Geology topics

Daniel L. Villeneuve

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel L. Villeneuve.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Retrospective stepwise prioritization of chemicals detected in Great Lakes tributaries (2008–2018)

Through the U.S. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a 10-year, multiagency chemical monitoring effort was undertaken across the Great Lakes. In this effort, 586 chemicals were monitored and 334 were detected in grab/composite water samples. To help inform potential future actions, a stepwise prioritization framework was used to identify compounds for which publicly accessible water quality guidelines or effects information suggested there was potential aquatic ecotoxicity. Because water quality guidelines were only available for some chemicals, this framework used apical toxicity data collated from publicly accessible databases (e.g., the ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase) and alternative data, including literature-derived non-apical effect concentrations, in vitro bioactivities from high-throughput screening, and modeled ecotoxicity. To account for the diverse levels of confidence in these data, chemicals were prioritized within specific action categories, which suggested potential management or experimental activities that may be considered based on the types of data available for each compound. Overall, 11 detected chemicals were identified as high priority in different action categories. This included four chemicals prioritized for environmental management or targeted risk assessment, three chemicals prioritized for effects-based monitoring, one chemical prioritized for apical effects assessment, and three chemicals targeted for non-apical effects evaluation. This framework also identified 164 low-priority chemicals, among which more than 50% were prioritized based on water quality guidelines or apical effect concentrations (thus could be considered low priority for future risk assessment or management activities). Results aim to help regulatory agencies, environmental managers, and other stakeholders focus available resources on carrying out monitoring, experimental, and risk assessments for the chemicals that display the greatest potential to adversely impact Great Lakes ecosystems.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2025

Leveraging invasive mussel contaminant survey data for stepwise prioritization of chemicals of potential concern in the Great Lakes basin

Historical and ongoing anthropogenic activities coupled with advancements in analytical techniques have led to the detection of large numbers of contaminants in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Consequently, identifying and prioritizing chemicals likely to cause ecological harm represents a challenge for natural resource managers. Previous prioritization efforts have focused on contaminants in sediment, water, and passive samplers, which may not be representative of compounds that bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. Consequently, this study adopted a stepwise method to prioritize chemicals of potential concern detected in dreissenid mussels from samples collected across the Great Lakes from 2009–2018. The stepwise method considered environmental fate, detection frequency, and exceedance of toxicity quotients based on ecotoxicological effect concentrations. Overall, 153 compounds out of 267 analyzed were detected in dreissenid mussels, 47 of which had water quality effect concentrations, 56 had apical effect concentrations (Tier 1 ECOTOX or apical screening), 17 had nonapical effect concentrations (Tier 2 ECOTOX, Cytotoxic Burst, and ToxCast) and 33 had estimated effect concentrations (quantitative structure-activity relationship, estimated screening, and pharmacological potency). Of the compounds with water quality effect concentrations, nine were designated as high priority, including the herbicide atrazine and five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that were previously identified as potentially hazardous within other matrices. Similar contaminants were identified as high priority in a related study of native unionid mussels in the Great Lakes. A total of 27 compounds were low priority, suggesting that these contaminants do not warrant further action based on this dataset. Overall, these findings will facilitate the development of management strategies to mitigate the effects of contaminants on aquatic organisms within the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes basin↗

USGS2025

Derivation and characterization of environmental hazard concentrations for chemical prioritization: A case study in the Great Lakes tributaries

Ongoing anthropogenic activities and analytical advancements yield continuously expanding lists of environmental contaminants. This represents a challenge to environmental managers, who must prioritize chemicals for management actions (e.g., restriction, regulation, remediation) but are often hindered by resource limitations. To help facilitate prioritization efforts, this study presents several strategies for deriving environmental hazard concentrations using publicly accessible data and open-source computational tools. Using a Great Lakes tributaries aquatic monitoring dataset as a case study, environmental hazard concentrations were obtained or derived for 334 organic chemicals. These concentrations were based on (1) current water quality guidelines; (2) apical screening values; (3) apical and (4) nonapical effect concentrations from the ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase; (5) in vitro effect concentrations from the ToxCast database; (6) cytotoxic burst concentrations collated from the Comptox Dashboard; (7) “estimated screening values” derived from modeled or estimated data and available from various regulatory and nonregulatory agencies; (8) pharmaceutical potency estimates from the MaPPFAST database; and (9) quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR)–derived acute toxicity estimates. Environmental fate data included aquatic half-lives and bioconcentration factors collated from the Comptox Dashboard or estimated using QSARs. To identify patterns that could be used for characterization, availability of ecotoxicological concentrations and environmental fate data were evaluated. Furthermore, exceedances of hazard concentrations were evaluated and compared across diverse ecotoxicological data types. Altogether, by providing detailed methodology and practical examples generated with real monitoring data, this study demonstrated that these hazard concentration derivation strategies can be efficiently and effectively used with large, complex datasets and identified critical considerations for future prioritization efforts.

