Grace Wallenborn received the University of North Carolina (UNC) Graduate Education Advancement Board Impact Award. Impact awards are given through UNC-Chapel Hill’s Graduate Education Advancement Board to graduate students whose research provides benefits, basic or applied, to the citizens of North Carolina. The impact can have a direct benefit to the citizens of North Carolina (and beyond) or a more indirect impact through new knowledge or insights gained or educational, economic, health, social and cultural, or environmental effects that will be derived from the research endeavor. Ms. Wallenborn’s Ph.D. research has been focused on the mechanism of toxicity of metals associated with particulate matter, specifically zinc. The Impact Award winners also act as graduate student ambassadors, speaking to community groups throughout the state about their work.

GED Hosts Tampa Bay Ecological Services Workshop

The Ecosystem Services Research Program (ESRP) in EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) is focused on supporting local, regional, and national resource managers by providing them with tools to quantify the production of ecological services under various alternative future scenarios. The Tampa Bay Ecological Services Demonstration Project is a pilot study designed to facilitate the translation of existing and ongoing research on ecological functions into ecological services end points. These end points will be used for producing mapped inventories and future projections of ecological services within the Tampa Bay watershed and bay. This workshop, held at NHEERL’s Gulf Ecology Division (GED) in Gulf Breeze, FL, January 6-8, 2009, assembled decisionmakers, resource managers, and other experts involved in research in the various ecosystems located in and around Tampa Bay and ORD ESRP scientists. Objectives of the Tampa Bay Ecological Services workshop were to (1) gather, organize, and access existing location-specific knowledge on functions producing ecoservices, (2) produce refined conceptual maps linking stressors to services, (3) provide expert opinions on the significance, uncertainty, and knowledge gaps of functional pathways translating stressors to ecoservices, and (4) foster research collaborations for filling important knowledge gaps.

NHEERL HSD Scientist Lectures at International Symposium on Climate Change and Allergy

The 6th International Symposium on Environmental Allergy, held in Munich Germany, focused on Climate Change and Allergy. David Diaz-Sanchez, from NHEERL’s Human Studies Division (HSD), gave the introductory lecture entitled "Environmental Particles Indoors and Outdoors." The January 29-31, 2009, meeting was organized by Helmolz Zentrum Munchen, the Center for Allergy and the Environment, and the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Public Health. The symposium was attended by several hundred international scientists who considered how climate change will impact environmental particles, including pollens, their distribution and activity and the resultant effects on human health.

NTD Research Article Recognized as One of Neurotoxicology’s Top 10 Downloaded Articles

A paper published by William Mundy and EPA postdoctoral fellow Nick Radio, both of NHEERL’s Neurotoxicology Division (NTD), has attracted extensive attention within the toxicology research community and has been recognized by the journal Neurotoxicology as one of its top 10 most downloaded articles. The paper is titled "Developmental neurotoxicity testing in vitro: Models for assessing chemical effects on neurite outgrowth,” and it reviews the use of in vitro techniques suitable for detecting and characterizing the effects of xenobiotics on the extension of neurons, a critical process in the developing nervous system. The techniques reviewed in the article have the potential to facilitate the development of high-throughput predictive assays for initial screening of chemicals to prioritize them for further characterization in more complex and labor intensive systems.

MED Scientists Organize Great Rivers Ecosystems Special Session at Annual Meeting of North American Benthological Society

Ecological research on great rivers has lagged behind research on smaller rivers and streams. For the mid-continent great rivers of the United States, the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio rivers, a recent EPA research effort, the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program for Great Rivers (EMAP-GRE) has increased the knowledge of the ecology of these rivers and has motivated the development of new bioassessment tools for large rivers. This special session of the Annual Meeting of the North American Benthological Society, to be held in Grand Rapids, MI, May 17-22, 2009, highlights the recent ecological research on these rivers conducted by EMAP-GRE participants and by other scientists working in the mid-continent great rivers. The underlying theme of the session is how basic and applied ecological research findings are relevant for river monitoring, management, and restoration. The session, organized by Brian Hill and Ted Angradi (Mid-Continent Ecology Division [MED]), consists of 18 presentations by Federal, basin commission, State, and university researchers.

NHEERL Scientists Receive SOT Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section Award

Six NHEERL Experimental Toxicology Division (ETD) scientists were among the authors receiving the Society of Toxicology’s (SOT’s) Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section 2008 Paper of the Year Award. This award is given to the authors of the best paper, based on meritorious, high-quality research that contributes to the field of respiratory/inhalation toxicology, published in a peer-reviewed journal during the calendar year. The winning paper, “The role of particulate matter (PM)-associated zinc in cardiac injury in rats,” was selected for its unique experimental design yielding evidence of how soluble components of PM may cause cardiac injury. The distinction between the soluble and insoluble PM components brings to the forefront the need to consider labile compartments when assessing potential public risk.

Citation: Kodavanti, U.P., Schladweiler, M.C., Gilmour, P.S., Wallenborn, J.G., Mandavilli, B.S., Ledbetter, A.D., Christiani, D.C., Runge, M.S., Karoly, E.D., Costa, D.L., Peddada, S., Jaskot, J., Richards, J.H., Thomas, R., Nageswara, M., Nyska, A. The role of particulate matter-associated zinc in cardiac injury in rats. Environ. Health Perspect. 116:13-20, 2008.

ORD Initiative To Report Results of Invasive Species Threat Assessment, Detection, and Effects Forecasting for Great Lakes

On March 5, 2009, ORD scientists from NCEA, NERL, and NHEERL will visit the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) and Region 5 in Chicago to present the findings of the ORD Great Lakes Invasive Species Initiative. GLNPO and Region 5 have been the primary clients of the initiative, and the visit on March 5 will be the third meeting that has encompassed planning, progress, and outcomes.

The ORD Great Lakes Initiative included a wide array of topics but had three primary emphasis areas: (1) predict the spread of potential invasive species that are likely to become established and reach nuisance levels, (2) develop and implement monitoring protocols using conventional and advanced techniques in high-risk areas, and (3) predict the potential ecosystem impacts of invasive species on the lower food web.

ORD speakers on the agenda are as follows. Russell Kreis (NHEERL-MED) and Michael Slimak (NCEA-HQ) will present an introduction and overview of the initiative and will facilitate a discussion on next steps and future considerations. Victor Serveiss (NCEA-HQ) will provide results of the GARP (Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction) invasive species modeling for potential invaders and geographical spread. Jack Kelly (NHEERL-MED) will discuss findings and outcomes for early detection monitoring techniques. John Darling (NERL-Cincinnati) will provide results of advanced molecular/DNA diagnosis detection methods. David Miller (NHEERL-MED) will present results of invasive species effects on lower food web productivity and abundance.

NHEERL and SOT Form Partnership To Conduct Research Related to Toxicity Testing in 21st Century Initiative

NHEERL has recently entered into a CRADA with the Society of Toxicology (SOT) to conduct research related to toxicity testing in the 21st century initiative. The project entitled “Comparison of Rodent and Human Models for High-Throughput Neurotoxicity Screening” will compare the effects of 16 chemicals using mouse and a human neuroprogenitor cells. Proliferation and apoptosis, processes critical to the developing nervous system, as well as cytotoxicity, will be compared in the two cell types to determine whether human neuroprogenitor cells are a better model for high-throughput testing than the mouse cells. This CRADA will complement ongoing research in NHEERL’s Neurotoxicology program that is directed toward development of high-throughput assays to identify compounds that may alter nervous system development. This work also will provide additional information to support Agency decisionmaking about large inventories of previously untested chemicals.

