Office of Research and Development Publications

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A database of embryo-fetal developmental toxicity (EFDT) studies of 379 pharmaceutical compounds in rat and rabbit was analyzed for species differences based on toxicokinetic parameters of area under the curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (Cmax) at the developmental adverse ef...

The potential for environmental chemicals to produce birth defects is largely unknown. Mouse embryonic stem cells were used to profile the bioactivity of chemicals on the EPA Contaminant Candidate List 4 (CCL4). Differentiation and cytotoxicity were evaluated for 81 non-volatile ...

An IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) communicates to the public the plan for assessing each individual chemical and includes summary information on the IRIS Program’s scoping and initial problem formulation; objectives and specific aims for the assessment; the PECO (Populations, Exposur...

The Co-Digestion Economic Analysis Tool (Co-EAT) models the emerging practice of co-digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRF). The intended use of the tool is to provide an initial evaluation assessing the feasibility of implementing co-digestion of organic substra...

Many WRRFs have anaerobic digestion (AD) systems that have excess capacity, sometimes significant excess capacity. This is often a result of changes in service area population not rising to match design expectations. Having AD capacity could be an opportunity to create or enhan...

The balance of abiotic and biotic stressors experienced by a species likely varies across its range, resulting in spatially heterogeneous limitations on the species' demographic rates. Support for spatial variation in stressors (often latitudinal gradients) has been found in many...

The EPA’s ACE research program and Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) co-sponsored a “Wildfire Smoke Health Risk Management and Communication Workshop” with the goal to identify opportunities for research and technological solutions that could ...

Microcystins are the most common group of cyanobacterial hepatotoxins found in freshwater in the U.S., and microcystin-LR (MCLR) is one of the most common forms. Understanding its spectrum of effects and dose-response relationships depends on consistent experimental results which...

Presentation at the US EPA Small Drinking Water Workshop, Small Systems Challenges and Solutions, Cincinnati, OH.

2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate was designed to replace perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been mostly phased out of U.S. production due to environmental persistence, detectable human and wildlife serum concentrations, and reports of systemic toxicity....

A recent paradigm shift from purely biophysical towards social-ecological assessment of watersheds has been proposed to understand, monitor, and manipulate the myriad interactions between human well-being and the ecosystem services that watersheds provide. However, large-scale, q...

This multi-year pilot study evaluated a proposed field method for its effectiveness in the collection of a benthic macroinvertebrate sample adequate for use in the condition assessment of streams and rivers in the Neuquén Province, Argentina. A total of 13 sites, distributed acro...

The goal of this case study was to examine whether the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) scale created for United States (U.S.) homes was applicable in the assessment of mold contamination for Australian homes. Settled-dust samples were collected in southeastern Aust...

Wetlands across the globe provide extensive ecosystem services. However, many wetlands – especially those surrounded by uplands, often referred to as geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) – remain poorly protected. Protection and restoration of wetlands frequently requires info...

Aim Mapping the geographic distribution of non-native aquatic species is a critically important precursor to understanding the anthropogenic and environmental factors that drive freshwater biological invasions. Such efforts are often limited to local scales and/or to single spec...

Key questions dominating contemporary ecological research and management concern interactions between biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and ecosystem services provision in the face of global change. This is particularly salient for freshwater biodiversity and in the context of r...

Groundwater quality is often evaluated using microbial indicators. This study examines data from 12 international groundwater studies (conducted 1992-2013) of 718 public drinking-water systems located in a range of hydrogeological settings. Focus was on testing the value of indic...

Somatic and F+ coliphages are promising alternative fecal indicators, but current detection methods are hindered by lower levels of coliphages in surface waters compared to traditional bacterial fecal indicators. We evaluated the ability of dead-end hollow fiber ultrafiltration (...

In a previous study, we found that rice-straw biochar degraded and removed hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) through coupled adsorption-biodegradation. However, few studies have determined whether biochar affects HOC isomer degradation and isomer-selective biodegradation or...

Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) are watercourses that cease flow at some point in time and space. Arguably Earth's most widespread type of flowing water, IRES are expanding where Anthropocenic climates grow drier and human demands for water escalate. However, IR...

The observed strong sorption of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) to biochar presents potential implications for HOCs bioavailability and bioaccessibility in sediments, while biochar could impact sediment microbial ecology. However, the comprehensive study on the effects of...

Bacteriophages have been used in soil column studies for the last several decades as surrogates to study the fate and transport behavior of enteric viruses in groundwater. However, recent studies have shown that the transport behavior of bacteriophages and enteric viruses in poro...

The egg yolk precursor protein vitellogenin is widely used as a biomarker of estrogen exposure in male fish. However, standardized methodology is lacking and little is known regarding the reproducibility of results among laboratories using different equipment, reagents, protocols...

An EPA Western Ecology Division (WED) watershed modeling team has been working with the Snoqualmie Tribe Environmental and Natural Resources Department to develop VELMA watershed model simulations of the effects of historical and future restoration and land use practices on strea...

Wetland ecosystems straddle both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, performing many ecological functions directly and indirectly benefitting humans. However, global wetland losses are substantial. Satellite remote sensing and classification informs wise wetland management and moni...