Great Lakes region↗

USGS2025

Potential for biological effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Great Lakes tributaries and associations with land cover and wastewater effluent

Surface water concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and potential for resulting biological effects were estimated in a study using polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) from 60 tributary sites within 20 watersheds in the Great Lakes Basin in 2018. Sites represented a range of urban to agricultural, forested, and wetland land uses and included a gradient of wastewater treatment effluent from zero to 44% of annual streamflow. Several sites also had airport influence. Twenty-one of 32 targeted PFAS compounds were detected in POCIS samplers, of which, 16 had available POCIS sampling rates, enabling time-weighted water concentration estimates and comparison with available effects data. Estimated water concentrations were compared with published water quality guidelines (available for nine PFAS), effect concentrations reported in primary literature within the ECOTOX Knowledgebase for apical endpoints (10 PFAS) and nonapical endpoints (10 PFAS), and in vitro high-throughput screening data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast; 14 PFAS). Based on a conservative evaluation approach that was also weighted for persistence and limitations in available toxicological information, five individual PFAS, including perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, perfluorobutanesulfonic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid, and perfluorononanoic acid were identified as warranting additional investigation. Possible increased potency of PFAS mixtures over individual chemical effects, estimated by summation of exposure-activity ratios (EARs) for chemicals that influence common ToxCast assays and specified gene targets, indicated that EAR values increased up to 5.6-fold over individual chemicals, with up to 14 chemicals contributing to mixture effect predictions. Potential for biological effects from PFAS, as estimated by summed exposure-activity ratios, were correlated with urban land use and the proportion of streamflow contributed by wastewater effluent.

Great Lakes tributaries↗

USGS2025

Public, bottled, and private drinking water: Shared contaminant-mixture exposures and effects challenge

BACKGROUND: Humans are primary drivers of environmental contaminant exposures worldwide, including in drinking-water (DW). In the United States (US), point-of-use DW (POU DW) is supplied via private tapwater (TW, predominantly private wells), public-supply TW, and bottled water (BW). Differences in management, monitoring, and messaging and lack of directly intercomparable exposure data influence the actual and perceived quality and safety of different DW supplies and directly impact consumer decision making. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to provide a meta-analysis (quantitative synthesis) of POU DW contaminant mixture exposures and corresponding potential human health effects of private-TW, public-TW, and BW by aggregating exposure results and harmonizing apical health benchmark weighted and bioactivity weighted effects predictions across previous studies by this research group. DISCUSSION: Simultaneous exposures to multiple inorganic and organic contaminants of known or suspected human-health concern are common across all three DW supplies, with substantial variability observed in each and no systematic difference in predicted cumulative risk between supply chains. Differences in contaminant or contaminant class exposures (e.g., trace metals, disinfection byproducts), with important implications for DW quality improvements, were observed and attributed to corresponding differences in regulation and compliance monitoring. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that human-health risks from contaminant exposures are common to and comparable in all three DW supplies, including BW. Importantly, this study’s target analytical coverage, which exceeds that currently feasible for water purveyors or homeowners, nevertheless is a substantial underestimation of the full breadth of contaminant mixtures in the environment and potentially present in DW. Thus, the results emphasize the need for improved understanding of the adverse human-health implications of long-term exposures to low level inorganic /organic contaminant mixtures across all three distribution pipelines and do not support commercial messaging of BW as a systematically safer alternative to public-TW. Regardless of the supply, increased engagement in source-water protection and drinking-water treatment, including consumer point of use treatment, is necessary to reduce risks associated with long-term DW contaminant exposures, especially in vulnerable populations, and to reduce environmental waste and plastics contamination.

