GeoHealth Newsletter

Contaminated House Dust Linked to Parking Lots with Coal Tar Sealant

USGS scientist collecting house dust with a specialized vacuum. The dust was analyzed for contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) tracked inside from sealcoated parking lots. (Larger version)

USGS scientists found that house dust in apartments with coal-tar sealcoated parking lots contained concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that were 25 times higher than in house dust from apartments with other types of parking lot surfaces. Several PAHs are classified as probable cancer-causing agents.

USGS scientists analyzed house dust from 23 ground-floor apartments in Austin, Texas. Half of the apartments had parking lots treated with coal-tar-based sealcoat. Small particles of the coal-tar-based sealcoat, which contain high concentrations of PAHs, could be tracked indoors by residents after they walk across the parking lot. Coal tar is a byproduct of the coking of coal, and can contain 50 percent or more PAHs by weight. Coal-tar-based pavement sealants have higher levels of PAHs compared to other sealants and other local contributors to the dust, including soot, vehicle emissions, and used motor oil.

USGS is also actively investigating the occurrence of other potentially toxic compounds in household dusts, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

More Information

• For more information contact Barbara Mahler
• USGS New Release: Contaminated House Dust Linked to Parking Lots with Coal Tar Sealant
• USGS Core Cast: A Potent Pollutant is Tracked Indoors, (Podcast)
• Earth Materials and Human Health, USGS Mineral Resources Program

Probability maps, such as this early effort to predict the probability of arsenic concentrations greater than or equal to 5 micrograms per liter (µg/L) in New England's groundwater wells in bedrock aquifers, can help water resource managers on both sides of the border develop sound policies regarding human health and the occurrence of arsenic in groundwater. (Larger version)

USGS scientists and their Canadian counterparts are considering the posiblity of conducting a collaborative study to develop tools to predict the probability of elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater in the eastern United States and Canada. In many areas of New England and Atlantic Canada, the groundwater concentrations of arsenic are above levels considered safe for human consumption. This is a concern because a significant portion of the population in these areas uses groundwater as their source of drinking water, and many households have domestic wells that are not tested periodically, as are community supply wells. The team of USGS and Canadian scientists seek to (1) coordinate North American soil and sediment sampling, (2) develop cross-border data sets for analysis of arsenic and other potential contaminants, (3) identify potential factors that can be used to predict the occurrence of arsenic, and (4) coordinate the research of scientists in the United States and Canada working on this environmental and health issue. The proposed predictive tools will help water resource managers on both sides of the border develop sound policies regarding human health and the occurrence of arsenic in groundwater.

More Information

• For more information contact Gilpin R. Robinson or Joseph D. Ayotte
• USGS Arsenic Studies Group
• Arsenic in Groundwater of the United States, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program
• Arsenic, USGS - Minerals Information
• Chemical and Pathogenic Contaminant Exposure: Arsenic, USGS Human Health Activities

Over the past few decades, increasing quantities of African dust have blown across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean and the Americas. During that time, the dust’s composition has changed. USGS scientists have sampled dust in air in Africa and the Caribbean, and tested the dust for persistent organic contaminants and metals. These potentially toxic contaminants can originate from the burning of plastics, plant materials, animal waste, and human waste; from the widespread use of pesticides, plastics, and pharmaceuticals; and from increased industrialization. Multiple pesticides and other contaminants, including carcinogens, suppressors of immune systems, endocrine disruptors, and nervous system or liver toxins were identified from all sample sites. All are known to persist in the environment, accumulate in organisms, and are toxic at very low concentrations.

Satellite image showing dust storms (called harmattans) exiting north-west Africa June 16, 1999. (Larger version)

More Information

• For more information contact Ginger Garrison
• USGS New Release: From Toxic Dust and Algae to Ill Winds From Africa
• Online Mini-Documentary Movie: The Effects of Globally Transported African and Asian Dust on Coral Reef and Human Health
• Coral Mortality and African Dust, USGS Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
• African Dust Carries Microbes Across the Ocean: Are They Affecting Human and Ecosystem Health?: USGS Open-File Report 03–028

Las Vegas Wash, Nevada, receives treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants. Las Vegas Wash is a tributary of Lake Mead, the source of drinking water for Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo taken from the 3D Photographic Geology Tour of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Web site (Larger version)

Lake Mead serves as the primary drinking water source for Las Vegas, Nevada, and surrounding communities. Besides snowmelt from the Rockies, water levels are supplemented by the discharge of treated wastewater from communities along the Colorado River, including Las Vegas. This "use-reuse" practice is becoming commonplace in the arid Southwest and begs the question: "Are organic contaminants in our wastewaters ending up in our drinking water?" USGS scientists conducted studies using passive sampling devices ( semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) and polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) [pdf]) to track the occurrence of organic wastewater contaminants (including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides, and industrial chemicals) at sites in Las Vegas Wash (which carries treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants into Lake Mead). Samplers were also placed in the lake near Hemingway Harbor, and in tap water within the City of Las Vegas.

