Shannon is a Physical Scientist in the USGS, Central Midwest Water Science Center located in Iowa City, Iowa. She has been with the Survey since May 2008. Shannon has worked on a range of NAWQA SW and GW projects and currently is involved in projects with the City of Cedar Rapids, NWQP, nutrient monitoring, and the Environmental Health mission area.
Education and Certifications
2014 M.S. Environmental Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health
2011 B.A. Environmental Studies, Geoscience, University of Iowa
Science and Products
A National Assessment of Pesticide, PFAS, Microplastic, and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Exposures in White-Tailed Deer
Study Provides a Data Resource for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Streams Within Iowa Agricultural Watersheds
Target-chemical concentrations and bioassay results for assessment of mixed-organic/inorganic chemical and biological exposures in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota tapwater, August 2019
Target-Chemical Concentrations, Exposure Activity Ratios, and Bioassay Results for Assessment of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical Exposures in Northeast Iowa Private-Well Tapwater, 2018
Water-quality data for a statewide assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) study in Iowa, 2019-2020
Simultaneous stream assessment of antibiotics, bacteria, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistant genes in an agricultural region of the United States
Prevalence of neonicotinoid insecticides in paired private-well tap water and human urine samples in a region of intense agriculture overlying vulnerable aquifers in eastern Iowa
Juxtaposition of intensive agriculture, vulnerable aquifers, and mixed chemical/microbial exposures in private-well tapwater in northeast Iowa
Tapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations
Transcriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream
RNA-seq reveals potential gene biomarkers in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) for exposure to treated wastewater effluent
A comprehensive statewide spatiotemporal stream assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in an agricultural region of the United States
Public concern regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has grown substantially in recent years. In addition, research has documented multiple potential agriculture-related release pathways for PFAS (e.g., biosolids and livestock manure). Nevertheless, little research on the environmental prevalence of PFAS has been conducted in agricultural regions of the United States. To fill this g
Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
Occurrence and spatiotemporal dynamics of pharmaceuticals in a temperate-region wastewater effluent-dominated stream: Variable inputs and differential attenuation yield evolving complex exposure mixtures
Mixed organic and inorganic tapwater exposures and potential effects in greater Chicago area, USA
Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2008–17
The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer about 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have led a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water quality of the aquifer since 1992. Cooperative reports between the City of Cedar Ra
Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
Science and Products
- Science
A National Assessment of Pesticide, PFAS, Microplastic, and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Exposures in White-Tailed Deer
Research has documented exposures and consequential environmental health effects of pesticides, PFAS, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes in environmental biota. Little is known, however, regarding such effects in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).Study Provides a Data Resource for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Streams Within Iowa Agricultural Watersheds
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in streams within agricultural areas (an often-unmeasured landscape) across Iowa. The data from this study provide one resource to understand the extent of PFAS concentrations in water resources from diverse landscapes throughout the United States. - Data
Target-chemical concentrations and bioassay results for assessment of mixed-organic/inorganic chemical and biological exposures in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota tapwater, August 2019
This dataset contains the concentration and quality assurance results for inorganic and organic analytes collected for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Infrastructure Program, Tapwater Exposure Project conducted in Minnesota, in August of 2019. Samples were obtained from multiple publicly distributed water sources in Minnesota in 2019. Due to privacyTarget-Chemical Concentrations, Exposure Activity Ratios, and Bioassay Results for Assessment of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical Exposures in Northeast Iowa Private-Well Tapwater, 2018
In the United States and globally, contaminant exposure in unregulated private-well point-of-use (POU) tapwater (TW) is a recognized public health data gap and an obstacle to both risk management and homeowner decision making. To help address the lack of data on broad contaminant exposures in private-well TW from hydrologically vulnerable (alluvial or karst) aquifers in agriculturally intensive laWater-quality data for a statewide assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) study in Iowa, 2019-2020
Data were collected at 60 surface water and two effluent sites across Iowa in 2019-2020 by staff from the U.S. Geological Survey Central Midwest Water Science Center. Samples were submitted to the National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado, and were analyzed for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 14
Simultaneous stream assessment of antibiotics, bacteria, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistant genes in an agricultural region of the United States
Antimicrobial resistance is now recognized as a leading global threat to human health. Nevertheless, there currently is a limited understanding of the environment's role in the spread of AMR and antibiotic resistant genes (ARG). In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted the first statewide assessment of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and ARGs in surface water and bed sediment collected frAuthorsCarrie E Givens, Dana W. Kolpin, Laura E. Hubbard, Shannon M. Meppelink, David M. Cwiertny, Darrin A. Thompson, Rachael F. Lane, Michaelah C. WilsonPrevalence of neonicotinoid insecticides in paired private-well tap water and human urine samples in a region of intense agriculture overlying vulnerable aquifers in eastern Iowa