MED Scientists To Participate in 52nd Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research

The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) will convene its 52nd Annual Conference at the University of Toledo May 18-22, 2009. IAGLR is devoted to research on the St. Lawrence Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world. The theme for IAGLR 2009 is “Bridging Ecosystems and Environmental Health” and will feature 42 technical sessions and more than 500 oral and poster presentations, with an anticipated attendance of more than 800 participants. Information regarding the conference can be found at: http://www.iaglr.org/conference .

January 2009

NHEERL Scientists' Work Featured in Leading Respiratory Journal

The December 2008 front cover of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has a photo of lung tissue after injury, illustrating the article published in that edition by NHEERL Human Studies Division researchers led by Andrew Ghio. In collaboration with colleagues at Columbia University and the University of California, Davis, they propose a new paradigm for how tissue injury by particles may occur. Using smoking-related lung injury as a model of a biological effect following particles, they explore the reasons for the persistence of risk for disease after cessation of exposure. The work supports a mechanism of tissue injury resulting from a disruption of how the lung and the body regulate iron. The paper demonstrates the power of an interdisciplinary approach to research by combining cellular, animal, and epidemiologic methods. The results of this research are important in providing an explanation of how exposure to particles can lead to long-term health consequences. The paper can be accessed at http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/178/11/1130 .

GED Division Director Participates in Canada Foundation for Innovation Review

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is holding competitions for the Leading Edge Fund and New Initiatives Fund 2009. Under these funds, CFI will invest $400 million in world-class infrastructure projects with a total cost of over $1 billion. These investments will be made based on the recommendations of Multidisciplinary Assessment Committees (MACs) who rely on expert advice to assist in their decisionmaking process. William H. Benson (NHEERL Gulf Ecology Division [GED] Director) will serve as a member of a committee of experts, chaired by Len Ritter (University of Guelph, Canada), who met in Ottawa, Canada, January 6, 2009, to evaluate a number of proposals in the area of environmental science. Along with Dr. Benson, other members of the committee are Alice Hontela (University of Lethbridge, Canada), Thomas LaPoint (University of North Texas, USA), Jochen Mueller (University of Queensland, Australia), and Giamal Luheshi (Douglas Institute, Canada). The committee will be asked to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal with respect to CFI’s evaluation criteria. These reports, along with the membership list for the committee, will be forwarded to the MAC, which will make the funding recommendation to the CFI Board of Directors.

NHEERL, NERL, and OPP Scientists Collaborate on FIFRA Science Advisory Panels on Pyrethroid Insecticides

NHEERL, NERL, and Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) scientists met December 5, 2008, via videoconference to review research progress and discuss additional planning and research needed for a series of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Science Advisory Panel (SAP) meetings on pyrethroid insecticides planned for 2009, 2010, and 2011. Pyrethroids are a commercially important class of insecticides. NHEERL, NERL, and OPP have worked closely to quantitatively link exposure and tissue dose and consider these together with effects data from single pyrethroids and mixtures. OPP believes that this effort will produce their most sophisticated cumulative risk assessment to date. ORD and OPP will work together on a series of Science Advisory Panel meetings; the first scheduled for June 23-26, 2009. The topic of this meeting will be the review of a draft document describing the data that support the pyrethoids sharing a common mechanism. Determination of a common mechanism grouping is the first step in considering a cumulative risk assessment for these compounds under the Food Quality Protection Act. Subsequent SAP meetings will follow in 2010 and 2011. The December 5 meeting included NHEERL scientists Tim Shafer, Kevin Crofton, and Andrew Geller; NERL scientists Mike Tornero, Valerie Zartarian, Brad Schultz, and Ross Highsmith; and OPP’s Human Effects Division scientists Anna Lowit, David Miller, and Ed Scollon.

December 2008

NHEERL's RTD Generates Assay for Potential Use in Endocrine Disruptor Screening

NHEERL Reproductive Toxicology Division (RTD) scientists have synthesized the Chimpanzee Androgen Receptor (AR) and used it to produce an assay capable of detecting hormone mimics in the environment. This assay is capable of detecting environmental androgens at less than nanomolar concentrations. This work was performed in direct response to the Office of Coordination and Policy request that a nonhuman mammalian AR-binding assay be developed for possible use in their Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program.

Because the chimpanzee AR is very similar to that of humans and, thus, possesses properties that could be exploited in future endocrine studies, RTD scientists synthesized and expressed this gene in eukaryotic expression plasmids, baculovirus expression vectors, and replication-deficient adenovirus. In all ligand binding and transcriptional activation assays tested, the chimpanzee receptor performed essentially identically to the human receptor. RTD scientists have used this assay to test 13 chemicals previously assessed for AR binding and documented the ability of this new assay to provide comparable results. This assay can be high throughput, does not use animals as a source of receptor protein, is easily deployed throughout the scientific community, utilizes reagents available to both the public and private sectors, and has the potential for future automation.

NHEERL Scientists Sample Smoke Plumes Emitting from Eastern N.C. Wildfires

The Evans Road Fire began on June 1, 2008, reportedly as the result of a lightning strike, and, by the time it was 75% contained, burned more than 41,000 acres in the Eastern District of North Carolina. There have been numerous smoke advisories and burn bans throughout the counties of the Eastern District. The N.C. Department of Natural Resources (NCDNR) requested EPA's assistance in sampling the smoke plume emitting from the wildfires. With less than a week's notice, NHEERL and NERL scientists deployed specialized sampling equipment to two sites in the prevailing plume. Because of summer winds blowing from the southwest, the samplers were deployed near Elizabeth City and Hertford, locations north of the fire near population areas but with minimal mobile source signature affecting the samples. The samples were extracted for toxicity testing (instillation, in vitro, etc.), and the plan involved operating the samplers on a 4-days-on/1-day-off schedule. The samples were used to chemically analyze the smoke plume from this unique peat fire that smoldered for months. Because NCDNR used a midnight-to-midnight sampling schedule, EPA did the same for ease of data comparison. The samplers were serviced by NHEERL Experimental Toxicology Division personnel from its Engineering Team, who made the 300-mile trip every fifth day.

GED Scientists Transfer Wetland Assessment Protocols to Region 4 and State Scientists

On June 18, 2008, scientists from ORD's NHEERL Gulf Ecology Division (GED) trained staff from EPA Region 4, the Alabama Department of Environmental Protection, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in procedures used to assess wetland condition that are being considered for the Office of Water's 2011 National Wetlands Condition Assessment. Training included a discussion of EPA's integrated, multilevel approach to assess wetland condition across broad spatial scales and the process used during the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Wetlands Condition Assessment Pilot Survey to adapt existing rapid assessment protocols for use in Gulf habitats. A field-training component included site visits to forested and estuarine marsh wetland habitats for a demonstration of the step-by-step rapid assessment procedure and intensive site measures of soil, water, and vegetation. The States represented in this training are in the initial stages of developing wetland monitoring programs in advance of the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment. This training provided preliminary experience with very basic wetland assessment protocols. It is expected that the States will use this experience in initiating development of technical tools to support their own wetland assessment objectives.

