Acute Toxicity of Eight Aqueous Film-Forming Foams to 14 Aquatic Species.

Researchers have developed numerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-free aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) formulations to replace PFAS-containing AFFF used for fire suppression. As part of the Department of Defense's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), we examined the direct lethal effects of seven PFAS-free AFFF and a PFAS-containing AFFF on 14 aquatic species using a series of lethal concentration (LC50) tests. We assessed the LC10, LC50, and LC90 values using log-logistic and logit analyses.

Assessment of the efficacy of six field cleaning protocols for hydrocarbon quantification.

The defensibility of field sampling data collected in support of natural resource damage assessments and other environmental investigations depends on rigorous quality assurance and control both in the field and laboratory. One important step in field procedures is the cleaning of sampling equipment between samples to minimize the carryover of contaminants. Large-scale sampling efforts during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event have highlighted the importance of understanding how multiple equipment cleaning protocols affect interstation cross-contamination and the resulting chemical data quality.

Multi-stressor Effects of Ultraviolet Light, Temperature, and Salinity on Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil Toxicity in Larval Estuarine Organisms.

When oil is spilled into the environment its toxicity is affected by abiotic conditions. The cumulative and interactive stressors of chemical contaminants and environmental factors are especially relevant in estuaries where tidal fluctuations cause wide variability in salinity, temperature, and ultraviolet (UV) light penetration, which is an important modifying factor for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) toxicity. Characterizing the interactions of multiple stressors on oil toxicity will improve prediction of environmental impacts under various spill scenarios.

Acute Polychlorinated Biphenyl Benthic Invertebrate Toxicity Testing to Support the 2017 Chronic Dose-Response Sediment Injury Model.

As managers and decision makers evaluate pollutant risk, it is critical that we are able to measure an assessment of the injury. Often, these estimates are difficult to determine for benthic organisms, so in 2017 a chronic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) sediment dose-response model to predict benthic invertebrate injury was proposed. Given both natural resource trustee and consultant questions following publication concerning that the aqueous chronic toxicity testing data used in the 2017 model development were primarily from the 1970s and 1980s, this follow-up short communication is meant to provide the user some additional data that are more recent.

Sentinels of synthetics - a comparison of phthalate exposure between common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and human reference populations.

Phthalates are chemical esters used as additives in common consumer goods, such as plastics, household cleaners, and personal care products. Phthalates are not chemically bound to the items to which they are added and can easily leach into the surrounding environment. Anthropogenic drivers, such as coastal plastic pollution and wastewater runoff, increase the exposure potential for coastal marine fauna.

A survey of trace element distribution in tissues of the dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) stranded along the South Carolina coast from 1990-2011.

Few studies report trace elements in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima). As high trophic level predators, marine mammals are exposed through diet to environmental contaminants including metals from anthropogenic sources. Inputs of Hg, Pb, and Cd are of particular concern due to toxicity and potential for atmospheric dispersion and subsequent biomagnification.

An integrated assessment of habitat quality of national estuarine research reserves in the southeastern United States.

Multiple indicators of water quality, sediment quality, and biological condition were used to assess the status of ecological condition of National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia relative to a suite of corresponding scoring criteria. All measurements were made in subtidal aquatic habitats. Calculated scores were integrated into an overall index of habitat quality and used to make comparisons among the various NERR and nonNERR estuaries throughout the region.

The transcriptomic responses of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, to environmental conditions.

Understanding the mechanisms by which organisms adapt to environmental conditions is a fundamental question for ecology and evolution. In this study, we evaluate changes in gene expression of a marine mollusc, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, associated with the physico-chemical conditions and the levels of metals and other contaminants in their environment. The results indicate that transcript signatures can effectively disentangle the complex interactive gene expression responses to the environment and are also capable of disentangling the complex dynamic effects of environmental factors on gene expression.

Protective effects of allozyme genotype during chemical exposure in the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio.

The primary objective of this research was to determine if the genotype of the enzymes glucose phosphate isomerase (Gpi), phosphoglucomutase (Pgm), or mannose phosphate isomerase (Mpi) are factors affecting survival during acute endosulfan, fluoranthene, and chromium(VI) exposures. Palaemonetes pugio were exposed in the laboratory to 6.3 microg/L endosulfan, 100 mg/L chromium(VI), or 0.

Endocrine-mediated effects of UV-A irradiation on grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) reproduction.

Although much is known regarding photoperiodic effects on crustacean egg production, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) light on reproduction has not been investigated. Likewise, little is known concerning the interaction between UV and xenobiotic exposure on crustacean reproductive cycles. In this study, male and female grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, were exposed to sublethal concentrations of endosulfan (200 ng/l and 400 ng/l ES) under both white fluorescent (WF) and UV-A (315-400 nm) light conditions for 50 days in laboratory bioassays.