Brander, S. M., He, G., Smalling, K. L., Denison, M. S. and Cherr, G. N. (2012), The in vivo estrogenic and in vitro anti-estrogenic activity of permethrin and bifenthrin. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 31: 2848–2855
Kelly Smalling
I am interested in the exposure and effects of contaminants including current-use pesticides and other endocrine active compounds on fish and wildlife with a focus on amphibian populations.
Biography
I am an environmental organic chemist who has been working with the USGS since 2004. My current research focuses on the occurrence, fate and effects of emerging contaminants including current-use pesticides in the environment. I am the lead for the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative's Contaminants Project, the project coordinator of the "EDC effects on fish and wildlife in the Cheseapeake Bay Watershed" project through the Contaminants Biology Program, and a member of the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's Pesticide Fate Research Team.
I received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1999 and a MSPH in Environmental Health Science from the University of South Carolina in 2003.
Science and Products
Date published: June 26, 2020
Status: Active Mixtures of Organic and Inorganic Chemicals Characterized in Water from the Taps of Residences in the Greater Chicago Area— Science to Understand Contaminant Exposures in Drinking Water
As a component of ongoing research with a coalition of partners, including the U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Colorado School of Mines, University of Illinois Chicago, and University of South Carolina, water was collected from the taps of 45 Chicago-area residences and analyzed for 540 organic and 35...
Contacts: Paul M Bradley, Kelly Smalling
Date published: October 2, 2019
Status: Completed Amphibians Exposed to Oil and Gas Co-Produced Wastewaters: Differentiating the Actual and the Perceived Inorganic Contaminant Hazards — Prairie Pothole Region
Chloride and metals in oil and gas co-produced wastewaters (often referred to as brines) are commonly perceived as contaminant hazards for biota. Amphibian abundance in the Prairie Pothole Region affected by historic oil and gas co-produced wastewaters was lower in wetlands with high concentrations of chloride indicating an actual contaminant hazard. Metals detected in sediments and amphibian...
Contacts: Kelly Smalling
Date published: May 7, 2019
Status: Active Sublethal Effects of Contaminants in Aquatic Food Webs—Research Challenges and Considerations for Future Studies
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and academic scientists partnered to identify challenges and provide considerations for future scientific study designs to advance our understanding of the often subtle sublethal effects of contaminants on individuals, populations, communities, and entire aquatic food webs.
Contacts: Kelly Smalling
Date published: March 19, 2019
Status: Active Pre-listing Science Support in the Northeast
The background information required to support listing decisions is not always current or available, and additional information or tools to model potential future condition can greatly improve the confidence in Species Status Assessments. We are working closely with multiple partners to provide updated information, model potential outcomes, and identify key uncertainties relevant to amphibian...
Attribution: Ecosystems, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Date published: September 11, 2018
Status: Active Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.
Contacts: Paul M Bradley, Kelly Smalling
Date published: September 7, 2018
Status: Completed Unique Methods Used to Understand Frog Exposure to Pesticides in Agricultural Settings
Adult frog exposure to pesticides in aquatic and terrestrial habitats was quantified using a novel combination of radio telemetry and passive sampling techniques to better understand factors affecting frog health and survival in agricultural landscapes.
Contacts: Kelly Smalling
Date published: July 5, 2018
Status: Active Emerging Contaminants and their Effects on Fish and Frogs
The endocrine system in animals produce hormones to regulate essential life processes, such as metabolism, tissue function, reproduction, and development. A large group of natural and synthetic chemicals are known to disrupt endocrine function. Examples include plant hormones, plastic components, flame retardants, surfactants, fragrances, pesticides, etc. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, or...
Contacts: Kelly Smalling
Date published: July 5, 2018
Status: Active Point and Nonpoint Sources of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and the Potential effects on Fish and Frogs in the New Jersey Pinelands
Scientists from the NJ WSC, Leetown Science Center and New Jersey Pinelands Commission recently initiated a 4 year study designed to characterize the point and non-point sources of endocrine disrupting compound (EDCs) and their potential effects on fish and frogs in the NJ Pinelands.
