Dartmouth SRP Director and Project 2 Leader Celia Chen has been 
invited to serve as a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards (STAA) FY 2019-2021 Committee. The Committee reviews scientific publications nominated by EPA managers for FY 2019 and makes recommendations to the EPA Administrator for STAA award recipients.
Legislation to limit the amount of arsenic in public drinking water to no more than 5 parts per billion passed the NH state legislature on May 23. The bill, which cuts in half the permissible limit, now goes to the governor for his signature. Read more.
Student scientists from the Blue Hill Consolidated School in ME presented findings to the public on arsenic levels in well water from samples they collected. Their work is part of a SEPA (Science Education Partnership) “Data to Action: A secondary school-based citizen science project to address arsenic contamination of well water” project. The project is funded by a SEPA award Dartmouth SRP and MDI Biological Laboratory in ME received from NIH. Dartmouth SRP researcher Bruce Stanton is Co-PI of the grant and Research Scientist Kate Buckman is the NH coordinator.
Dartmouth SRP Trainee Antonio Signes-Pastor (lead author) and Researcher Margaret Karagas are co-authors of the paper Inorganic arsenic exposure and neuropsychological development of children of 4–5years of age living in Spain. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research,” …suggests that relatively low inorganic As exposure may impair children’s neuropsychological development and that sex-related differences may be present in susceptibility to iAs related effects.”
Dartmouth SRP Research Scientist Kate Buckman attended the April 15 PFAS Health Fair which was organized by the NH DHHS (NH Department of Health and Human Services). She distributed SRP private well outreach materials and had conversations with a number of interested attendees. Approximately 80 people attended the fair, which was held in Merrimack NH to provide resources for residents in the area who are concerned about PFAS exposure through their drinking water.
An educational online module, Understanding Arsenic: An Introduction to Arsenic and Health, produced for Medical Providers is now online on the Area Health Education Centers website. Produced by our Community Engagement Core, it is a 30-minute presentation that covers arsenic exposure, health, arsenic in NH, exposure reduction and resources. Medical providers can receive education credits and it provides a much needed resource for this stakeholder group. Course link.
The journal Environmental Science and Technology has selected the paper, A Critical Time for Mercury Science to Inform Global Policy, as its second runner up Feature article of 2018. The paper was led by Dartmouth SRP Director and Project 2 co-leader Celia Chen. More information. Link to the paper.
Another successful NE Regional SRP meeting was hosted by Northeastern University April 3-4. Dartmouth SRP Research Translation Coordinator Laurie Rardin presented on science to policy techniques and moderated the Research Translation session. Several trainees participated in the poster session and at least 10 members of our program attended the meeting.
Photos from the Meeting:
Dartmouth SRP Research Scientist Kate Buckman presented a talk on mercury at Providence College on March 20. The talk, “Trophic transfer of mercury in Northeast estuaries: from sources to table”, was attended by 40 undergraduates.