NHEERL Student Wins Prestigious Award and Presents at Dioxin 2008

David Szabo received a student travel award to attend the 28th International Symposium on Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants (Dioxin 2008) held in Birmingham, England, from August 17 to 22, 2008. Mr. Szabo, a doctoral student in the toxicology curriculum at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, presented his work performed at EPA with Linda Birnbaum and Janet Diliberto, which involves identifying the tissue disposition and elimination kinetics of a high-production-volume chemical used as a flame retardant for plastics and textiles worldwide, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). HBCD is under evaluation by the Integrated Risk Information System and is being nominated as a persistent organic pollutant under the Stockholm Convention, as well as being considered a "substance of very high concern" by the European Union. HBCD is present in the environment, as well as in biota, and this work is necessary to accurately predict systemic dosimetry and the fate of these compounds for human exposures. Near the end of the conference, David was honored by also winning the prestigious 2008 Otto Hutzinger Award. He was one of only seven awardees given this distinction out of more than 130 international students and the only award winner from North America. This award recognizes the quality of the published short paper submitted and also the student presentation given at the conference?Hexabromocyclododecane-Gamma: Tissue Disposition and Elimination Kinetics in Mice.

NHEERL AED Scientist Participates in DoD Workshop

The U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) environmental research programs, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), held a 2-day workshop August 20 and 21, 2008, in Annapolis, MD, on the bioavailability of contaminants in sediments and soils. An objective of the Research and Development Needs for Understanding and Assessing the Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments Workshop was to determine how SERDP and ESTCP funding of research can be applied best to address DoD's requirements to remediate contaminated military sites around the country. The workshop focused on the current state of bioavailability science, especially that regarding risk-based remediation; evaluated applications of current and new bioavailability concepts; and prioritized research and demonstration opportunities. Products of the workshop included a review of the current state of the science and technology, as well as a summary of research needs, data gaps, and collaboration opportunities. Participants in the workshop included Robert Burgess of NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) and other scientists from academia, industry, and government.

NHEERL Scientists Visit Ukraine for Review of Collaborative Estuarine Research Project

The Agency's Office of International Affairs, along with the U.S. Department of State, operates a program to engage former biological and chemical weapons scientists in newly independent states to conduct beneficial environmental research. The Former Bio-Chemical Weapons Scientists Redirect Program funds environmental studies by scientists in Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet Union countries. Participants collaborate with EPA scientists to develop scientifically sound and relevant projects designed to better understand and manage environmental problems in the host country. NHEERL Atlantic Ecology Division scientists Robert Burgess and Kay Ho are collaborating in a 3-year project with Ukrainian scientists at several institutes in Kyiv and Sevastopol to better understand the magnitude and causes of environmental impairments in three Ukrainian estuaries: Dnieper, Boh, and Danube. From September 20 to 27, 2008, Dr. Burgess and Dr. Ho met with Ukrainian scientists collaborating on the project to review the second year of sampling and analyses. Data from sediment toxicity testing, benthic community assessments, and chemical analyses of sediments and tissues were discussed, along with planning for third-year activities.

NHEERL Scientist Visits Kazakhstan To Review Collaborative Research Project

The EPA Office of International Activities manages a U.S. State Department-funded program to redirect the activities of former Soviet Union biological weapons scientists toward peaceful ends. Richard Devereux, a research microbiologist at NHEERL's Gulf Ecology Division, along with scientists from NRMRL-Cincinnati conducted site visits September 4-15, 2008, to evaluate progress, facilities, and methods for a project that is investigating microbiological approaches to mitigate mercury-contaminated groundwater. Scientists in Kazakhstan are beginning bench-scale pilot tests to examine the performance of bacteria they isolated that sequester or precipitate mercury from solution. The ORD team will visit the Institute of Microbiology and Virology in Almaty and the chemical manufacturing complex near Pavlodar where the contamination occurs.

November 2008

NHEERL Scientist Participates in Workshops on Basic Radiation Protection Principles

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) invited NHEERL scientist Russell D. Owen to participate as an expert at a 2-day workshop September 15 and 16, 2008, to critically review strategies and philosophies for the development of international guidelines on nonionizing radiation (NIR) protection. ICNIRP is the formally recognized nongovernmental organization in NIR for the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, and the European Union. Its guidelines form the basis for most current NIR-exposure standards worldwide. This meeting, held in Prague, Czech Republic, brought together several international experts in radiation research and risk assessment to identify improved approaches for addressing NIR protection, the potential for harmonization, future challenges, and potential solutions. Products of the workshop included a review of developments in technology, the potential impact of changing societal factors on NIR protection approaches, the concepts and measures needed to deal with diverse population groups, the relationship to ionizing radiation protection approaches, and information needs related to future challenges. Participants in the workshop included scientists from academia, industry, and government.

MED Scientist Participates in Regional Hypoxia Strategy Discussion and Site Tour

EPA Region 7 organized a September 17 and 18, 2008, workshop in New Orleans, LA, to advance the discussion of approaches to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia problem that may be useful for the EPA regions that have basins draining into the Gulf. Attendees included the administrators, deputy administrators, and water division directors for Regions 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 and representatives from the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program Office and the States of Iowa and Louisiana. Brian Hill, an ecologist at NHEERL's Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED) and chief of its Watershed Research Branch, presented results on nutrients export from small streams and large rivers of the Upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio river basins. These export estimates are based on data collected during the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program on Great Rivers Ecosystems and the Wadeable Streams Assessment.

NHEERL Scientist Gives Keynote Speech on Global Climate Change at NAFA Annual Meeting

Peter A. Beedlow of NHEERL's Western Ecology Division presented the keynote address to the annual meeting of the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) in San Francisco, CA, on September 19, 2008. NAFA is a nonprofit trade association, whose members include air filter and component manufacturers; sales and service companies; and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning and indoor air quality professionals across the United States and in several foreign countries. The speech, entitled "Global Climate Change Research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," provided a historical overview of climate change science and described current research activities within the Agency.

NHEERL Scientist Participates in Manufactured Nanomaterials Working Party, Then Named Its Co-Chair

Insert Nanomaterials image. In Paris, France, on September 22 and 23, 2008, Kevin Dreher participated in a workshop as a member?and later named its co-chair?of an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) working party on engineered manufactured nanomaterials steering group to evaluate and provide guidance on the role of alternative test methods to assess and predict the toxicity of such nanomaterials. This OECD steering group's objectives are to provide (1) a detailed review of the available in vitro methods and to discuss how they might be used in an overall assessment plan for hazard testing of manufactured nanomaterials (the representative set); (2) a data set from testing a representative set of nanomaterials against an agreed suite of in vitro tests and comparisons made with in vivo studies; and (3) a guidance document for the longer term on integrated testing strategies and, for more general use, on the use of alternative methods not entailing animals, such as in vitro and in silico methods, for the hazard evaluation of manufactured nanomaterials.

