United States
Environmental Protection
A.gency
Office of Research
and Development
Washington, DC 20460
September 1997
Volume 1 Number 1
EPA/600/N-97/002
&EPA ORD Science Highlights
To Our Readers:
I am pleased to present the first edition of our new
periodic report about research activities and significant
scientific results from EPA's Office of Research and
^Development (ORD). The principal scientific and research
arm of die Environmental Protection Agency, ORD operates
laboratories and centers in 13 locations around the country.
Research sponsored by ORD addresses critical issues of
human and ecological risk, as well as the development of
new technologies to monitor and protect public health and
the environment.
With this and future reports, we hope to explain ORD's
current activities and illustrate the scientific knowledge base
ORD develops in support of EPA's mission. I hope the
reports will prompt you to contact us, whether to collaborate
on research programs, share scientific findings, or obtain
technical reports and information. I welcome your feedback
so that we can make this report as useful as possible to our
readers (see p. 5 for ways to contact us). We look forward
to hearing from you.
Henry L. Longest II
Acting Assistant Administrator
Office of Research and Development
Inside:
Dioxin levels in poultry feed 2
Toxics and male fertility 2
Arsenic health effects 2
Computer modeling in human lung research 2
Mid-Atlantic estuary sampling 3
ORD moves to Reagan Building 3
Natural attenuation as a cleanup tool 3
ORD Research Fellows at work 4
New resources from ORD 4
Scientists and Citizens Share in Gulf
Coast Aquatic Mortality Network
The Gulf of Mexico is a remarkable natural and economic
resource. The Gulf sustains valuable shrimp and fish stocks, its
coastal wetlands comprise about half of the national total, and it is
a source of enjoyment for millions of sport fishermen and beach
users who visit each year. To help protect the Gulf, ORD's National
Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory at Gulf
Breeze, Florida, (Gulf Ecology Division) has initiated the Gulf of
Mexico Aquatic Mortality Network (GMNET) to coordinate the
documentation of fish kills and other aquatic mortality events.
GMNET works in collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico
Program to unite scientists and citizens from federal, state, university
and private sectors in maintaining a reliable network for monitoring
and responding to aquatic mortality events. Prior to GMNET,
agencies of the five coastal states were already investigating
mortality events reported by fishermen, beachgoers, boaters and
residents, particularly if they involved large numbers of organisms
or endangered species. However, these investigations were typically
not coordinated with other Gulf states. Through GMNET, the states
have now adopted standard investigative procedures, held interstate
training exercises, and generated a common database for mortality
events documentation. The public can access and report mortality
information on the Internet through the GMNET web site (http:ll
pelican.gmpo.gov).
Mortality events are of concern, not only because of the loss
of organisms, ^but also because they may be indicators of the
ecological health of the Gulf. GMNET efforts are improving the
ability of investigations to determine the probable causes of
mortality events, so that steps can be taken to reduce the risk of
recurrence, and to minimize impacts on aquatic populations and
public health. Although reported mortality events represent
only a small portion of the numbers that occur, a consistent and
high-quality reporting and response effort will provide useful
information on hot spots and relationships to regional and climatic
events such as red tides, El Nino, and global climate change.
Ultimately, GMNET should lead to a broader regional perspective,
including development of early-warning, status, and trend indicators
that can support efforts to maintain the Gulf as a productive habitat
for living resources.
CONTACT: William S. Fisher, (850) 934-9394
Printed on Recycled Paper
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Poultry Sampling for Dioxin Reveals Feed ORD Expands Cooperative Research
Contamination Efforts on Arsenic Health Effects
Higher-than-expected levels of dioxins were found this spring
in two out of 80 poultry samples collected by EPA and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), prompting a rapid effort to
investigate and eliminate the cause.
A joint investigation by EPA, USDA, and the Food and Drug
Administration so far has traced the contamination back to a mine
in Mississippi that produced clay used as an anti-caking agent in
animal feeds. It is not yet known how the mine became
contaminated. Although the agencies do not believe that the
contamination posed any immediate health risk to the public, they
have taken steps to remove the contamination from the food supply
as a precaution. Gay from the mine will no longer be used in animal
feed, contaminated animal feed can no longer be distributed or used,
and animals raised on contaminated feed must be tested for dioxin
levels.
The findings are the latest result of a systematic analysis of
meat and poultry- products for dioxin contamination that ORD has
helped conduct. By providing information about how the public is
exposed to dioxin, the surveys are contributing to ORD's
comprehensive reassessment of dioxin risks.
