Hikers and campers can now keep their cameras charged with FlameStower, which uses heat from a campfire, stove or even candles to charge any device powered by a USB connection. While this can seem superfluous — powering up while getting away from it all — creators Andrew Byrnes and Adam Kell says the device can also bring power to people in developing countries where wireless technology has leapfrogged others, places where people have cellphones but not electricity.
Byrnes and Kell were both studying materials science at Stanford University and at first thought about a generator wired to a toaster, but they quickly dismissed that idea. They spoke to a business school professor, who told them something that's been their guiding principle since — build something that can cook a pot of rice and charge a cellphone at the same time.
The technology is fairly simple. The FlameStower has a blade that extends out over the fire, while the other end is cooled by a reservoir of water. That means one part of the blade is hotter than the other. The temperature difference generates electricity, and semiconductors amplify the voltage to a useful amount. It gives you the same charge as connecting your phone to a laptop. The Mars Curiosity Rover uses the same technology, though its heat source comes from decaying radioactive materials.
This phenomenon of heat to electricity is called the Seebeck effect, and it doesn't generate a lot of energy, which means it wasn't that useful until people started walking around with cameras and smartphones.
"Now you have these tools that are insanely powerful, and increasingly are stingy on their energy use, so that value of the low amount of electricity is getting higher," Byrnes says.
He and Kell want to bring the FlameStower not only to stores in the U.S. but to developing countries as well. Kell recently returned from a trip to rural Kenya and Ethiopia to refine the FlameStower for users there, because around 65 percent of people in Africa have cellphones, but only 42 percent have electricity.
"[The cellphone] has been the first technology that people in rural villages are actually buying," Kell says.
Kell says products sold in developing countries are usually made to be cheaper than their counterparts in the U.S., with the exception of energy, which is much more expensive and less reliable.
Kell and Byrnes aren't the only people to come up with something like this. The BioLite CampStove and PowerPot are both pots that will charge a device and cook your food or boil water at the same time. But Kell says they weren't as successful in developing countries because people there often want to use their own pots, so the FlameStower founders made something that can work on any stove or fire.
At the moment a FlameStower costs $80, and the project is being funded on Kickstarter until late October.
The great deal on the Anker Astro E4 we recently featured is back, and we recommend acting quickly because last time it didn't last long. It's Lifehacker's favorite, our favorite, and Dealzmodo readers loved it the last time we posted it. Use code BDDL6ZN9. [Amazon]
High school teams receive Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant for invention projects
Public release date: 16-Oct-2013 [
| E-mail
| Share
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Contact: Stephanie Martinovich smartino@mit.edu 617-258-0632 Lemelson-MIT Program
Grants awarded to 15 high schools nationwide
A recent study from the McKinsey Global Institute pinpoints talent development among K-12 students as one of five "game changers" that will drive future economic growth. Enhancing classroom instruction, turning around underperforming high schools, and introducing digital learning tools can boost student achievement and contribute to gross domestic product. A strong educational foundation during the K-12 years, which includes hands-on learning, can help students develop new skills and adapt to changing work environments later in life.
The Lemelson-MIT Program provides a select group of high school students with the opportunity to show what is possible in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); areas known to play a significant role in boosting the economy. Today, the Lemelson-MIT Program is awarding 15 teams of high school students up to $10,000 each in grant funding as part of its 2013-2014 InvenTeam initiative.
"STEM-related jobs have been predicted to outweigh non-STEM jobs over the next 10 years. Further, studies show that STEM careers are among the fastest growing job sectors" said Joshua Schuler, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. "The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative helps students foster skills in these fields so they are better prepared to make both a social and economic impact through their career choices."
The 2013-2014 InvenTeam projects are largely driven by current events, outlining inventive solutions to address challenges in healthcare, the environment and safety in schools. The teams, representing high schools from Alaska to Washington, D.C., will pursue year-long hands-on invention projects merging learnings in STEM with creative thinking and technical skills. Proposed invention projects include an Alzheimer's patients' safety bracelet, a coffee pod recycler and a school emergency door-locking mechanism.
"The inventions that this year's teams have undertaken focus heavily on improving the safety and wellbeing of those in their communities. I feel optimistic that the students are seeing issues affecting others around them, and responding quickly with original and useful ideas to technically solve problems," said Leigh Estabrooks, invention education officer for the Lemelson-MIT Program.