A pilot study among farming households in eastern Iowa was conducted to assess human exposure to neonicotinoids (NEOs). The study was in a region with intense crop and livestock production and where groundwater is vulnerable to surface-applied contaminants. In addition to paired outdoor (hydrant) water and indoor (tap) water samples from private wells, urine samples were collected from 47 adult maAuthorsD.A. Thompson, Dana W. Kolpin, Michelle L. Hladik, H-J. Lehmler, Shannon M. Meppelink, M.C. Poch, J.D. Vargo, V.A. Soupene, N.M. Irfan, M. S. Robinson, K. Kannan, L.E. Beane Freeman, J.N. Hogmann, D.M. Cwiertny, R.W. FieldJuxtaposition of intensive agriculture, vulnerable aquifers, and mixed chemical/microbial exposures in private-well tapwater in northeast Iowa
In the United States and globally, contaminant exposure in unregulated private-well point-of-use tapwater (TW) is a recognized public-health data gap and an obstacle to both risk-management and homeowner decision making. To help address the lack of data on broad contaminant exposures in private-well TW from hydrologically-vulnerable (alluvial, karst) aquifers in agriculturally-intensive landscapesAuthorsPaul Bradley, Dana W. Kolpin, Darrin A. Thompson, Kristin Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Sara Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, David M. Cwiertny, Nicola Evans, R. William Field, Michael J. Focazio, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Carrie E Givens, James L. Gray, Gordon L. Hager, Michelle Hladik, Jonathan N. Hoffman, Rena R. Jones, Leslie K. Kanagy, Rachael F. Lane, R. Blaine McCleskey, Danielle Medgyesi, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Michael T. Meyer, Diana A. Stavreva, Mary H. WardTapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations
In the United States (US), private-supply tapwater (TW) is rarely monitored. This data gap undermines individual/community risk-management decision-making, leading to an increased probability of unrecognized contaminant exposures in rural and remote locations that rely on private wells. We assessed point-of-use (POU) TW in three northern plains Tribal Nations, where ongoing TW arsenic (As) interveAuthorsPaul Bradley, Kristin Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Robert Charboneau, Christine Marie George, Ana Navas-Acien, Marcia O'Leary, Reno Red Cloud, Tracy Zacher, Sara Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, Christa K. Cuny, Guthrie Ducheneaux, Kendra Enright, Nicola Evans, James L. Gray, David E. Harvey, Michelle Hladik, Leslie K. Kanagy, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Joshua F. Valder, Christopher P. WeisTranscriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent-dominated streams provide critical habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms but also continually expose them to complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals that can potentially impair growth, behavior, and reproduction. Currently, few biomarkers are available that relate to pharmaceutical-specific mechanisms of action. In the experiment reported in this papeAuthorsEmma B. Meade, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Nicklaus Neureuther, Gregory H. LeFevre, Dana W. Kolpin, Hui Zhi, Shannon M. Meppelink, Rachael F. Lane, Angela Schmoldt, Aurash Mohaimani, Olaf Mueller, Rebecca D. KlaperRNA-seq reveals potential gene biomarkers in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) for exposure to treated wastewater effluent
Discharged wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent greatly contributes to the generation of complex mixtures of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic environments which often contain neuropharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants that may impact neurological function. However, there is a paucity of knowledge on the neurological impacts of these exposures to aquatic organisms.AuthorsPeter Schumann, E. Meade, H. Zhi, G. H. LeFevre, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Rachael F. Lane, A. Schmoldt, O. Mueller, R. D. KlaperA comprehensive statewide spatiotemporal stream assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in an agricultural region of the United States
Public concern regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has grown substantially in recent years. In addition, research has documented multiple potential agriculture-related release pathways for PFAS (e.g., biosolids and livestock manure). Nevertheless, little research on the environmental prevalence of PFAS has been conducted in agricultural regions of the United States. To fill this g
AuthorsDana W. Kolpin, Laura E. Hubbard, D.M. Cwiertny, Shannon M. Meppelink, D.A. Thompson, James L. GrayPilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic, 37 inorganic, and select microbioloAuthorsPaul Bradley, Ingrid Y. Padilla, Kristin Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Sara Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, Justin M. Conley, Nicola Evans, Carrie E Givens, James L. Gray, L. Earl Gray, Phillip C. Hartig, Michelle Hladik, Christopher P. Higgins, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Rachael F. Lane, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. WilsonOccurrence and spatiotemporal dynamics of pharmaceuticals in a temperate-region wastewater effluent-dominated stream: Variable inputs and differential attenuation yield evolving complex exposure mixtures
Effluent-dominated streams are becoming increasingly common in temperate regions and generate complex pharmaceutical mixture exposure conditions that may impact aquatic organisms via drug–drug interactions. Here, we quantified spatiotemporal pharmaceutical exposure concentrations and composition mixture dynamics during baseflow conditions at four sites in a temperate-region effluent-dominated streAuthorsHui Zhi, Dana W. Kolpin, R. D. Klaper, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Shannon M. Meppelink, Gregory H. LeFevreMixed 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 residential or water treatment plant (WTP) pre-distribAuthorsPaul Bradley, Maria Argos, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Kristin Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Joshua M. Allen, Julie E. Dietze, Michael J. Devito, Ariel Donovan, Nicola Evans, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle Hladik, Luke Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Rachael F. Lane, Zachary Laughrey, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Elizabeth K Medlock Kakaley, Michael T. Meyer, Andrea Holthouse-Putz, Susan D Richardson, Alan Stark, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson, Abderrahman ZehraouiSelected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2008–17
The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer about 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have led a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water quality of the aquifer since 1992. Cooperative reports between the City of Cedar Ra
AuthorsShannon M. Meppelink, Erin A. Stelzer, Emilia L. Bristow, Gregory R. LittinMethods 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 second phase (2017), the study focused on the Greater ChAuthorsKristin M. Romanok, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Maria Argos, Juliane B. Brown, Michael J. Devito, Julie E. Dietze, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Michael T. Meyer, Mark J. Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson, Paul M. Bradley