Numerous chemicals including wood preservatives, plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, fragrances, and flame retardants were detected in the treated wastewater. The concentrations of these chemicals decreased as the wastewater entered Lake Mead due to removal by processes like dilution by the lake water and sorption to the bed sediments. A few of the flame retardants and pesticides also were detected in the drinking water, albeit at very low concentrations (nanogram per liter levels). A screen for hormonally active chemicals, such as those suspected to interfere with reproductive systems in fish, was used to test samples from each site. This screen indicated the potential for an estrogenic response in fish exposed to the wastewater in Las Vegas Wash; however, no potential response was detected in the samples from Lake Mead at Hemingway Harbor or in the finished drinking water samples. Little is know about the potential health effects of being exposed to the chemicals detected in drinking water.

More Information

• For more information contact David Alvarez or Marcia Nelson
• Lake Mead Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants Investigation: Passive Sampling of Estrogenics, Method Development, Contaminants Analyses, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center
• Passive Sampling Investigation, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center

Location of Source Water-Quality Assessments, 2002-07. (Larger version)

In 2002, the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the USGS implemented the Source Water-Quality Assessment (SWQA) Program to characterize the quality of selected rivers and aquifers used as a source of supply to community water systems in the United States. Findings from 9 surface-water and 15 groundwater studies have been published. However, more studies have been completed and as many as 20 surface-water and 30 groundwater studies are planned to be completed by 2013.

The primary objective of assessments is to determine the occurrence of about 280 primarily unregulated anthropogenic organic compounds in source water used by community water systems. Source water is the raw (ambient) water collected at a supply well or surface-water intake prior to water treatment used to produce finished water. A secondary objective is to understand occurrence patterns in source water and determine if these patterns also occur in finished water prior to distribution. The assessments are intended to complement drinking water monitoring required by Federal, State, and local programs, which focus primarily on post-treatment compliance monitoring.

More Information

• For more information contact Greg Delzer
• Source Water-Quality Assessment (SWQA) Program, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program
• National Water-Quality Assessment Program--Source Water-Quality Assessments: USGS Fact Sheet 2007-3069
• USGS News Release: Man-Made Chemicals Found in Drinking Water at Low Levels
• USGS CoreCast: Man-Made Chemicals Found in Drinking Water at Low Levels (a downloadable podcast)

Recent SWQA Program Publications

Banks, W.S.L., and Reyes, B., 2009, Anthropogenic organic compounds in source and finished groundwater of community water systems in the Piedmont Physiographic Province, Potomac River Basin, Maryland and Virginia, 2003-2004: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5064, 33 p.

Brown, C.J., and Trombley, T.J., 2009, Organic compounds in Running Gutter Brook water used for public supply near Hatfield, Massachusetts, 2003-05: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3076, 6 p.

Carpenter, K., and McGhee, G., 2009, Organic compounds in Clackamas River water used for public supply near Portland, Oregon, 2003-05: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3030, 6 p.

Ging, P.B., Delzer, G.C., and Hamilton, P.A., 2009, Organic compounds in Elm Fork Trinity River water used for public supply near Carrollton, Texas, 2002-05: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3090, 6 p.

Hopple, J.A., Delzer, G.C., and Kingsbury, J.A., 2009, Anthropogenic organic compounds in source water of selected community water systems that use groundwater, 2002-05: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5200, 74 p.

Thomas, K.A., 2009, Organic compounds in Truckee River water used for public supply near Reno, Nevada, 2002-05: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3100, 6 p.

The answer is an unequivocal yes! After disaster strikes, many types of expertise are needed to understand the environmental health effects of the disaster and how best to respond to similar disasters in the future. The role of the geoscientist and USGS in general is the subject of a recent article in American Geological Institute's magazine Earth. The article, entitled "Report from Ground Zero: How Geoscientists Aid in the Aftermath of Environmental Disasters," recounts the efforts of a team of USGS scientists to help public officials understand the potential health and environmental implications of disasters and the ensuing rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts. Since 2001, the team and their collaborators have responded to a number of disasters including:

• The aftermath of the attacks on New York City's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001;
• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005;
• Wildfires in Southern California in 2007 and 2009;
• Volcanic eruptions of Mount St. Helens in 2004, Kilauea volcano in 2008, Alaska volcanoes in 2008 and 2009; and
• The ongoing East Java mud volcano eruption.