Contacts: Kelly Smalling, Vicki Blazer, John Bunnell
Date published: July 5, 2018
Status: Active Pesticides and Amphibian Pathogens in Natural and Created Wetlands in the New Jersey Pinelands
The New Jersey Water Science Center in collaboration with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission and Montclair University, conducted a 4 year study to assess the functional equivalency of ponds and stormwater basins in the New Jersey Pinelands by comparing indicators of hydrologic condition, water quality (including pesticides) and biological metrics (amphibian pathogens).
Contacts: Kelly Smalling, John Bunnell
Date published: May 4, 2018
Status: Archived Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Prevalence of Intersex in Fish Populations in New Jersey
NJ WSC and Leetown Science Center scientists in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were tasked with characterizing endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass from New Jersey.
Contacts: Kelly Smalling, Luke R Iwanowicz, Ph.D., Sandra Goodrow
Date published: April 30, 2017
Status: Completed Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Science Team
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and provides critical resources to fish, wildlife and people. For more than a decade, recreational fish species have been plagued with skin lesions and intersex conditions (the presence of male and female sex characteristics in the same fish) that biologists attributed to exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)....
Contacts: Kelly Smalling
Date published: June 17, 2019
Chronic toxicity of azoxystrobin to freshwater amphipods, midges, cladocerans, and mussels in water-only exposures-Data
Understanding the effects of fungicides on non-target organisms at realistic concentrations and exposure durations is vital for determining potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Environmental concentrations of the fungicide azoxystrobin have been reported up to 4.6µg/L in the United States and 30 µg/L in Europe. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the chronic toxicity of...
Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center
Date published: January 1, 2018
Current-use pesticides and emerging amphibian pathogens in natural ponds, excavated ponds, and stormwater basins from 24 sites varying in land-use classifications throughout the New Jersey Pinelands, 2014-2016
Water, sediment, anuran food (leaf litter and detritus) and whole body larval amphibian composites were analyzed for over 100 current-use pesticides from 24 wetlands representing land-use gradients in the New Jersey Pinelands, USA during 2014-2016. Emerging amphibian pathogens, Ranavirus and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) were also assessed in individual larvae at the 24 wet
Attribution: New Jersey Water Science Center
Date published: January 1, 2018
Amphibian Occupancy and Effects of Habitat Use on Pesticide Exposure in Iowa Wetlands
Amphibians living in agricultural areas encounter many challenges. Two factors affecting individuals in these landscapes are habitat loss and pesticides. This thesis focuses on amphibians using agricultural wetlands in Iowa, where row crops such as corn and soybeans dominate the landscape. The goal of my first study was to determine the influences of site characteristics on amphibian presence...
Date published: January 1, 2018
Chloride in water, metals in sediment and amphibian tissues and amphibian capture information from wetlands in the Williston Basin of Montana and North Dakota, 2015-2017
The data presented includes chloride concentration and specific conductance in surface water collected from 33 wetlands in the Williston Basin of Montana and North Dakota, 2015-2017 as well as count data for three species of amphibians captured at each wetland. Data also includes concentrations of metals in bed sediment and larval amphibians collected from 32 and 12 wetlands, respectively in...
Attribution: New Jersey Water Science Center
Date published: August 31, 2017
Widespread Legacy Brine Contamination from Oil Shales Reduces Survival of Chorus Frog Larvae-Data
Advances in drilling technique have facilitated a rapid increase in hydrocarbon extraction from energy shales, including the Williston Basin in central North America. This area overlaps with the Prairie Pothole Region and greater than 35% of wetlands are less than or equal to 1 km from a petroleum-related well. Legacy practices often released saline co-produced waters (brines) that were c
Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center
Year Published: 2020
Reconnaissance of surface water estrogenicity and the prevalence of intersex in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting New Jersey
The observation of testicular oocytes in male fishes has been utilized as a biomarker of estrogenic endocrine disruption. A reconnaissance project led in the Northeastern United States (US) during the period of 2008–2010 identified a high prevalence of intersex smallmouth bass on or near US Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges...
Iwanowicz, Luke; Smalling, Kelly; Blazer, Vicki S.; Braham, Ryan P.; Sanders, Lakyn R.; Boetsma, Anna; Procopio, Nick; Goodrow, Sandra; Buchanan, Gary; Millemann, Daniel; Ruppel, Bruce; Vile, John; Henning, Brian; Abatemarco, John
Year Published: 2020
Landfill leachate contributes per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals to municipal wastewater
Widespread disposal of landfill leachate to municipal sewer infrastructure in the United States calls for an improved understanding of the relative organic-chemical contributions to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) waste stream and associated surface-water discharge to receptors in the environment. Landfill leachate, WWTP influent, and WWTP...