Environment International↗

USGS2023

Assessing contaminants of emerging concern in the Great Lakes Ecosystem: A decade of method development and practical application

Assessing the ecological risk of contaminants in the field typically involves consideration of a complex mixture of compounds which may or may not be detected via instrumental analyses. Further, there are insufficient data to predict the potential biological effects of many detected compounds, leading to their being characterized as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Over the past several years, advances in chemistry, toxicology, and bioinformatics have resulted in a variety of concepts and tools that can enhance the pragmatic assessment of the ecological risk of CECs. The present Focus article describes a 10+- year multiagency effort supported through the U.S. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to assess the occurrence and implications of CECs in the North American Great Lakes. State-of-the-science methods and models were used to evaluate more than 700 sites in about approximately 200 tributaries across lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior, sometimes on multiple occasions. Studies featured measurement of up to 500 different target analytes in different environmental matrices, coupled with evaluation of biological effects in resident species, animals from in situ and laboratory exposures, and in vitro systems. Experimental taxa included birds, fish, and a variety of invertebrates, and measured endpoints ranged from molecular to apical responses. Data were integrated and evaluated using a diversity of curated knowledgebases and models with the goal of producing actionable insights for risk assessors and managers charged with evaluating and mitigating the effects of CECs in the Great Lakes. This overview is based on research and data captured in approximately about 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and reports, including approximately about 30 appearing in a virtual issue comprised of highlighted papers published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry or Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management . Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2506–2518. © 2023 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2023

Pesticide prioritization by potential biological effects in tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin (USA/Canada) are highly modified and impacted by human activities including pesticide use. Despite labeling restrictions intended to minimize risks to nontarget organisms, concerns remain that environmental exposures to pesticides may be occurring at levels negatively impacting nontarget organisms. We used a combination of organismal-level toxicity estimates (in vivo aquatic life benchmarks) and data from high-throughput screening (HTS) assays (in vitro benchmarks) to prioritize pesticides and sites of concern in streams at 16 tributaries to the Great Lakes Basin. In vivo or in vitro benchmark values were exceeded at 15 sites, 10 of which had exceedances throughout the year. Pesticides had the greatest potential biological impact at the site with the greatest proportion of agricultural land use in its basin (the Maumee River, Toledo, OH, USA), with 72 parent compounds or transformation products being detected, 47 of which exceeded at least one benchmark value. Our risk-based screening approach identified multiple pesticide parent compounds of concern in tributaries of the Great Lakes; these compounds included: eight herbicides (metolachlor, acetochlor, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, diuron, atrazine, alachlor, triclopyr, and simazine), three fungicides (chlorothalonil, propiconazole, and carbendazim), and four insecticides (diazinon, fipronil, imidacloprid, and clothianidin). We present methods for reducing the volume and complexity of potential biological effects data that result from combining contaminant surveillance with HTS (in vitro) and traditional (in vivo) toxicity estimates. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;00:1–18. Published 2022. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2023

Changes in chemical occurrence, concentration, and bioactivity in the Colorado River before and after replacement of the Moab, Utah wastewater treatment plant

Long-term (2010–19) water-quality monitoring on the Colorado River downstream from Moab Utah indicated the persistent presence of Bioactive Chemicals (BC), such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals. This stream reach near Canyonlands National Park provides critical habitat for federally endangered species. The Moab wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall discharges to the Colorado River and is the nearest potential point-source to this reach. The original WWTP was replaced in 2018. In 2016–19, a study was completed to determine if the new plant reduced BC input to the Colorado River at, and downstream from, the outfall. Water samples were collected before and after the plant replacement at sites upstream and downstream from the outfall. Samples were analyzed for as many as 243 pesticides, 109 pharmaceuticals, 20 hormones, 51 wastewater indicator chemicals, 20 metals, and 8 nutrients. BC concentrations, hazard quotients (HQs), and exposure activity ratios (EARs) were used to identify and prioritize contaminants for their potential to have adverse biological effects on the health of native and endangered wildlife. There were 22 BC with HQs >1, mostly metals and hormones; and 23 BC with EARs >0.1, mostly hormones and pharmaceuticals. Most high HQs or EARs were associated with samples collected at the WWTP outfall site prior to its replacement. Discharge from the new plant had reduced concentrations of nutrients, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and other BC. For example, all 16 of the hormones detected at the WWTP outfall site had maximum concentrations in samples collected prior to the WWTP replacement. The WWTP replacement had less effect on instream concentrations of metals and pesticides, BC whose sources are less directly tied to domestic wastewater. Study results indicate that improved WWTP technology can create substantial reductions in concentrations of non-regulated BC such as pharmaceuticals, in addition to regulated contaminants such as nutrients.