NHEERL WED Scientists Participate in ICP Task Force Meeting

John Stoddard and Getchen Oelsner, both of NHEERL's Western Ecology Division (WED), attended the 24nd Task Force Meeting of the International Cooperative Programme (ICP) on Assessment and Monitoring of Acidification of Rivers and Lakes in Budapest, Hungary, October 4-10, 2008. Dr. Stoddard is the official U.S. representative to this United Nations-sponsored group. This continues the U.S. EPA's long commitment to ICP, assisting with the collection, quality assurance, and interpretation of monitoring data throughout North America and Europe. The United States, through EPA, is one of 25 countries contributing surface water monitoring data to ICP, operated under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Data from the Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) project have been part of the ICP database since it was created in 1986. The role of ICP is to coordinate monitoring of the effects of acidification on surface waters throughout the world. Dr. Stoddard has been working with ICP to prepare a series of comprehensive reports on long-term trends in chemistry and biology throughout North America and Europe and the effects of nitrogen deposition on surface waters. The main agenda item for this meeting was discussion and approval of ICP's Twenty-Year Report. Dr. Stoddard's continued involvement will help assure that (1) any use of LTM data by ICP or its members will be technically appropriate and consistent with EPA interpretations of the data, (2) no ICP report compromises LTM data quality standards, (3) use of LTM data does not violate any agreements with EPA cooperators about the confidentiality of their data, and (4) the international scientific community involved in ICP is fully aware of the current scientific knowledge being applied in the Temporally Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems and LTM projects. Dr. Oelsner reported on her studies of nitrogen based on data from the LTM project.

NHEERL MED Scientist Speaks at EPA-Sponsored Annual Regional Risk Assessors Conference

Lawrence Burkhard, an NHEERL Mid-Continent Division (MED) scientist, spoke at the EPA-sponsored 23rd Annual Regional Risk Assessors Conference in Seattle, WA, October 6-9, 2008. The focus of his presentation was on empirical and mechanistic methods for predicting residues in fish and shellfish for sites with sediments contaminated with nonpolar organic chemicals (e.g., PCBs, PCDD/Fs, DDTs). Empirical methods are based on field-measured biota sediment accumulation factors (i.e., the ratio of chemical residues in biota on a lipid basis to those in contaminated sediments on an organic carbon basis). Mechanistic methods are based on food web models that make predictions based on concentrations of the chemical in the water and sediment; the structure of the food web; and life history, diets, and foraging behavior of all species in the food web for the site of interest. Dr. Burkhard's presentation included introductory materials on both empirical and mechanistic methods and, then, proceed to discuss the nuts and bolts of using these methods at sites with contaminated sediments for predicting residues in fish and shellfish. Conference attendees were State and Federal human health and ecological risk assessors who work on hazardous waste sites.

October 2008

ORD Scientists Participate in HESI Genomics Applications in Safety Studies Workshop

The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Committee on Applications of Genomics in Risk Assessment organized a Genomics Applications in Safety Studies: Case Study Workshop. The goal of this workshop, held in Washington, DC, October 27 and 28, 2008, was to summarize the state of the art, impacts, and perceptions of the application of genomics technologies in safety assessment and industry-related research. The workshop discussions identified key questions and research gaps that need to be resolved to improve future safety assessments. Doug Wolf (NHEERL) discussed the use of genomics for informing mode of action and hypothesis generation in a session focusing on chemical case studies in investigative and screening applications. Susan Euling (NCEA) discussed an approach to using toxicogenomic data in risk assessment, illustrated with a dibutyl phthalate case study, in a session focusing on case studies in regulatory settings. William H. Benson (NHEERL) participated as a discussion leader and panelist in a session summarizing the progress and success stories and limitations and barriers to using genomics in safety assessment.

NHEERL Scientist Presents Talk at Science Festival

Daniel Campbell of NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division presented a talk entitled "Energy Systems Perspectives on Sustainability" as part of a session titled "Sostenbilita ambientale: speranza o Chimera?" which was a part of the City of Genoa's annual Festival of Science. The festival theme this year was diversity in all its aspects, and it ran from October 23 until November 4, 2008. Dr. Campbell also participated in a panel discussion, which, along with his presentation, took place on November 2 in the Biblioteca Berio, Genova. The Associazone Festival della Scienza is a nonprofit corporation that disseminates knowledge of the contributions of science to understanding the modern world. Prominent scientists from Italy and around the world participated in the festival's various activities.

NHEERL Scientists Chair and Participate in NALMS International Symposium

The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) held its 28th International Symposium at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, November 11-14, 2008. NALMS is devoted to forging partnerships among citizens, scientists, and professionals to foster the management and protection of lakes and reservoirs. The theme for NALMS 2008 was "Lake Management in a Changing Environment" and featured 9 pre-conference workshops, 45 technical sessions, and more than 250 oral and poster presentations, with more than 500 participants. Information on NALMS and the scientific program can be found at http://www.nalms.org/ .

Scientists from NHEERL's Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED) in Duluth, MN, and Grosse Ile, MI, attended and presented research results there. David H. Miller organized and chaired the session on Ecological Impacts of Invasive Species. He presented a platform paper "Application of a Lower Food Web Ecosystem Productivity Model To Investigate Population Dynamics of Invasive Species in Lake Michigan." Jack Kelly also presented a platform paper in the session entitled "Early Detection Monitoring Approaches Developed from a Case Study on a Vulnerable Great Lakes Embayment." They were joined by other State and academic researchers in the session. Two other invasive species sessions also were held regarding in-lake treatment and management challenges.

Research presented by NHEERL-MED scientists represents results from the ORD Great Lakes Invasive Species Initiative, in cooperation with NCEA, NERL, NHEERL, and the Great Lakes National Program Office, regarding detection, monitoring, prioritization, and modeling of invasive species. This symposium was an opportunity for ORD to showcase multidisciplinary research in an international setting. The research supports the National Invasive Species Act, the Executive Order for Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, the Clean Water Act, the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the Critical Programs Act.

NHEERL Scientist Presents Training Session at PICES Meeting

Henry Lee II of NHEERL's Western Ecology Division presented a 1-day workshop and demonstration of the North Pacific marine nonindigenous species database at the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) meeting in Dalian, China, on October 24, 2008. The purpose of the workshop was to continue the development of a common database for marine and estuarine nonindigenous and native species in Pacific Rim countries (Canada, Japan, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and United States). The goal is to develop a common database format that will allow integration of nonindigenous and native species distributions and natural history data across all six PICES-member countries. The database being developed by EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey for PICES is unique in that it enables capturing distributional data of both native and nonindigenous species across eight nested hierarchical spatial levels, ranging from major ocean basins (e.g., North Pacific) to individual estuaries and subestuaries. The database also lays out a hierarchical schema for natural history and habitat requirements, allowing the integration of physiological requirements with spatial distributions. The database can be used to address various issues related to invasive species, in particular addressing the risk assessment exemption in the draft International Maritime Organization ballast water treaty. The integration of native and nonindigenous species distributional and natural history and habitat information allows the database to be used to address a suite of other issues, including identifying marine and estuarine species that may be at high risk to global climate change. In addition to the database demonstration, Dr. Lee presented a talk on the emerging patterns of invasion in the Northeast Pacific.

NHEERL Scientists Participate in OECD Expert Group Meeting

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a draft Test Guideline entitled "Extended One-Generation Reproductive Toxicity Test." An Expert Group Meeting was organized in an attempt to reach consensus by the lead countries (the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands) on a number of scientific issues. The OECD steering committee requested nominations to seat an expert panel from different countries to discuss the methodology and added value of the developmental immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity cohorts. Interest in this new testing approach is high, and OECD wanted to make certain that previous consensus building evident in the early phase of guidance development was carried forth into the guideline process. In Paris, France, October 15-17, 2008, several NHEERL scientists participated in this effort (see below).