Masoner, Jason R.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Bolyard, Stephanie; Field, Jennifer; Furlong, Edward T.; Gray, James L.; Lozinski, Duncan; Reinhart, Debra; Rodowa, Alix; Bradley, Paul M.
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 A.; 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: 2019
Exposure and potential effects of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in protected streams of the US National Park Service southeast Region
Globally protected areas offer refugia for a broad range of taxa including threatened and endangered species. The United States National Park Service (NPS) manages public lands to preserve biodiversity, but increasing park visitation and development of surrounding landscapes increase exposure to and effects from bioactive contaminants. The risk (...
Bradley, Paul; Romanok, Kristin; Duncan, Jeffrey R.; Battaglin, William; Clark, Jimmy; Hladik, Michelle; Huffman, Bradley; Iwanowicz, Luke; Journey, Celeste A.; Smalling, KellyAttribution: Water, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Leetown Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Ecosystems, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, United States of America
Year Published: 2019
Managing the trifecta of disease, climate, and contaminants: Searching for robust choices under multiple sources of uncertainty
Wood frogs, like other amphibian species worldwide, are experiencing population declines due to multiple stressors. In the northeastern United States, wood frog declines are thought to result from a reduction in successful metamorphosis in part due to climate change, disease (specifically ranavirus) and contaminant exposure. The presence of...
Smalling, Kelly; Eagles-Smith, Collin; Katz, Rachel A.; Grant, Evan
Year Published: 2019
Fungicides: An overlooked pesticide class?
Fungicides are indispensable to global food security and their use is forecasted to intensify. Fungicides can reach aquatic ecosystems and occur in surface water bodies in agricultural catchments throughout the whole growing season due to their frequent, prophylactic application. However, in comparison to herbicides and insecticides, the exposure...
Zubrod, Jochen; Bundschuh, Micro; Arts, Gertie; Bruhl, Carsten; Imfeld, Gwenaël; Knäbel, Anja; Payraudeau, Sylvain; Rasmussen, Jes J; Rohr, Jason; Scharmüller, Andreas; Smalling, Kelly; Stehle, Sebastian; Schulz, Ralf; Schäfer, Ralf B.
Year Published: 2019
Associations between environmental pollutants and larval amphibians in wetlands contaminated by energy-related brines are potentially mediated by feeding traits
Energy production in the Williston Basin, located in the Prairie Pothole Region of central North America, has increased rapidly over the last several decades. Advances in recycling and disposal practices of saline wastewaters (brines) co-produced during energy production have reduced ecological risks, but spills still...
Smalling, Kelly L.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Honeycutt, R. Ken; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Preston, Todd M.; Hossack, Blake R.
Year Published: 2019
Critical review: Grand challenges in assessing the adverse effects of contaminants of emerging concern on aquatic food webs
Much progress has been made in the past few decades in understanding the sources, transport, fate, and biological effects of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic ecosystems. Despite these advancements, significant obstacles still prevent comprehensive assessments of the environmental risks associated with the presence of CECs. Many...
Nilsen, Elena; Smalling, Kelly L.; Ahrens, Lutz; Gros, Meritxell; Miglioranza, Karina S. B.; Pico, Yolanda; Schoenfuss, Heiko L.
Year Published: 2018
Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States
Safe drinking water at the point-of-use (tapwater, TW) is a United States public health priority. Multiple lines of evidence were used to evaluate potential human health concerns of 482 organics and 19 inorganics in TW from 13 (7 public supply, 6 private well self-supply) home and 12 (public supply) workplace locations in 11 states. Only uranium (...
Bradley, Paul M.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Romanok, Kristin M.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Focazio, Michael J.; Brown, Juliane B.; Cardon, Mary C.; Carpenter, Kurt; Corsi, Steven R.; DeCicco, Laura A.; Dietze, Julie E.; Evans, Nicola; Furlong, Edward T.; Givens, Carrie E.; Gray, James; Griffin, Dale W.; Higgins, Christopher P.; Hladik, Michelle L.; Iwanowicz, Luke R. ; Journey, Celeste A.; Kuivila, Kathryn ; Masoner, Jason R.; McDonough, Carrie A.; Meyer, Michael T.; Orlando, James L.; Strynar, Mark J.; Weis, Christopher P.; Wilson, Vickie S.