Dust and debris in New York City from attacks on New York City's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Earth scientists have an important role to play in the aftermath of disasters that involves working with a wide range of partners, such as emergency responders, public health professionals, environmental cleanup managers, and others. Earth scientists can help these partners understand the environmental contamination that results from disasters, the extent and behavior of contamination in the environment, and the potential health risk to emergency responders and the public as they return to their homes.

More Information

• For more information contact Geoff Plumlee
• Report from Ground Zero: How geoscientists aid in the aftermath of environmental disasters: Earth
• USGS Mineral Resources Program Earth Materials and Human Health

Graph of total agricultural use of the herbicides atrazine, metolachlor, acetochlor, and alachlor in the Corn Belt from 1996 to 2006 (total for states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio). The annual application rates for these herbicides have steadily declined. Modified version of figure 2 from Vecchia and others, 2009 (Larger version)

USGS scientists find that concentrations of several major pesticides mostly declined or stayed the same in rivers and streams throughout the Nation’s Corn Belt from 1996 to 2006. The declines in pesticide concentrations closely followed declines in their annual application rates, indicating that reducing pesticide use is an effective and reliable strategy for reducing pesticide contamination in rivers.

Scientists studied 11 herbicides and insecticides frequently detected in the Corn Belt region, which generally includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio, as well as parts of adjoining states. The commonly used herbicides cyanazine, alachlor, and metolachlor and the insecticide diazinon were included in the 11 herbicides and insecticides studied. The Corn Belt has among the highest rates of pesticide use in the Nation — mostly herbicides used for weed control in corn and soybeans. As a result, these pesticides are widespread in the region’s rivers and streams, largely resulting from runoff from cropland and urban areas.

Elevated concentrations can affect aquatic organisms in streams as well as the quality of drinking water in some high-use areas where surface water is used for municipal supply. The USGS works closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which uses USGS findings on pesticide trends to track the effectiveness of changes in pesticide regulations and use.

More Information

• For more information contact Bob Gilliom
• USGS New Release: Pesticide Levels Decline in Corn Belt Rivers
• Trends in Pesticide Concentrations in Corn-Belt Streams, 1996-2006: USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5132
• Trends in concentrations and use of agricultural herbicides for corn belt rivers, 1996-2006: Vecchia and others, 2009, ES&T
• Pesticide National Synthesis Project, USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program

The 63rd Street Beach, Chicago, Ill., has experienced frequent exceedances of recreational water-quality E. coli standards.

Playing in the sand is a big part of a fun day at the beach. After digging in beach sand and making sand castles, however, washing your hands could greatly reduce your risk of ingesting bacteria that could make you sick. USGS scientists have determined that, although beach sand is a potential source of bacteria and viruses, hand washing may effectively reduce exposure to microbes that cause gastrointestinal illnesses.

"Our mothers were right! Cleaning our hands before eating really works, especially after handling sand at the beach," said Dr. Richard Whitman, the lead scientist of the study. "Simply rinsing hands may help reduce risk, but a good scrubbing is the best way to avoid illness."

The scientists measured how many Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria could be transferred to people’s hands when they dug in sand, and they analyzed sand from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Using past findings on illness rates, the scientists found that if individuals were to ingest all of the sand and the associated microbial community retained on their fingertips alone, 11 individuals in 1,000 would develop symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.

More Information

• For more information contact Richard L. Whitman
• USGS News Release: What Science Says About Beach Sand and Stomach Aches
• What Science Says About Beach Sand and Stomach Aches, USGS Sound Waves Monthly Newsletter
• Great Lakes Beach Science, Improving Great Lakes Coastal Recreational Water-Quality Monitoring and Forecasting
• Great Lakes Coastal Beach Health Science, Great Lakes Science Center
• Sources of Bacteria on Chicago Beaches
• Chemical and Pathgogen Exposure Through Recreational Waters
• Ohio Nowcasting Beach Advisories
• Wisconsin Beach Health
• USGS Microlobiology and Water Quality Studies Related to Beach Health
• Fact Sheets
• Studies of Indiana and Chicago Beaches Demonstrate Area-wide Understanding of E. coli Contamination: GLSC Fact Sheet 2008-1 (pdf)
• Great Lakes Coastal Beach Health Initiative: GLSC Fact Sheet 2007-3 (pdf)
• Microbiology and Public Beach Safety--Integrated Science for the Protection of Public Health: USGS Fact Sheet 2006-3045