Robert W. Luebke, NHEERL Experimental Toxicology Division, participated in the meeting as an expert panel member to discuss the methodology and added value of the immunotoxicity cohort. Dr. Luebke is an internationally recognized expert on immunotoxicology and has been involved in the development of this guideline since its inception. His participation in this meeting was at the request of the OECD Steering Committee.

Ralph L. Cooper, NHEERL Reproductive Toxicology Division, participated in this meeting as the primary lead for the United States. Dr. Cooper is an internationally recognized expert on endocrine disruptors and was co-chair of the ILSI-HESI Task Force on Life Stage Testing and authored the ensuing document on the development of the life stages testing scheme (Cooper et al., Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2006). OECD requested Dr. Cooper's participation as a member of the steering group developing the new design on reproductive toxicity testing as part of the EDSP ongoing initiative.

Kevin M. Crofton, NHEERL Neurotoxicology Division, served as an expert panel member to discuss the methodology and added value of the neurotoxicity cohort. Dr. Crofton is an internationally recognized expert on developmental neurotoxicology. OECD requested Dr. Crofton to participate as an expert panel member to develop the new design on reproductive toxicity testing.

NHEERL Scientists Participate in HESI Workshop

MaryJane Selgrade and Christal Bowman participated in the Workshop on Research To Improve Safety Assessment of Biotechnology Products for Potential Risk of Food Allergy, sponsored by the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI). The purpose of this workshop, held in Washington, DC, October 15 and 16, 2008, was to review this research and consider its application, as well as additional research and validation needs. Food allergy is a relatively new concern for toxicologists as a result of the incorporation of novel proteins into food crops to promote resistance to pests and other stresses, improve nutrition, or otherwise modify the phenotype. Food allergy can manifest as inflammation of the skin (hives), gut, or lung and, in the most extreme cases, can result in anaphylactic shock and death. Thus, although the technology to modify crops genetically has many advantages over more conventional approaches, there is some concern that introduction of a novel protein into the food supply could result in unintentional introduction of a new food allergen and could pose a risk to susceptible individuals. A number of potential strategies have been proposed to assess this risk, but many questions regarding basic mechanisms underlying food allergy limit the ability to provide the public with information not only about potential GMO allergens but also about practices to limit the risks associated with conventional food allergens. Over the past few years, EPA and Health Canada have funded research in an effort to improve the scientific bases for making regulatory decisions in this area.

September 2008

NHEERL, Office of Water, Region 1, National Estuary Programs, and Partners Convene Workshop

ORD-NHEERL, the Office of Water's (OW's) Office of Science and Technology, Region 1, and four national estuary programs hosted a workshop to develop a framework for bioassessment to evaluate estuaries at several scales. The workshop brought together representatives from across EPA, State-level managers, and scientists from five pilot systems around the nation (Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, Casco Bay Estuary Project, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project). Scientists from several NHEERL divisions were involved in the event, which took place October 28 and 29, 2008, at NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, RI.

The intent of the workshop was to explore the development OW's Biological Condition Gradient approach into an integrative framework for managing estuaries. The framework would not replace established methods for biological assessment but, rather, would provide tools and context for their meaningful interpretation within a larger view of the estuary and watershed. The workshop was a first step in planning a roadmap for how to proceed with these efforts.

GED Hosts Interdisciplinary SERDP Research Team

Approximately 15 researchers from the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (San Diego), the University of Michigan, the University of Texas, and San Diego State University were guest workers at NHEERL's Gulf Ecology Division (GED) in late October. As part of a research project funded by the interagency Strategic Environmental Restoration and Demonstration Program (SERDP) they performed in situ hydrological, chemical, biological, and toxicological measurements in areas of Bayou Grande adjacent to Pensacola Naval Air Station. At GED, the research team stored, staged, and set up their sampling stations, processed sediment samples, and used the facility's wet laboratory to maintain their test organisms: amphipods (Leptocheirus plumulosus), mysid shrimp (Americamysis bahia), polychaete worms (Neanthes arenaceodentata), and hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria). This opportunity was made possible by GED's location near the naval air station and by its unique research facilities.

NHEERL Scientists Contribute To Special Journal Issue on National Wadeable Stream Assessments

A special journal issue on the first national Wadeable Stream Assessment (WSA) was published by the Journal of the North American Benthological Society in December 2008. In 2006, the Office of Water and the Office of Research and Development, in collaboration with State and tribal collaborators, published the first nationwide assessment of stream ecosystems in the United States. Producing that assessment required that research teams tasked with designing and implementing the assessment address several technical challenges. Some of those challenges were overcome, others remain in need of additional attention, and some new challenges emerged after the assessment. The papers in this special issue describe some of the major scientific challenges that were encountered during the national WSA and some of the lessons learned subsequent to the assessment. The papers serve as a case study to illustrate the variety of scientific challenges that can arise when planning and implementing national and regional assessments, to describe how those challenges were addressed for the WSA, to describe some important spin-offs that emerged as a consequence of the WSA, and to identify remaining knowledge or data gaps that will require attention in future regional assessments. The papers are organized as follows: (1) policy and overview, (2) WSA-specific case studies, (3) extensions that build on or augment initial WSA results, and (4) an invitation to other researchers to use the WSA data to test other ideas regarding the structure and function of stream ecosystems. Authors of the 16 papers are from the Office of Water, NHEERL's Western Ecology Division, NCEA, and research collaborators from universities and State agencies.

NHEERL Researcher Organizes and Co-Chairs SETAC Session on Nanomaterials Science

NHEERL Mid-Continent Ecology Division researcher Steve Diamond organized and co-chaired a full-day session entitled "Environmental Toxicity of Nanomaterials" at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in Tampa, FL, November 16-20, 2008. Dr. Diamond co-chaired the session with Linda Ziccardi, Exponent, Inc., and also presented a paper entitled "An Evaluation of Regulatory Ecotoxicity Test Guidelines: Their Adequacy for Nanomaterials." That presentation summarized the work of nine international scientists who comprised a review panel that evaluated 30 toxicity test guidelines. Dr. Diamond chaired the work group for the Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development's Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials. The findings of this work group suggest that current test guidelines do not provide adequate guidance for the preparation and quantification of nanomaterial media for toxicity testing.

MED Researcher Represents NHEERL Ecology Divisions at Nanomaterials Grantees Workshop

NHEERL Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED) researcher Steve Diamond represented the NHEERL Ecology Divisions' research in nanomaterials ecotoxicity at the Interagency Nanomaterials Grantees Workshop held in Tampa, FL, November 19-21. Dr. Diamond discussed ongoing and planned research at the Atlantic, Mid-Continent, and Western Ecology Divisions. The grantees workshop provided an opportunity for STAR-funded researchers from academia to interact with other scientists and representatives from as many as 25 government agencies currently involved in nanotechnology research. Dr. Diamond discussed how NHEERL's Ecology Divisions are addressing EPA's regulatory needs in their research and how they are contributing to international efforts within the Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development's Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials guidelines.