Year Published: 2018
Identifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines
A research priority can be defined as a knowledge gap that, if resolved, identifies the optimal course of conservation action. We (a group of geographically distributed and multidisciplinary research scientists) used tools from nominal group theory and decision analysis to collaboratively identify and prioritize information...
Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Adams, M.J.; Fisher, Robert N.; Grear, Daniel A.; Halstead, Brian J.; Hossack, Blake R.; Muths, Erin L.; Richgels, Katherine L. D.; Russell, Robin E.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Waddle, J. Hardin; Walls, Susan C.; White, C. LeAnnAttribution: Biology and Ecosystems, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC), Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Water Resources, Fish & Wildlife Disease, Wildlife Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin, United States of America
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Grant, E. H. C., Adams, M. J., Fisher, R. N., Grear, D. A., Halstead, B. J., Hossack, B. R., Muths, E., Richgels, K. L. D., Russell, R. E., Smalling, K. L., Waddle, J. H., Walls, S. C., and White, C. L., 2018, Identifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines: Global Ecology and Conservation, v. 16, article e00441, 9 p. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00441
Year Published: 2018
Effects of persistent energy-related brine contamination on amphibian abundance in national wildlife refuge wetlands
To inform sustainable energy development, it is important to understand the ecological effects of historical and current production practices and the persistence of those effects. The Williston Basin is one of North America's largest oil production areas and overlaps the Prairie Pothole Region, an area densely...
Hossack, Blake R.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Preston, Todd M.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Honeycutt, R. KenAttribution: Environmental Health, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), Ecosystems, Environmental Health, Contaminant Biology Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, , United States of America
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Hossack, B. R., K. L. Smalling, C. W. Anderson, T. M. Preston, I. M. Cozzarelli, and R. Ken Honeycutt. 2018. Effects of persistent energy-related brine contamination on amphibian abundance in national wildlife refuge wetlands. Biological Conservation 228:36–43.
Year Published: 2018
Exploring the amphibian exposome in an agricultural landscape using telemetry and passive sampling
This is the first field study of its kind to combine radio telemetry, passive samplers, and pesticide accumulation in tissues to characterize the amphibian exposome as it relates to pesticides. Understanding how habitat drives exposure in individuals (i.e., their exposome), and how that relates to individual health is critical to managing species...
Swanson, Jennifer E.; Muths, Erin L.; Pierce, Clay; Dinsmore, Stephen J.; Vandever, Mark W.; Hladik, Michelle; Smalling, Kelly L.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Swanson, J.E., Muths, E., Pierce, C.L., Dinsmore, S.J., Vandever, M.W., Hladik, M.L. and Smalling, K.L., 2018. Exploring the amphibian exposome in an agricultural landscape using telemetry and passive sampling. Scientific reports, 8(1), p.10045.
Pre-USGS Publications
Brander SM, Connon RE, He G, Hobbs JA, Smalling KL, et al. (2013) From ‘Omics to Otoliths: Responses of an Estuarine Fish to Endocrine Disrupting Compounds across Biological Scales. PLoS ONE 8(9): e74251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074251
Smalling, K.L and Aelion, C.M., 2006, Biological and chemical transformation of atrazine in coastal aquatic sediments, Chemosphere, 62: 188-196.
Pulster, E. L., Smalling, K. L., Zolman, E., Schwacke, L. and Maruya, K. A. (2009), Persistent organochlorine pollutants and toxaphene congener profiles in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) frequenting the Turtle/Brunswick River Estuary, Georgia, USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 28: 1390–1399
Date published: June 14, 2019
Modeling Management Actions Helps Researchers Pinpoint the Main Culprit of Wood Frog Declines
Amphibian decline is a global conservation crisis driven by multiple interacting stressors, which often act at a local scale with global implications.
Date published: October 26, 2018
A Unified Research Strategy for Disease Management
As wildlife diseases increase globally, an understanding of host-pathogen relationships can elucidate avenues for management and improve conservation efficacy. Amphibians are among the most threatened groups of wildlife, and disease is a major factor in global amphibian declines.
Attribution: Fish & Wildlife Disease, Wildlife Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC), Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center