Meet the 2013-2014 InvenTeams
A respected panel of invention and academic leaders from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Lemelson-MIT Program, industry and InvenTeam student alumni selected the InvenTeams from a national pool of applicants. The 2013-2014 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams and their proposed inventions are:
Safety First
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School (Washington D.C.): School emergency door-locking mechanism
Mt. Edgecumbe High School (Sitka, Alaska): Search and rescue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
School of Dreams Academy (Los Lunas, N.M.): Remote sensing protection for stationary police vehicles
SOAR High School (Lancaster, Calif.): Alcohol level detection bracelet
Tenafly High School (Tenafly, N.J.): Alzheimer's patients' safety bracelet
Wausau West High School (Wausau, Wis.): Autonomous snow removal device
Inventing Green
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School (Bridgewater, Mass.): Coffee pod recycler
Catlin Gabel School (Portland, Ore.): Aquatic vegetation collector
Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies (Edison, N.J.): Agriculture crop spraying Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Providence Day School (Charlotte, N.C.): Pedal powered classroom desk generator
Sand Creek High School (Colorado Springs, Colo.): Biosand-mechanical filter for water sanitation
Wallenpaupack Area High School (Hawley, Pa.): Lake wave generator
Into the Future
Elkins High School (Missouri, Texas): 3D glasses washer
St. Francis DeSales High School (Columbus, Ohio): Automatic page turner
Vandegrift High School (Austin, Texas): Indoor personal GPS device
The 2013-2014 InvenTeams will showcase their projects at EurekaFest in June 2014. EurekaFest is the Lemelson-MIT Program's public, multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit at MIT in Cambridge, Mass.
###
Calling All Young Inventors!
The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam application for the 2014-2015 school year is now available at http://web.mit.edu/inventeams. Teams of high school students, teachers and mentors are encouraged to apply.
ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
Celebrating innovation, inspiring youth
The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding innovators and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.
Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history's most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering. The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives, by inspiring and enabling the next generation of inventors and invention based enterprises to promote economic growth in the US and social and economic progress for the poor in developing countries. http://web.mit.edu/invent/
Mckinsey Global Institute. (2013) Game changers: Five opportunities for US growth and renewal Website: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/americas/us_game_changers?cid=game_changers-eml-alt-mgi-mck-oth-1307
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
High school teams receive Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant for invention projects
Public release date: 16-Oct-2013 [
| E-mail
| Share
]
Contact: Stephanie Martinovich smartino@mit.edu 617-258-0632 Lemelson-MIT Program
Grants awarded to 15 high schools nationwide
A recent study from the McKinsey Global Institute pinpoints talent development among K-12 students as one of five "game changers" that will drive future economic growth. Enhancing classroom instruction, turning around underperforming high schools, and introducing digital learning tools can boost student achievement and contribute to gross domestic product. A strong educational foundation during the K-12 years, which includes hands-on learning, can help students develop new skills and adapt to changing work environments later in life.
The Lemelson-MIT Program provides a select group of high school students with the opportunity to show what is possible in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); areas known to play a significant role in boosting the economy. Today, the Lemelson-MIT Program is awarding 15 teams of high school students up to $10,000 each in grant funding as part of its 2013-2014 InvenTeam initiative.
"STEM-related jobs have been predicted to outweigh non-STEM jobs over the next 10 years. Further, studies show that STEM careers are among the fastest growing job sectors" said Joshua Schuler, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. "The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative helps students foster skills in these fields so they are better prepared to make both a social and economic impact through their career choices."
The 2013-2014 InvenTeam projects are largely driven by current events, outlining inventive solutions to address challenges in healthcare, the environment and safety in schools. The teams, representing high schools from Alaska to Washington, D.C., will pursue year-long hands-on invention projects merging learnings in STEM with creative thinking and technical skills. Proposed invention projects include an Alzheimer's patients' safety bracelet, a coffee pod recycler and a school emergency door-locking mechanism.
"The inventions that this year's teams have undertaken focus heavily on improving the safety and wellbeing of those in their communities. I feel optimistic that the students are seeing issues affecting others around them, and responding quickly with original and useful ideas to technically solve problems," said Leigh Estabrooks, invention education officer for the Lemelson-MIT Program.