July 2008

WED Scientist Goes to Germany and Ukraine To Lecture on Ecosystem Services and Participate in NATO Advance Research Workshop

Dixon Landers, NHEERL Western Ecology Division (WED), traveled to the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, Kiel, Germany, and Kharhiv, Ukraine, to give invited lectures on ecosystem services and challenges of higher education in training interdisciplinary environmental scientists to provide solutions for the world's increasingly complex environmental problems. Dr. Landers' lectures on ecosystem services discussed research associated with ORD's Ecological Research Program, in particular, the Willamette Ecosystems Services Project, which he leads. In Kiel, he presented a lecture at the international workshop "Ecosystems Services-Solution for problems or a problem that needs solutions?" Based on his experiences in conducting interdisciplinary research, Dr. Landers lectured at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Advance Research Workshop entitled "Rethinking Higher Education To Meet the New Challenges of Environmental Security."

NHEERL Scientists Meet with EPA Program Offices and NIH Chemical Genomics Center Concerning Stress-Based Toxicity Assays

Ram Ramabhadran and Steve Simmons of the Cellular and Molecular Branch of NHEERL's Neurotoxicology Division visited the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC), the Office of Water, the Office of Pesticide Programs, and the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics on April 28 and 29. They discussed the stress-based toxicity assays they developed with NCGC staff with the goal of porting these assays to the ultra-high-throughput screening format available at NCGC. At the program offices, they presented three seminars titled "Stress Response Pathway Ensemble: A New Paradigm in High-Throughput Toxicity Screening" to apprise the program office staff of NHEERL's new effort in keeping with the recently released National Academy of Sciences report "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century."

NHEERL Division Director Participates in Outcome Measurement Study for CFI

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is planning a series of outcome measurement study (OMS) visits to universities between now and 2010. The purpose of the OMS is to assess the degree to which CFI's investment in research infrastructure has been a critical contributing factor in the realization of certain outcomes. It involves visits to CFI-funded institutions and focuses on identified thematic areas in which major investments have been made. William H. Benson (Director, NHEERL's Gulf Ecology Division) serves as a member of the OMS committee in the thematic area of Ocean and Environment, Science, and Technology. The 2-day, mid-May meeting was held at the University of Victoria. The Outcome Measurement Committee consists of a chair, three international scientific experts who can identify transformative research findings and innovation, a user expert, observing representatives from the provincial government, other funders, and CFI evaluation staff. The review team collected information from a range of indicators designed to capture the impacts of the CFI infrastructure on theimpact on university strategic research planning, research capacity, highly qualified personnel, research productivity, and innovation.

AED Scientist Detailed to U.S. Department of State To Investigate Marine Monitoring, Assessment, and Conservation

Stephen Hale, a Research Ecologist in NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division (AED), was selected by the Embassy Science Fellows Program for an 8-week detail to the U.S. Department of State's embassy in Lisbon, Portugal, from April 7 to May 30. The Portuguese government is interested in science and technology cooperation in marine environmental monitoring and conservation. This visit fostered areas of cooperation between Portugal and the United States on ecological indicators in support of the European Union Water Framework Directive and the U.S. Clean Water Act. Contacts with Portuguese government and academic researchers will further the development of techniques for intercalibrating marine benthic indices from different biogeographic areas; this will be useful for national aquatic resource surveys conducted in both Portugal and the United States.

NHEERL Scientist Presents ORD Research at a Regional Green Building Workshop

Marc Russell of NHEERL's Gulf Ecology Division spoke at a Green Workshop organized by the West Florida Regional Planning Council on June 20. The overall premise of the workshop was to discuss green building design, green infrastructure, native landscaping, sustainability, walkable communities, etc. Speakers included a Green Infrastructure Representative from EPA Region 4 and representatives from the Northern Gulf Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Sustainable Initiative Program. Dr. Russell's talk was entitled "Ecological Services-Tampa Bay Demonstration Project." This project, part of EPA's Ecological Research Program, is a challenging mix of ecological, economic, and social sciences at multiple scales.

The presentation covered ecological services in urban environments: problems, some proposed solutions, and an approach for determining the production of ecological services from urban-influenced ecosystems in the Tampa region. The talk also suggested how this research is applicable to many regions around the Gulf of Mexico. There was a focus on the effects of placing people on the landscape in a more sustainable manner.

June 2008

NHEERL AED To Present EMS to Southeastern New England Health & Safety Council - Providence, Rhode Island; June 30, 2008

In response to previous Executive Orders (EOs) and the most recent EO13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management (January 24, 2007), NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) has implemented a practical, facility-level environmental management system (EMS) with the general goal of lessening the facility's environmental footprint. EO13423 requires proactive communication of our approach to EMS to external groups. To begin meeting this requirement, members of AED's EMS Team made a presentation entitled "Environmental Management Systems: Federal Requirements and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Atlantic Ecology Division) Implementation" to the Southeastern New England Health & Safety Council in Providence, RI, on June 30. Additionally, AED's EMS Team will be initiating interaction with other area groups and stakeholders (including homeowners' and fishermen's associations) to enhance communication of the program.

February 2008

MED Scientists Help Lead Important Effort To Summarize New Generation of Indicators for Coastal Change in Great Lakes

A special edition of the Journal of Great Lakes Research (JGLR) summarizes a new generation of indicators for coastal change in the Great Lakes. These environmental indicators are benchmarks for the current conditions of the lakes' coastal region and provide measurable endpoints to assess the success of future management, conservation, protection, and restoration of this important freshwater resource. The new indicators are especially timely because of increasing recognition of human pressures in the coastal zone that affect ecosystem quality and the related services people expect from coastal ecosystems. The need to track coastal conditions recently has become a special emphasis of the International Joint Commission and is a major discussion area as revisions to the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement are being considered.

NHEERL's Mid-continent Ecology Division (MED) has collaborated with the STAR-funded Great Lakes Environmental Indicators Project through a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cooperative agreement with the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The JGLRspecial issue includes 22 papers on the development of coastal indicators that make a link between landscape disturbance metrics and the condition of coastal receiving waters and biota. MED scientists are lead authors of two of the papers, and nine others are contributing co-authors to the special issue, which will be available in March 2008.

October 2007

RTD Scientist Recently Interviewed for Jim Lehrer News Hour on PBS

L. Earl Gray, NHEERL's Reproductive Toxicology Division (RTD), was interviewed on October 23 for the Jim Lehrer News Hour on PBS. A renowned expert in the field of endocrine disruptors and reproductive development, Dr. Gray was asked about the controversy surrounding bisphenol A (BPA), a compound used in the manufacture of a wide variety of consumer products, from plastic water bottles to dental sealants. BPA has been the topic of studies linking chemical exposures and reproductive disorders. Dr. Gray recently served on a National Toxicology Program Expert Panel reviewing these studies. The report of this panel differed from that of another workshop held in Chapel Hill, NC, a fact that drew media attention.

August 2007

High-Profile Study, "Elevated PBDE Levels in Pet Cats: Sentinels for Humans?" Highlighted in Environmental Science & Technology

A study by NHEERL scientists Jan Dye and Linda Birnbaum, along with colleagues from Indiana University and the University of Georgia, is highlighted in this month's issue of Environmental Science & Technology. Their investigation included data on polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) levels measured in pet cats (serum acquired from veterinary teaching hospitals) as sentinels and the potential linkage of PBDE exposure to development of feline hyperthyroidism, an increasingly common endocrine disease of pet cats. The study is to be available online in mid-August and in print soon after.