Utah↗

USGS2022

A framework for prioritizing contaminants in retrospective ecological assessments: Application in the Milwaukee Estuary (Milwaukee, WI)

Watersheds are subjected to diverse anthropogenic inputs, exposing aquatic biota to a wide range of chemicals. Detection of multiple, different chemicals can challenge natural resource managers who often have to determine where to allocate potentially limited resources. Here, we describe a weight-of-evidence framework for retrospectively prioritizing aquatic contaminants. To demonstrate framework utility, we used data from 96-h caged fish studies to prioritize chemicals detected in the Milwaukee Estuary (WI, USA; 2017–2018). Across study years, 77/178 targeted chemicals were detected. Chemicals were assigned prioritization scores based on spatial and temporal detection frequency, environmental distribution, environmental fate, ecotoxicological potential, and effect prediction. Chemicals were sorted into priority bins based on the intersection of prioritization score and data availability. Data-limited chemicals represented those that did not have sufficient data to adequately evaluate ecotoxicological potential or environmental fate. Seven compounds (fluoranthene, benzo[ a ]pyrene, pyrene, atrazine, metolachlor, phenanthrene, and DEET) were identified as high or medium priority and data sufficient and flagged as candidates for further effects-based monitoring studies. Twenty-one compounds were identified as high or medium priority and data limited and flagged as candidates for further ecotoxicological research. Fifteen chemicals were flagged as the lowest priority in the watershed. One of these chemicals (2-methylnaphthalene) displayed no data limitations and was flagged as a definitively low-priority chemical. The remaining chemicals displayed some data limitations and were considered lower-priority compounds (contingent on further ecotoxicological and environmental fate assessments). The remaining 34 compounds were flagged as low or medium priority. Altogether, this prioritization provided a screening-level (non-definitive) assessment that could be used to focus further resource management and risk assessment activities in the Milwaukee Estuary. Furthermore, by providing detailed methodology and a practical example with real experimental data, we demonstrated that the proposed framework represents a transparent and adaptable approach for prioritizing contaminants in freshwater environments. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:1–21. © 2022 SETAC

Wisconsin↗

USGS2022

Elevated winter stream temperatures below wastewater treatment plants shift reproductive development of female Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum: A field and histologic approach

River water temperatures are increasing globally, particularly in urban systems. In winter, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent inputs are of particular concern because they increase water temperatures from near freezing to ~7–15 °C. Recent laboratory studies suggest that warm overwinter temperatures impact the reproductive timing of some fishes. To evaluate winter water temperature’s influence in the wild, we sampled Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum from three urban South Platte River tributaries in Colorado upstream and downstream of WWTP effluent discharge sites. Fish were collected weekly during the spring spawning season of 2021 and reproductive development was determined from histological analysis of the gonads. Winter water temperatures were approximately 5–10 °C greater ~300 m downstream of the WWTP effluent compared to upstream sites, and approximately 3 °C warmer at sampling sites ~5000 m downstream of the effluent discharge. Females collected downstream of WWTP effluent experienced accelerated reproductive development compared to upstream by 1–2 weeks. Water quality, including total estrogenicity, and spring water temperatures did not appear to explain varying reproductive development. It appears that small increases in winter water temperature influence the reproductive timing in E. nigrum . Further investigations into how shifts in reproductive timing influence other population dynamics are warranted.