Meet the 2013-2014 InvenTeams
A respected panel of invention and academic leaders from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Lemelson-MIT Program, industry and InvenTeam student alumni selected the InvenTeams from a national pool of applicants. The 2013-2014 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams and their proposed inventions are:
Safety First
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School (Washington D.C.): School emergency door-locking mechanism
Mt. Edgecumbe High School (Sitka, Alaska): Search and rescue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
School of Dreams Academy (Los Lunas, N.M.): Remote sensing protection for stationary police vehicles
SOAR High School (Lancaster, Calif.): Alcohol level detection bracelet
Tenafly High School (Tenafly, N.J.): Alzheimer's patients' safety bracelet
Wausau West High School (Wausau, Wis.): Autonomous snow removal device
Inventing Green
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School (Bridgewater, Mass.): Coffee pod recycler
Catlin Gabel School (Portland, Ore.): Aquatic vegetation collector
Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies (Edison, N.J.): Agriculture crop spraying Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Providence Day School (Charlotte, N.C.): Pedal powered classroom desk generator
Sand Creek High School (Colorado Springs, Colo.): Biosand-mechanical filter for water sanitation
Wallenpaupack Area High School (Hawley, Pa.): Lake wave generator
Into the Future
Elkins High School (Missouri, Texas): 3D glasses washer
St. Francis DeSales High School (Columbus, Ohio): Automatic page turner
Vandegrift High School (Austin, Texas): Indoor personal GPS device
The 2013-2014 InvenTeams will showcase their projects at EurekaFest in June 2014. EurekaFest is the Lemelson-MIT Program's public, multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit at MIT in Cambridge, Mass.
###
Calling All Young Inventors!
The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam application for the 2014-2015 school year is now available at http://web.mit.edu/inventeams. Teams of high school students, teachers and mentors are encouraged to apply.
ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
Celebrating innovation, inspiring youth
The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding innovators and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.
Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history's most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering. The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives, by inspiring and enabling the next generation of inventors and invention based enterprises to promote economic growth in the US and social and economic progress for the poor in developing countries. http://web.mit.edu/invent/
Mckinsey Global Institute. (2013) Game changers: Five opportunities for US growth and renewal Website: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/americas/us_game_changers?cid=game_changers-eml-alt-mgi-mck-oth-1307
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| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
In her PhD thesis Ruth Sanz-Barrio, an agricultural engineer of the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology (mixed centre of the CSIC-Spanish National Research Council, Public University of Navarre and the Government of Navarre), has demonstrated, for the first time, the viability of using specific tobacco proteins (known as thioredoxins) as biotechnological tools in plants. Specifically, she has managed to increase the amount of starch produced in the tobacco leaves by 700% and fermentable sugars by 500%. "We believe that these genetically modified plants," she explained, "could be a good alternative to food crops for producing biofuels, and could provide an outlet for the tobacco-producing areas in our country that see their future in jeopardy owing to the discontinuing of European grants for this crop."
Thioredoxins (Trxs) are small proteins present in most living organisms. In the course of her research Ruth Sanz demonstrated the capacity of the thioredoxins f and m in tobacco as biotechnological tools not only to increase the starch content in the plant but also to increase the production of proteins like human albumin. "For some time Trxs have been known to have a regulating function in living organisms, but in the thesis we have shown that they can also act by helping other proteins to fold and structure themselves so that they become functional."
Human albumin is the most widely used intravenous protein in the world for therapeutic purposes. It is used to stabilize blood volume and prevent the risk of infarction, and its application in operating theatres is almost a daily occurrence. It is also used in burns, surgical operations, haemorrhages, or when the patient is undernourished or dehydrated, and in the case of chronic infections and renal or hepatic diseases.
Although commercial albumin is extracted from blood, the lack of a sufficient volume in reserve has prompted many researchers to seek new formulas for obtaining this protein on a large scale economically and safely. "We have come up with an easier, cheaper procedure for producing it in the tobacco plant and extracting it. By fusing the genes encoding the Trxs f or m, we increased the amount of recombinant protein (the albumin, in this case). We also managed to improve the solubility and folding of the albumin, which helps to extract it from the plant and lowers the costs involved in this process."