Manuscript: J. A. Dye, M. Venier, L. Zhu, C. R. Ward, R. A. Hites, and L. S. Birnbaum. Elevated PBDE Levels in Pet Cats: Sentinels for Humans? Environmental Science and Technology (in press).

Proceedings of EPA Workshop on Research and Risk Assessment for Arsenic Appear as Special Issue of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology August 1

David J. Thomas of NHEERL's Experimental Toxicology Division (ETD) served as co-editor of this special issue and was one of the organizers of the workshop, along with Rebecca Calderon and Edward Hudgens of NHEERL's Human Studies Division. The 21 manuscripts in this special issue were prepared by participants in a workshop held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV, from May 31 to June 2, 2006. About 50 individuals from EPA, other Federal agencies, academia, and the private sector participated in this workshop. Manuscripts prepared by speakers from the workshop presented new research on the adverse health effects of arsenic exposure in human populations, on recent developments with animal models potentially useful for understanding the biological basis for these adverse effects, and on the relation between the metabolism of arsenic and its modes of action as a toxicant and carcinogen. You may view an electronic version of the special issue. The following EPA authors contributed manuscripts published in the special issue:

NHEERL, Experimental Toxicology Division Blakely M. Adair, Hisham A. El-Masri, Michael F. Hughes, Elaina M. Kenyon, and David J. Thomas;
NHEERL, Human Studies Division Rebecca L. Calderon, John P. Creason, Edward E. Hudgens, Danelle Lobdell, Pauline Mendola, and Judy L. Mumford;
NHEERL, Experimental Carcinogenesis Division Kirk T. Kitchin, A.D. Kligerman, A.H. Tennant, and Douglas C. Wolf;
National Center for Environmental Assessment Reeder Sams II;
Office of Water Santhini Ramasamy and Ed Ohanian; and
Office of Pesticide Programs Jonathan Chen and Anna Lowit.

June 2007

Healthy Men Study Published

NHEERL Reproductive Toxicology Division Acting Director Sally Perreault Darney is one of the lead authors on a paper reporting results from the Healthy Men Study, a collaborative effort between NHEERL scientists and epidemiologists from the University of North Carolina. The study evaluated whether disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water may harm the human male reproductive system. In this study, men were recruited from several localities based on drinking water DBP levels. Semen samples from exposed individuals were evaluated for sperm characteristics such as concentration, morphology, and DNA and chromatin integrity, factors associated with male-mediated adverse pregnancy outcomes. Results from this study indicate that DBPs resulting from disinfection by chloramination and present in municipal water supplies at moderate levels (within but approaching the current maximum contaminant levels) are not associated with abnormal decrements in semen quality. This research provides the Office of Water with information that adds to the weight of evidence that current rules specifying the levels of DBPs that may be present in drinking water are protective of male reproductive health. Such information will be useful to the Office of Water in its next 2-year review of the Stage 2 Disinfection By-product Rules.

Reference: Luben, T.H., Olshan, A.F., Herring, A.H., Jeffay, S., Strader, L., Buus, R.M., Chan, R.L., Savitz, D.A., Singler, P.C., Weinbery, H.S., and Perreault, S.D. (2007). The Healthy Men Study: An Evaluation of Exposure to Disinfection By-products in Tap Water and Sperm Quality. Environmental Health Perspectives, in press. Available online: http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/10120/abstract.html .

Mild Thyroid Disruption Alters Fetal Neuronal Migration

Stunted growth and mental deficiencies follow severe disruption of thyroid hormone supply to the developing fetal brain; however, relatively little is known about how low-level thyroid disruption may alter brain development. NHEERL scientist, Mary Gilbert, has discovered a previously overlooked cluster of dislocated brain neurons following experimental mild hypothyroidism in developing laboratory rats. This work, in collaboration with Jeffrey Goodman of Helen Hayes Hospital, New York, entitled "Modest Thyroid Hormone Insufficiency During Development Induces a Cellular Malformation in the Corpus Callosum: A Model of Cortical Dysplasia" was published in the May issue of Endocrinology, the official journal of the Endocrine Society. The article was further featured in News and Views section of that issue of the journal and was accompanied by an invited critique by a leading endocrinologist. The malformation, called a heterotopia, lies within the corpus callosum, which is the primary fiber network that interconnects the two cerebral hemispheres. Not only has this brain abnormality remained undetected until now, alarmingly, it appears in the brains of rodents experiencing only modest degrees of hormone insufficiency. This finding demonstrates that subtle transient reductions of maternal thyroid hormone reliably produce dramatic structural alterations in brain development. The dose-dependent characteristics of these alterations are consistent with the concern that early subclinical thyroid hormone insufficiency can contribute to a number of neurological disorders of childhood origin. Dr. Gilbert's discovery underscores the importance of ORD's research program on endocrine disruptors, as well as work on how chemical mixtures disrupt thyroid function under the ORD Human Health Research Program. Characterization of the signaling pathways under thyroid hormone control that lead to generation of this malformation may provide sensitive and predictive biomarkers of subtle perturbations of the thyroid axis and improve the ability to identify and characterize risk of xenobiotics with potential thyroid action.

May 2007

Scientist To Author First Comprehensive and Up-to-Date Review of PFAAs

Christopher Lau of NHEERL's Reproductive Toxicology Division is first author on a paper that is the first comprehensive and up-to-date review of the perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), of which the two most well known are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Online this week on the Toxicological Sciences Web site, the paper is a collaborative effort wherein Dr. Lau provides his well-known expertise on the toxicology of PFAAs, and members of the Risk Assessment Division of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) provide their expertise in biomonitoring, as well as efforts in the tabulation of vast amounts of biomonitoring and exposure data. Members of OPPT contributing to the paper include Drs. Anitole, Hodes, Lai, Pfahles-Hutchens, and Seed. PFAAs are a family of chemicals that have been identified in humans and wildlife worldwide. Recent research has led to progress in the understanding of the toxicology of these compounds with respect to developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity, as well as potential modes of action. This paper provides an overview of the recent advances in the toxicology and mode of action for PFAAs and of the monitoring data now available for the environment, wildlife, and humans. A review such as this is an invaluable resource on PFAAs for researchers in the Agency and worldwide and will serve to aid in the development of new areas of research that will further the understanding of this important group of chemicals.

Scientists Win Prestigious Award for Work on Perchlorate Risk Characterization

Annie Jarabek, team leader, William Boyes, Kevin Crofton, Andrew Geller, Mary Gilbert, Ralph Smialowicz, and Doug Wolf, all of NHEERL, have been recognized with an EPA National Honor Award Gold Medal for their efforts as part of the Perchlorate Risk Characterization Team. NHEERL provided the Agency with expertise in data analysis and interpretation and on the thyroid system and with assistance in writing the EPA risk characterization. NHEERL scientists supported EPA efforts through two external peer reviews and a National Research Council review. This was truly a team effort, combining the talents of NHEERL scientists with those of theirs partners in NCEA, NERL, Region 9, NIEHS, and NIOSH). Formal presentation of the award will be on June 13 at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC.