CONTACT: John Schaum, (202) 260-5988
Research Identifies Factor in Male
Fertility
ORD scientists have long studied the effects of chemicals on
fertility. Gary Klinefelter, a reproductive physiologist in ORD's
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, recently identified a
sperm protein that plays an important role in male fertility. Although
Klinefelter's research is primarily concerned with effects of
exposure to chemicals in the environment, the sperm protein he
found—called "SP22"— could be important in other applications
such as a possible male contraceptive, or in diagnosing and treating
male infertility.
Klinefelter's long-term research involves exposing male
laboratory rats to toxic chemicals known to cause infertility in order
to determine what substances they produce in response. His search
revealed that SP22, one of many naturally occurring sperm proteins,
clearly signaled changes in fertility: once levels of the protein
dropped below a critical point, laboratory rats became sterile. The
proiein Klinefelter identified is one of a number of fertility-linked
molecules with potential commercial applications. Several
biotechnological firms have expressed interest in developing SP22
mto a product for human use, but that prospect is certain to require
many more years of research. Meanwhile, Klinefelter continues
his basic research at ORD—looking for 'markers' that show the
specific effects of different chemicals, so that scientists can better
understand and control human risk.
CONTACT: Gary Klinefelter, (919) 541-5779
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that can be a
dangerous contaminant of drinking water. Elevated levels in soil
and water can arise when arsenic leaches from rocks and minerals
into well water. Mining operations and the use of arsenic as a wood
preservative and agricultural pesticide also can contribute to levels
in water. In the United States, parts of California and other western
states are especially prone to arsenic contamination, and some
countries in southern Asia and other areas have grave contamination
problems. Last year's revisions to the Safe Drinking Water Act call
upon EPA to revise its health standard for arsenic in drinking water
by the year 2001. To assist EPA's Office of Water in revising the
standard, and to learn more about the potential health risks from
low concentrations of arsenic, ORD has launched a substantial
cooperative research effort.
, EarlierJhis year, ORD formeda partnership with the Amsscican
Water Works Association Research Foundation and the Association
of California Water Agencies to study arsenic health effects.
Together, the partners issued a request for research proposals from
academic and other organizations to compete for several million
dollars in funding. Applications, which were due in May, are in the
final stages of review as part of ORD's Science to Achieve Results
(STAR) grants program. The major focal areas of research are
dietary arsenic sources; arsenic metabolism; mechanisms by which
arsenic causes cancer; and early signs of arsenic impacts. ORD is
also finalizing a research strategy to guide arsenic research. ORD
has invited public comment and scientific review of both the request
for research proposals and die research strategy.
CONTACT: Sheila Rosenthal, (202) 564-6923
Scientist Designs Computerized Model of
Human Lungs
Two supercomputer models that visualize the movement of
inhaled substances through the lungs have been completed after
decades of experimentation by Ted Martonen, research physicist in
ORD's National Health and ErivironmeTital"Effect's Research
Laboratory. Martonen's concept uses two supercomputers—one at
Bay City, Michigan, and another at Research Triangle Park in North
Carolina—to display the flow of particles through the human lung
in two- and three-dimensional views. One model displays the
millions of airways in the lungs in multi-colors on several axes.
The other model tracks particles of varying sizes, showing how
fast they travel and where they land.
Martonen envisions using the models for research on lung
cancer and airway diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis,
especially in children. They will be particularly helpful in
understanding how the inhalation of minute particles in polluted
air can affect the lungs. The models also have applications in
tracking the movement of aerosolized drugs to ensure that
medication is delivered precisely to diseased areas.
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Computer representation of air flow (from left to right) through
a branching lung airway, in this case interrupted by a tumor.
Martonen's design won the 1997 Computerworld Smithsonian
Award for Medicine recently, in competition with hundreds of
nominees, on criteria for innovative use of information technology
benefitting society.
CONTACT: Ted Martonen, (919) 541-7875
Sampling Teams Study Mid-Atlantic States
Estuaries
Waterways throughout the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware
Estuary, Albemarle-Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, and the
Delmarva Coastal Bays have been sampled this summer and fall
by a consortium of scientific teams led by ORD's Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). The ultimate goal:
to ensure the vitality of these waterways as nurseries for fish,
shellfish and wildlife, and as unique recreational resources. A
secondary goal is to demonstrate the importance of multi-agency
partnerships in producing a scientifically sound assessment of
estuarine conditions over a broad region.
More than 400 sampling stations will be monitored by teams
from ORD's National Health and Environmental Effects Research
Laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
the Delaware River Basin Commission, the Chesapeake Bay
Program with its partners, and the states of Maryland, Virginia and
Delaware. Together they will sample water temperature, salinity,
dissolved oxygen and nutrients, as well as sediment chemistry,
toxicity, and bottom-dwelling organisms.