Colorado↗

USGS2022

Prioritizing pesticides of potential concern and identifying potential mixture effects in Great Lakes tributaries using passive samplers

To help meet the objectives of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with regard to increasing knowledge about toxic substances, 223 pesticides and pesticide transformation products were monitored in 15 Great Lakes tributaries using polar organic chemical integrative samplers. A screening-level assessment of their potential for biological effects was conducted by computing toxicity quotients (TQs) for chemicals with available US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Aquatic Life Benchmark values. In addition, exposure activity ratios (EAR) were calculated using information from the USEPA ToxCast database. Between 16 and 81 chemicals were detected per site, with 97 unique compounds detected overall, for which 64 could be assessed using TQs or EARs. Ten chemicals exceeded TQ or EAR levels of concern at two or more sites. Chemicals exceeding thresholds included seven herbicides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, diuron, metolachlor, acetochlor, atrazine, simazine, and sulfentrazone), a transformation product (deisopropylatrazine), and two insecticides (fipronil and imidacloprid). Watersheds draining agricultural and urban areas had more detections and higher concentrations of pesticides compared with other land uses. Chemical mixtures analysis for ToxCast assays associated with common modes of action defined by gene targets and adverse outcome pathways (AOP) indicated potential activity on biological pathways related to a range of cellular processes, including xenobiotic metabolism, extracellular signaling, endocrine function, and protection against oxidative stress. Use of gene ontology databases and the AOP knowledgebase within the R-package ToxMixtures highlighted the utility of ToxCast data for identifying and evaluating potential biological effects and adverse outcomes of chemicals and mixtures. Results have provided a list of high-priority chemicals for future monitoring and potential biological effects warranting further evaluation in laboratory and field environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:340–366. Published 2022. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Great Lakes tributaries↗

USGS2022

Prioritizing pharmaceutical contaminants in Great Lakes tributaries using risk-based screening techniques

In a study of 44 diverse sampling sites across 16 Great Lakes tributaries, 110 pharmaceuticals were detected of 257 monitored. The present study evaluated the ecological relevance of detected chemicals and identified heavily impacted areas to help inform resource managers and guide future investigations. Ten pharmaceuticals (caffeine, nicotine, albuterol, sulfamethoxazole, venlafaxine, acetaminophen, carbamazepine, gemfibrozil, metoprolol, and thiabendazole) were distinguished as having the greatest potential for biological effects based on comparison to screening-level benchmarks derived using information from two biological effects databases, the ECOTOX Knowledgebase and the ToxCast database. Available evidence did not suggest substantial concern for 75% of the monitored pharmaceuticals, including 147 undetected pharmaceuticals and 49 pharmaceuticals with screening-level alternative benchmarks. However, because of a lack of biological effects information, screening values were not available for 51 detected pharmaceuticals. Samples containing the greatest pharmaceutical concentrations and having the highest detection frequencies were from Lake Erie, southern Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron tributaries. Samples collected during low-flow periods had higher pharmaceutical concentrations than those collected during increased-flow periods. The wastewater-treatment plant effluent content in streams correlated positively with pharmaceutical concentrations. However, deviation from this correlation demonstrated that secondary factors, such as multiple pharmaceutical sources, were likely present at some sites. Further research could investigate high-priority pharmaceuticals as well as those for which alternative benchmarks could not be developed.

Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Wisc↗

USGS2022

Risk-based prioritization of organic chemicals and locations of ecological concern in sediment from Great Lakes tributaries

With improved analytical techniques, environmental monitoring studies are increasingly able to report the occurrence of tens or hundreds of chemicals per site, making it difficult to identify the most relevant chemicals from a biological standpoint. For this study, organic chemical occurrence was examined, individually and as mixtures, in the context of potential biological effects. Sediment was collected at 71 Great Lakes tributary sites and analyzed for 87 chemicals. Multiple risk-based lines of evidence were used to prioritize chemicals and locations, including comparing sediment concentrations and estimated porewater concentrations to established whole-organism benchmarks (i.e., sediment and water quality criteria and screening values) and to high-throughput toxicity screening data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ToxCast database, estimating additive effects of chemical mixtures on common ToxCast endpoints, and estimating toxic equivalencies for mixtures of alkylphenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This multiple-lines-of-evidence approach enabled the screening of more chemicals, mitigated the uncertainties of individual approaches, and strengthened common conclusions. Collectively, at least one benchmark/screening value was exceeded for 54 of the 87 chemicals, with exceedances observed at all 71 of the monitoring sites. Chemicals with the greatest potential for biological effects, both individually and as mixture components, were bisphenol A, 4-nonylphenol, indole, carbazole, and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Potential adverse outcomes based on ToxCast gene targets and putative adverse outcome pathways relevant to individual chemicals and chemical mixtures included tumors, skewed sex ratios, reproductive dysfunction, hepatic steatosis, and early mortality, among others. Results provide a screening level prioritization of chemicals with the greatest potential for adverse biological effects and an indication of sites where they are most likely to occur.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, ↗