Scientist Reports Important Findings on Arsenic Effects on Cardiac Risk

Judy Mumford, a researcher in NHEERL's Human Studies Division (HSD), has published a peer-reviewed paper in the May issue of Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) showing that arsenic upsets heartbeat, and that ECGs may give early warning for arsenic-associated cardiac disease. The title of the paper is "Chronic Arsenic Exposure and Cardiac Repolarization Abnormalities with QT Interval Prolongation in a Population-Based Study,'' and it was authored by J. Mumford, K. Wu, Y. Xia, R. Kwok, Z. Yang, J. Foster, and W.E. Sanders, Jr. The article has been cited by safedrinkingwater.com and reviewed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' EHP News.

Scientists Generate Important Androgen Receptor for EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program

NHEERL Reproductive Toxicology Division (RTD) scientist Phillip Hartig, in collaboration with Vickie Wilson and co-workers at RTD, has generated a recombinant chimpanzee androgen receptor (AR) in response to a specific request from EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) managed by OSCP. This recombinant receptor is being used to address the need for an alternative mammalian AR binding assay for use in EPA's endocrine disruptor screening battery. Further, the joint European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods/EPA committee is planning to use Dr. Hartig's receptor in the interlaboratory assay validation exercise currently ongoing for in vitro assays. To develop the alternative, AR cell-free binding assay, Dr. Hartig first had the chimp AR gene synthesized, so that it could be transferred into cells. These cells then produced the chimp AR, and this AR was used first in standard binding and transcriptional activation assays. The cell-free binding assay is being optimized in which the AR is extracted from the cells and used in the new assay. Importantly, this cell-free binding assay is expected to replace the rat AR binding assay currently in the EDSP battery and, thereby, reduce the use of animals when screening for endocrine disruptors. After validation, the assay from Dr. Hartig's laboratory will be made available to labs worldwide to use for screening chemicals for androgenic and antiandrogenic activities. This research team is using a similar approach to evaluate both androgen and estrogen receptors from all four vertebrate classes for potential use in the evaluation of the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on wildlife.

Branch Chief Receives Bronze Medal from EPA Region 5

Mace G. Barron, a branch chief at NHEERL's Gulf Ecology Division (GED), received a bronze medal as a member of the AK Steel Case Team. He was the lead ecological risk assessor and an expert witness supporting the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA Region 5 at a polychlorinated-biphenyl-contaminated steel facility in Ohio from 2004 to 2006. The award was given "for sustained efforts in developing, litigating, negotiating, and settling a multimedia case against AK Steel that will result in significant environmental improvement in and around Middletown, Ohio."

Scientist To Have Work Featured on Cover of Journal of Andrology

NHEERL Reproductive Toxicology Division (RTD) principal investigator Gary Klinefelter will have his work featured on the cover of the Journal of Andrology, the publication of the Society of Andrology. Entitled "Chronic Exposure to Low Levels of Dibromoacetic Acid, a Water Disinfection By-Product, Adversely Affects Reproductive Function in Male Rabbits," the paper is available online prior to publication at http://www.andrologyjournal.org/cgi/rapidpdf/jandrol.107.002550v1 and is to be published in volume 28, issue 4, 2007. In this paper, treatment of rabbits with one of the important disinfection byproducts, dibromoacetic acid (DBA), resulted in reductions in both the concentration of SP22, a sperm membrane fertility protein, and the conception rate following artificial insemination. Histologic lesions in the testes also were increased. Dr. Klinefelter's laboratory was the first to recognize SP22 as a sperm marker for which measured levels could be correlated with fertility in laboratory animals. This paper represents ongoing work in Dr. Klinefelter's laboratory studying effects of drinking water disinfection by-products on male reproductive function. Investigating the reproductive effects of drinking water disinfection by-products is a high-priority research area in RTD and is responsive to the needs of the Office of Water.

Scientist Supports EPA Office of Water in International Ballast Water Treaty Discussion

Henry Lee, NHEERL Western Ecology Division (WED), participated in the Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG) of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization of the United Nations. The meeting was held in London, April 16-20. Dr. Lee's assistance was requested by EPA's Office of Water and the U.S. Coast Guard. His primary role was to provide technical assistance on the section of the treaty that allows a risk assessment approach for voyages between specified ports. This risk assessment approach would be in lieu of the biological-based standard (number of organisms per cubic meter) that is to be applied to all ships constructed after 2009. Dr. Lee has been instrumental in developing the U.S. strategy for ballast water risk assessment and has participated in the last two BWWG meetings in London. One major thrust of the recent meeting was to harmonize the U.S. approach with that proposed by New Zealand and Australia.

Branch Hosts Workshop on Nutrient Criteria Approaches for Oregon Estuaries

Scientists at the Pacific Coastal Ecology Branch (PCEB) of NHEERL's Western Ecology Division (WED) hosted a workshop to discuss a potential approach to establishing water quality criteria for Oregon estuaries. The workshop took place April 19 at the EPA facility in Newport, OR. WED scientists have synthesized the research results of field sampling, trend analyses, and modeling approaches to produce a nutrient criteria case study for the Yaquina Estuary, the coastal system where PCEB is located. The case study presents an approach that could be used by the State for establishing nutrient criteria for this system. This research was conducted in support of the Office of Water, OST water quality criteria program. The workshop participants reviewed the technical approach for establishing nutrient criteria for the Yaquina Estuary, discussed the applicability of the approach to other estuarine systems within Oregon, and discussed issues with design of monitoring programs for compliance. Participants included WED scientists, representatives of the standards and monitoring programs at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, EPA Region 10 Headquarters and Field Office staff, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Staff, and academic scientists.

Scientists To Visit Ukraine To Review Collaborative Estuarine Research

The Agency's Office of International Affairs, along with the U.S. Department of State, operates a program to engage former biological and chemical weapons scientists in newly independent states to conduct beneficial environmental research. The Former Bio-Chemical Weapons Scientists Redirect Program funds environmental studies by scientists in Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet Union countries. Participants collaborate with EPA scientists to develop scientifically sound and relevant projects designed to better understand and manage environmental problems in the host country. NHEERL Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) scientists Robert Burgess and Kay Ho are collaborating in a 3-year project with Ukrainian scientists at several institutes in Kyiv and Sevastopol to better understand the magnitude and causes of environmental impairments in three Ukrainian estuaries: Dnieper, Boh, and Danube. In June, Dr. Burgess and Dr. Ho will spend a week meeting with Ukrainian scientists collaborating on the project to review the first year of sampling and analyses. Data from sediment toxicity testing, benthic community assessments, and chemical analyses of sediments and tissues will be discussed, along with planning the second year's activities.

Scientists Invited To Conduct Salt Marsh Research in South Carolina

Cathleen Wigand and Earl Davey of NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) have been invited to Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, in Georgetown, SC, August 5-15, to conduct research using a combination of computer-aided tomography (CT) and soil respiration measures to assess condition in coastal salt marshes of South Carolina. CT imaging will be used to examine macro-organic matter and belowground structure in cores collected from long-term fertilized plots, control plots, and salt marsh areas with varying accretion rates in North Inlet-Winyah Bay. The CT imaging will allow for an estimate of the plant- tissue-gas and peat-water volumetric fractions of the salt marsh cores. Coupled with these measures of belowground structure in the salt marsh plots, in situ measures of carbon dioxide efflux as an indicator of soil respiration will be determined. The combination of CT imaging and soil respiration measures are a practical and useful approach to monitoring condition and assessing impairment in coastal salt marshes.