In addition to sampling over the entire Mid-Atlantic region,
this study will monitor selected estuaries such as the Pocomoke
River in Maryland which is the subject of public concern because
of the potential health impacts of recent fish kills. The sampling
results will be provided to decision makers to help guide them in
the protection of these important estuaries.
CONTACT: JohnF. Paul, (401) 782-3037
ORD Relocates to New Ronald Reagan
Building
In July, most of the ORD staff located in Washington, D.C.
joined the first wave of tenants moving into the new Ronald Reagan
Building and International Trade Center. Located on Pennsylvania
Avenue between the White House and the Capitol, and containing
more than 3 million square feet of space, the Reagan Building is
the second-largest government building after the Pentagon. The new
building will also house the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S.
Agency for International Development. Eventually, most EPA
headquarters offices will be consolidated in the Federal Triangle
complex that also includes the Ariel Rios, Customs Service, and
Interstate Commerce Commission buildings. The second phase of
ORD's move will be completed in February 1998, when the National
Center for Environmental Assessment moves to 808 17th Street,
NW.
CONTACT: VerlaSutton-Busby, (202) 564-6808
Scientists Lead Courses on Natural
Attenuation
Does it ever make sense not to take action to clean up
contaminated soil and ground water? As dubious as such a
proposition might seem, it is receiving serious attention from those
responsible for cleanup of hazardous waste sites because of its
potential cost savings. This approach, known as natural attenuation,
relies upon natural chemical and biological processes that can break
down contaminants over time. ORD scientists at the Subsurface
Protection and Remediation Division in Ada, Oklahoma, are now
conducting courses to help site managers decide under what
circumstances natural attenuation may be appropriate. It cannot be
used everywhere, but may have a role in areas with relatively low
contamination levels and rapid breakdown, when accompanied by
monitoring to verify contaminant degradation.
The ORD courses, held to date at EPA Regional Offices in
Seattle, San Francisco, Denver and Dallas, focus on the natural
attenuation of chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons in
soil and ground water. Remediation of these contaminants at
hazardous waste sites is a high priority since many compounds in
this class of wastes are known or suspected causes of cancer.
Course instructors offer a three-day discussion of natural
attenuation processes including sorption (contaminant attachment
to solid materials), dilution (reduction of contamination through
mixing with uncontaminated water), volatilization (evaporation),
and biodegradation (microbiological breakdown of contaminants).
The course includes hands-on experience using BIOSCREEN, a
mathematical model used to integrate knowledge about ground
water flow, natural attenuation mechanisms, and exposure of the
human community and surface water ecosystems to the hazard.
Classes include representatives from state agencies, EPA Regional
project managers, and technical support contractors.
CONTACT: John Wilson, (405) 436-8532
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Research Fellows Share Findings with
EPA Scientists
In June, more than 100 graduate fellows sponsored by ORD
gathered at EPA's labs in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina,
for a two-day technical conference to present their research findings
to ORD scientists and other fellows. Fellows are studying a variety
of topics in a number of academic disciplines. Examples of the
topics discussed include the impacts of ultraviolet radiation on crab
larvae; improving methods for detecting extremely low
concentrations of mercury in the environment; effects of toxic
chemicals on the immune system; and controlling chemical
byproducts of disinfection of drinking water.
EPA initiated the Graduate Education Fellowships Program
in 1995 as part of ORD's Science to Achieve Results program.
Fellows receive a stipend, expenses, and tuition funding for up to
three years to help defray costs for advanced study in academic
disciplines with applications to environmental protection. About
200 competitive fellowships have been awarded so far to students
representing 56 academic institutions in 38 states.
More information about the fellowship program is available
on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa.
CONTACT: Virginia Broadway, (202) 564-6923
New Resources from ORD
• Research and Development: Fiscal Years 1995-1996,
Research Accomplishments. May 1997 Publication
#EPA/600-R-97-008. Available from ORD by calling
(513)569-7562.
• Draft research plans to guide research on important topics
are available via the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ORD/resplans/
resplans.html for the following topics:
Endocrine Disruption
Global Change
Waste
Pollution Prevention
Paniculate Matter
Ecological Research
Arsenic in Drinking Water
Microbial Pathogens and
Disinfection Byproducts in
Drinking Water
Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP)
• The latest information ongrantsLto non-profit
institutions is available through the Internet at
http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa or by calling 1-800-490-9194.
ORD Science Highlights is edited and published by ORD's Center for
Environmental Research Information in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is
available on the ORD web site (http://www.epa.gov/ORD/) or by
calling (513) 569-7562.
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
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EPA/600/N-97/002
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