USGS2022

Contaminants of emerging concern in the Great Lakes: Science to inform management practices for protecting the health and integrity of wildlife populations from adverse effects: GLRI action plan I, focus area 1, goal 5

Executive Summary: Under Action Plan I (2010-2014) of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Federal and Academic partners began an investigation of the presence and distribution of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the Great Lakes and potential impacts on fish and wildlife. The term CECs is applied to a broad range of chemicals that are currently in use but for which we currently lack good understanding of whether fish, wildlife, or humans are being exposed and/or whether negative health or environmental effects are expected if exposure occurs. Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flame retardants, many current use pesticides, and poly- and perfluorinated chemicals are some well-known groups of CECs, but there is no definitive or comprehensive list that can be used to support the management of CECs to reduce impacts on the Great Lakes ecosystem. Four overarching goals were identified for this collaborative investigation: 1. Evaluate the sources, occurrence, and distribution of CECs across the Great Lakes Basin. 2. Examine associations between the distribution of CECs and land-use patterns. 3. Review both scientific literature and field-generated data to determine the potential for CECs to cause adverse effects on Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations. 4. Develop efficient strategies to survey and/or monitor for threats that CECs may pose in order to take effective management actions before those threats evolve into large scale impacts on Great Lakes ecosystems or the services they provide. Achievement of these goals ensures progress towards Focus Area 1: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern from GLRI Action Plan I, Goal 5: “ The health and integrity of wildlife populations and habitat are protected from adverse chemical and biological effects associated with the presence of toxic substances in the Great Lakes Basin ”. This large-scale research effort was comprised of individual and collaborative projects from multiple federal agencies and academic institutions, involving over 85 investigators, and overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5, Great Lakes National Program Office. Partners include the United States Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Saint Cloud State University, the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Key findings: 1. Contaminants of emerging concern were found throughout the monitored Great Lakes tributaries, but types and concentrations vary in association with regional land use. CECs were detected in nearly all samples collected. The type and concentration of the specific contaminants detected varied considerably among field sites and in association with land use type, such as urban, agricultural, wetland, 2 or forest. Contaminants were detected in the water column, sediment, and tissues of all species surveyed in the current work (mussels, aquatic insects, fish, and insect-eating birds). 2. There were over 20 contaminants for which CEC concentrations approached or exceeded those reported to cause toxicity in laboratory experiments. This was based on detection in water, sediments and or biota at one or more field sites. These contaminants represent compounds that warrant further investigation and monitoring with respect to potential impacts in certain areas of the Great Lakes basin. Based on the present investigation, compounds of greatest concern include: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, associated with oil-based products and combustion of organic matter; atrazine, an herbicide; dichlorvos, an insecticide; and ibuprofen and venlafaxine, both pharmaceuticals. 3. Results suggest that mixtures of CECs presently found in most Great Lakes tributary locations surveyed may elicit subtle biological effects, but likely are not, alone, causing obvious detriment to current communities of fish and wildlife. CECs detected in the Great Lakes were associated with subtle biological effects like changes in gene expression, altered circulating glucose, etc. in both wild-caught and laboratory-reared organisms. These effects were generally not indicative of reproductive failure or mortality. However, the effects may have more serious implications when combined with other sources of stress like habitat degradation, changing climate conditions, and competition with invasive species. Due to limited historical data, it is unknown whether severe CEC-related impacts have already affected aquatic communities in waterbodies that have received long-term inputs of these contaminants. Likewise, under Action Plan I, biological effects were not necessarily evaluated at the sites where CEC concentrations exceeding laboratory toxicity thresholds were detected. As a result, strategic, ongoing surveillance and monitoring of CECs is warranted. This collaborative investigation resulted in new tools, approaches, and data that can be used to inform and support the management of CECs to reduce their impacts on Great Lakes natural resources. The following products of this research effort are available through https://communities.geoplatform.gov/glri/ or by contacting the investigators (see technical chapters found in Appendices A-F): 1. Database of CEC occurrence and concentrations in US tributary streams. The database includes CEC detections in water, sediment, and fish and wildlife tissues, and represents the most comprehensive survey of CECs in the Great Lakes Region. 2. Synopses of results and key findings. Integrated summaries of results, conclusions, and management implications of the CEC research are available through reports, topical fact sheets, and presentations. 3. Technical publications: This collaborative research effort has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications, agency reports, and data releases that can be of use to resource managers, the scientific community, and members of the public. 4. Innovative tools. Innovative monitoring devices, sampling equipment, conceptual frameworks, and software applications were developed over the course of this 3 research. These tools are transferable to stakeholders via internet accessibility or via specifications, instructions, and demonstration detailed in technical publications. Hypotheses to guide CECs research under Action Plan II. Findings from 2010-2014 were used to guide further research in 2015-2018 for basin-wide surveillance of CECs and for sites warranting further study of potential biological impacts of CECs. Additional surveillance included both evaluation of additional classes of contaminants and expanded lists for chemical classes shown to be of greatest concern. Mixtures of some of the most frequently detected contaminants were also tested in laboratory studies to understand whether long term exposures to multiple contaminants may result in effects not evident from uncontrolled, short-term field experiments.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2021

