandy surficial aquifer New York (NY) during one sampling round in...
Phillips, Patrick J.; Schubert, Christopher E.; Argue, Denise M.; Fisher, Irene J.; Furlong, Edward T.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; Chalmers, Ann T.Attribution: New York Water Science Center, Water Resources, Environmental Health, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
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Phillips, P.J., Schubert, C., Argue, D., Fisher, I., Furlong, E.T., Foreman, W., Gray, J., and Chalmers, A., 2015, Concentrations of hormones, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants in groundwater affected by septic systems in New England and New York: Science of the Total Environment, 512-513, 43-54.
Year Published: 2014
Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States
To better understand the composition of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in landfill leachate, fresh leachate from 19 landfills was sampled across the United States during 2011. The sampled network included 12 municipal and 7 private landfills with varying landfill waste compositions, geographic and climatic settings, ages of waste, waste...
Masoner, Jason R.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Furlong, Edward T.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Gray, James L.; Schwab, Eric A.Attribution: Oklahoma Water Science Center, Environmental Health, Water Resources, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, Region 6: Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf, United States of America, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory
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Masoner, J. R., Kolpin, D. W., Furlong, E. T., Cozzarelli, I. M., Gray, J. L., & Schwab, E. A. (2014). Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 16(10), 2335-2354.
Year Published: 2014
Spatiotemporal variations in estrogenicity, hormones, and endocrine-disrupting compounds in influents and effluents of selected wastewater-treatment plants and receiving streams in New York, 2008-09
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in wastewater effluents have been linked to changes in sex ratios, intersex (in males), behavioral modifications, and developmental abnormalities in aquatic organisms. Yet efforts to identify and regulate specific EDCs in complex mixtures are problematic because little is known about the estrogen activity (...
Baldigo, Barry P.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Ernst, Anne G.; Gray, James L.; Hemming, Jocelyn D.C.Attribution: New York Water Science Center, Water Resources
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Spatiotemporal variations in estrogenicity, hormones, and endocrine-disrupting compounds in influents and effluents of selected wastewater-treatment plants and receiving streams in New York, 2008-09; 2014; SIR; 2014-5015; Baldigo, Barry P.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Ernst, Anne G.; Gray, James L.; Hemming, Jocelyn D. C.
Year Published: 2014
Presence of the Corexit component dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate in Gulf of Mexico waters after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Between April 22 and July 15, 2010, approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. Approximately 16% of the oil was chemically dispersed, at the surface and at 1500 m depth, using Corexit 9527 and Corexit 9500, which contain dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) as a major...
Gray, James L.; Kanagy, Leslie K.; Furlong, Edward T.; Kanagy, Chris J.; McCoy, Jeff W.; Mason, Andrew; Lauenstein, GunnarAttribution: , Water Resources, Environmental Health, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, National Water Quality Laboratory
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Presence of the Corexit component dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate in Gulf of Mexico waters after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill; 2014; Article; Journal; Chemosphere; Gray, James L.; Kanagy, Leslie K.; Furlong, Edward T.; Kanagy, Chris J.; McCoy, Jeff W.; Mason, Andrew; Lauenstein, Gunnar
Year Published: 2013
Bioassay of estrogenicity and chemical analyses of estrogens in streams across the United States associated with livestock operations
Animal manures, used as a nitrogen source for crop production, are often associated with negative impacts on nutrient levels in surface water. The concentrations of estrogens in streams from these manures also are of concern due to potential endocrine disruption in aquatic species. Streams associated with livestock operations were sampled by...
Alvarez, David A.; Shappell, Nancy W.; Billey, L.O.; Bermudez, Dietrich S.; Wilson, Vickie S.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Perkins, Stephanie D.; Evans, Nicola; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; Shipitalo, J.M.; Meyer, Michael T.Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Ecosystems, , Region 4: Mississippi Basin
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Bioassay of estrogenicity and chemical analyses of estrogens in streams across the United States associated with livestock operations; 2013; Article; Journal; Water Research; Alvarez, David; Shappell, Nancy W.; Billey, L.O.; Bermudez, Dietrich S.; Wilson, Vicie S.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Perkins, Stephanie D.; Evans, N.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; Shipitalo, J.M.; Meyer, Michael T.
Year Published: 2013
Effects of surface applications of biosolids on groundwater quality and trace-element concentrations in crops near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2004-2010
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Metro Wastewater Reclamation District (Metro District), studied biosolids composition and the effects of biosolids applications on groundwater quality and trace-element concentrations in crops of the Metro District properties near Deer Trail, Colorado, during 2004 through 2010. Priority...
Yager, Tracy J.B.; Crock, James G.; Smith, David B.; Furlong, Edward T.; Hageman, Philip L.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; ReVello, Rhiannon C.Attribution: Water, Colorado Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Colorado, United States of America
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Effects of surface applications of biosolids on groundwater quality and trace-element concentrations in crops near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2004-2010; 2013; SIR; 2013-5065; Yager, Tracy J.B.; Crock, James G.; Smith, David B.; Furlong, Edward T.; Hageman, Philip L.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; ReVello, Rhiannon C.
Pre-USGS Publications
Furlong, E. T., Gray, J. L., Quanrud, D. M., Teske, S. S., Esposito, K., Marine, J., . . . Phillips, P. J. (2010). The Estrogenicity of Biosolids in Four Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants in the United States. Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, 2010(15), 2236-2240. doi:10.2175/193864710798159354
Vajda, A. M., Barber, L. B., Gray, J. L., Lopez, E. M., Woodling, J. D., & Norris, D. O. (2008). Reproductive Disruption in Fish Downstream from an Estrogenic Wastewater Effluent. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(9), 3407-3414. doi:10.1021/es0720661
Kolodziej, E. P., Gray, J. L., & Sedlak, D. L. (2003). Quantification Of Steroid Hormones With Pheromonal Properties In Municipal Wastewater Effluent. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 22(11), 2622. doi:10.1897/03-42
Sedlak, D. L., Pinkston, K. E., Gray, J. L., & Kolodziej, E. P. (2003). Approaches for Quantifying the Attenuation of Wastewater-Derived Contaminants in the Aquatic Environment. CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 57(9), 567-569. doi:10.2533/000942903777679055
Sedlak, D. L., Gray, J. L., & Pinkston, K. E. (2000). Peer Reviewed: Understanding Microcontaminants in Recycled Water. Environmental Science & Technology, 34(23). doi:10.1021/es003513e