Black-tailed prairie dogs are quite susceptible to sylvatic plague, but a new plague vaccine put in their food shows significant promise in the laboratory. (Larger version)

A new oral vaccine is showing significant promise in the laboratory as a way to protect prairie dogs against sylvatic plague. It may eventually protect endangered black-footed ferrets who now get the disease by eating infected prairie dogs. Black-footed ferrets are one of the rarest mammals in North America. Sylvatic plague is an infectious bacterial disease usually transmitted from animal to animal by fleas. This exotic disease is usually deadly for black-footed ferrets and their primary prey, prairie dogs, resulting in local extinctions or regional population reductions. Along with other wild rodents, prairie dogs are also considered a significant source of plague for other wildlife, domestic animals, and people in the western United States. An oral vaccine could be put into bait and delivered into the field without having to handle any animals; handling is a process that is time-consuming, costly, and sometimes stressful for the animals. Prevention of plague in wild rodents by immunization could reduce outbreaks of the disease in animals, thereby reducing the risk for human exposure to the disease.

More Information

• For more information contact Tonie Rocke
• USGS New Release: New Ouchless Plague Vaccine, Shipwrecks Wrecking Coral Reefs, White-Nose Syndrome in Bats, and More at the Wildlife Disease Association Conference
• Sylvatic Plague Immunization in Black-footed Ferrets and Prairie Dogs
• Ecology of Plague, USGS Fort Collins Science Center
• Protecting Black-Footed Ferrets and Prairie Dogs Against Sylvatic Plague: USGS Fact Sheet 2008-3087
• USGS News Release: Ouch! Taking a Shot at Plague: Vaccine Offers Hope for Endangered Ferrets in Plague Outbreak
• USGS Information on Vector-borne Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases
• Black-tailed Prairie Dog Facts, USGS Fort Collins Science Center

USGS geologist Geoffrey Plumlee

The increasing complexity of today's public health issues requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes broad expertise in the earth and environmental sciences. Two USGS scientists are engaging the public-health community with cross-discipline course offerings at universities.

USGS geologist Geoffrey Plumlee is co-teaching a class at the University of Colorado School of Public Health (UCSPH) titled "Environmental Health from the Ground Up: Exploring Natural and Manmade Disasters." Co-taught with an industrial hygienist and a pulmonary physician, the course provides a unique integration of the earth sciences, exposure sciences, and medical sciences. The course's instructors present various recent disasters to illustrate fundamental concepts of environmental and occupational health. Plumlee's participation has highlighted a broad spectrum of USGS work on natural sciences and health to the public health community, including USGS work on the World Trade Center, asbestos, hurricane Katrina, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and mining-related environmental health issues.

USGS geographer Lee De Cola teaching in an out-door setting.

As part of George Mason University's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate program, USGS geographer Lee De Cola is teaching a three-day class on analysis of environmental and public health issues using GIS entitled Public Health & Analysis. The course teaches how to use GIS both to manage and visualize data about environmental quality and biological resources; and to analyze complex interactions that affect the health of organisms within regions. Methods such as multivariate mapping, interpolation and forecasting, as well as such key concepts of epidemiology as cluster detection, transmission, and incidence are covered in the course.

More Information

• For more information contact Geoffrey Plumlee or Lee De Cola

National Environmental Health Association 74th Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition, Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 5-9, 2010

National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) is hosting the National Environmental Health Association 74th Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition in Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 5-9, 2010. The conference will hold educational sessions covering a broad range of environmental health topics and issues. NEHA’s 74th AEC and Exhibition looks to advance the field of environmental health and protection and the professionals that seek to provide a healthful environment for all.

Meeting Web Site

16th International Interdisciplinary Conference on the Environment, Tucson, Arizona, September 22-25, 2010

The Interdisciplinary Environmental Association (IEA) is conducting its 16th International Interdisciplinary Conference on the Environment. The conference is motivated by the increasing need to combine ideas and research findings from different disciplines to enhance our understanding of the interactions between the natural environment and human institutions.

Meeting Web Site

138th American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Exposition, Denver, Colorado, November 6-10, 2010

The theme of this year's meeting is Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative. The meeting is the largest gathering of public health professionals in the world.

Meeting Web Site