Food, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams

Process wastewaters from food, beverage, and feedstock facilities, although regulated, are an under-investigated environmental contaminant source. Food process wastewaters (FPWWs) from 23 facilities in 17 U.S. states were sampled and documented for a plethora of chemical and microbial contaminants. Of the 576 analyzed organics, 184 (32%) were detected at least once, with concentrations as large as 143 μg L –1 (6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid), and as many as 47 were detected in a single FPWW sample. Cumulative per/polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations up to 185 μg L –1 and large pesticide transformation product concentrations (e.g., methomyl oxime, 40 μg L –1 ; clothianidin TMG, 2.02 μg L –1 ) were observed. Despite 48% of FPWW undergoing disinfection treatment prior to discharge, bacteria resistant to third-generation antibiotics were found in each facility type, and multiple bacterial groups were detected in all samples, including total coliforms. The exposure–activity ratios and toxicity quotients exceeded 1.0 in 13 and 22% of samples, respectively, indicating potential biological effects and toxicity to vertebrates and invertebrates associated with the discharge of FPWW. Organic contaminant profiles of FPWW differed from previously reported contaminant profiles of municipal effluents and urban storm water, indicating that FPWW is another important source of chemical and microbial contaminant mixtures discharged into receiving surface waters.

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Io↗

USGS2021

Identifying chemicals and mixtures of potential biological concern detected in passive samplers from Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput data and biological pathways

Waterborne contaminants were monitored in 69 tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes in 2010 and 2014 using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS). A risk-based screening approach was used to prioritize chemicals and chemical mixtures, identify sites at greatest risk for biological impacts, and identify potential hazards to monitor at those sites. Analyses included 185 chemicals (143 detected) including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), legacy and current-use pesticides, fire retardants, pharmaceuticals, and fragrances. Hazard quotients were calculated by dividing detected concentrations by biological effect concentrations reported in the ECOTOX Knowledgebase (toxicity quotients) or ToxCast database (exposure–activity ratios [EARs]). Mixture effects were estimated by summation of EAR values for chemicals that influence ToxCast assays with common gene targets. Nineteen chemicals—atrazine, N,N -diethyltoluamide, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, dl-menthol, galaxolide, p-tert-octylphenol, 3 organochlorine pesticides, 3 PAHs, 4 pharmaceuticals, and 3 phosphate flame retardants—had toxicity quotients >0.1 or EARs for individual chemicals >10 –3 at 10% or more of the sites monitored. An additional 4 chemicals (tributyl phosphate, triethyl citrate, benz[ a ]anthracene, and benzo[ b ]fluoranthene) were present in mixtures with EARs >10 –3 . To evaluate potential apical effects and biological endpoints to monitor in exposed wildlife, in vitro bioactivity data were compared to adverse outcome pathway gene ontology information. Endpoints and effects associated with endocrine disruption, alterations in xenobiotic metabolism, and potentially neuronal development would be relevant to monitor at the priority sites. The EAR threshold exceedance for many chemical classes was correlated with urban land cover and wastewater effluent influence, whereas herbicides and fire retardants were also correlated to agricultural land cover. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2165–2182. Published 2021. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2020

Effects-based monitoring of bioactive chemicals discharged to the Colorado River before and after a municipal wastewater treatment plant replacement

Monitoring of the Colorado River near the Moab, Utah, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outflow has detected pharmaceuticals, hormones, and estrogen-receptor (ER)-, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ)-mediated biological activities. The aim of the present multi-year study was to assess effects of a WWTP replacement on bioactive chemical (BC) concentrations. Water samples were collected bimonthly, pre- and post-replacement, at 11 sites along the Colorado River upstream and downstream of the WWTP and analyzed for in vitro bioactivities (e.g., agonism of ER, GR, and PPARγ) and BC concentrations; fathead minnows were cage deployed pre- and post-replacement at sites with varying proximities to the WWTP. Before the WWTP replacement, in vitro ER (24 ng 17β-estradiol equivalents/L)-, GR (60 ng dexamethasone equivalents/L)-, and PPARγ-mediated activities were detected at the WWTP outflow but diminished downstream. In March 2018, the WWTP effluent was acutely toxic to the fish, likely due to elevated ammonia concentrations. Following the WWTP replacement, ER, GR, and PPARγ bioactivities were reduced by approximately 60–79%, no toxicity was observed in caged fish, and there were marked decreases in concentrations of many BCs. Results suggest that replacement of the Moab WWTP achieved a significant reduction in BC concentrations to the Colorado River.

Utah↗

USGS2020

De facto water reuse: Bioassay suite approach delivers depth and breadth in endocrine active compound detection

Although endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have been detected in wastewater and surface waters worldwide using a variety of in vitro effects-based screening tools, e.g. bioassays, few have examined potential attenuation of environmental contaminants by both natural (sorption, degradation, etc) and anthropogenic (water treatment practices) processes. This study used several bioassays and quantitative chemical analyses to assess residence-time weighted samples at six sites along a river in the northeastern United States beginning upstream of a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) outfall and proceeding downstream along the stream reach to a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP). Known steroidal estrogens were quantified and changes in signaling pathway molecular initiating events (activation of estrogen, androgen, glucocorticoid, peroxisome proliferator-activated, pregnane X receptor, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling networks) were identified in water extracts. In initial multi-endpoint assays geographic and receptor-specific endocrine activity patterns in transcription factor signatures and nuclear receptor activation were discovered. In subsequent single endpoint receptor-specific bioassays, estrogen (16 of 18 samples; 0.01 to 28 ng estradiol equivalents [E2Eqs]/L) glucocorticoid (3 of 18 samples; 1.8 to 21 ng dexamethasone equivalents [DexEqs]/L), and androgen (2 of 18 samples; 0.95 to 2.1 ng dihydrotestosterone equivalents [DHTEqs]/L) receptor transcriptional activation occurred above respective assay method detection limits (0.04 ng E2Eqs/L, 1.2 ng DexEqs/L, and 0.77 ng DHTEqs/L) in multiple sampling events. Estrogen activity, the most often detected, correlated well with measured concentrations of known steroidal estrogens (R2 = 0.890). Overall, activity indicative of multiple types of endocrine active compounds was highest in wastewater effluent samples, while activity downstream was progressively lower, and negligible in (unfinished) treated water. This multiple bioassay approach, in conjunction with targeted analytical chemistry methods, has gained acceptance among water quality screening programs. Not only was estrogenic and glucocorticoid activity confirmed in the effluent by utilizing multiple methods concurrently, but other activated signaling networks that historically received less attention (i.e. peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) were also detected.

Science of the Total Environment↗