Tobacco for producing bioethanol
As the research progressed, thioredoxin f was shown for the first time in vivo to be more efficient than Trx m in regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates, as it causes "a significant increase in the amount of starch in the leaves, which can reach 700% with respect to the amount obtained from non-modified control plants." Ruth Sanz explained that this was also new, since "up until now both Trxs were thought to act in the same way, but we have shown that this is not so."
Once the regulating function of Trx f in starch synthesis had been proven, the researcher focussed on its possible application in energy crops used to produce bioethanol: "We saw that the leaves of the genetically modified tobacco plants were releasing 500% more fermentable sugars. With these sugars, which could later be turned into bioethanol, one could obtain up to 40 litres of bioethanol per tonne of fresh leaves according to the theoretical calculation provided by the National Centre for Renewable Energies where the enzymatic test was conducted which would mean an almost tenfold increase in bioethanol yield with respect to the control tobacco plant that had not been modified."
Genetically enhanced tobacco could be an alternative source of biomass in areas like Extremadura and Andalusia, the traditional tobacco producers. The estimated calculations of the starch production of these enhanced varieties would be the equivalent to those of crops like barley or wheat. "As cereals are currently being used as the raw material to produce bioethanol, genetically enhanced tobacco could be an alternative source of biomass and for obtaining clean energies."
###
The thesis "Caracterizacin y aplicaciones biotecnolgicas de las tiorredoxinas plastidiales f y m de tabaco" (Characterization and biotechnological applications of plastidial thioredoxins f and m in tobacco) was supervised by Prof Inmaculada Farran-Blanch of the department of Agricultural Production of the Public University of Navarre.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Research shows that genetically modified tobacco plants are viable for producing biofuels
In her PhD thesis Ruth Sanz-Barrio, an agricultural engineer of the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology (mixed centre of the CSIC-Spanish National Research Council, Public University of Navarre and the Government of Navarre), has demonstrated, for the first time, the viability of using specific tobacco proteins (known as thioredoxins) as biotechnological tools in plants. Specifically, she has managed to increase the amount of starch produced in the tobacco leaves by 700% and fermentable sugars by 500%. "We believe that these genetically modified plants," she explained, "could be a good alternative to food crops for producing biofuels, and could provide an outlet for the tobacco-producing areas in our country that see their future in jeopardy owing to the discontinuing of European grants for this crop."
Thioredoxins (Trxs) are small proteins present in most living organisms. In the course of her research Ruth Sanz demonstrated the capacity of the thioredoxins f and m in tobacco as biotechnological tools not only to increase the starch content in the plant but also to increase the production of proteins like human albumin. "For some time Trxs have been known to have a regulating function in living organisms, but in the thesis we have shown that they can also act by helping other proteins to fold and structure themselves so that they become functional."
Human albumin is the most widely used intravenous protein in the world for therapeutic purposes. It is used to stabilize blood volume and prevent the risk of infarction, and its application in operating theatres is almost a daily occurrence. It is also used in burns, surgical operations, haemorrhages, or when the patient is undernourished or dehydrated, and in the case of chronic infections and renal or hepatic diseases.
Although commercial albumin is extracted from blood, the lack of a sufficient volume in reserve has prompted many researchers to seek new formulas for obtaining this protein on a large scale economically and safely. "We have come up with an easier, cheaper procedure for producing it in the tobacco plant and extracting it. By fusing the genes encoding the Trxs f or m, we increased the amount of recombinant protein (the albumin, in this case). We also managed to improve the solubility and folding of the albumin, which helps to extract it from the plant and lowers the costs involved in this process."
Tobacco for producing bioethanol
As the research progressed, thioredoxin f was shown for the first time in vivo to be more efficient than Trx m in regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates, as it causes "a significant increase in the amount of starch in the leaves, which can reach 700% with respect to the amount obtained from non-modified control plants." Ruth Sanz explained that this was also new, since "up until now both Trxs were thought to act in the same way, but we have shown that this is not so."
Once the regulating function of Trx f in starch synthesis had been proven, the researcher focussed on its possible application in energy crops used to produce bioethanol: "We saw that the leaves of the genetically modified tobacco plants were releasing 500% more fermentable sugars. With these sugars, which could later be turned into bioethanol, one could obtain up to 40 litres of bioethanol per tonne of fresh leaves according to the theoretical calculation provided by the National Centre for Renewable Energies where the enzymatic test was conducted which would mean an almost tenfold increase in bioethanol yield with respect to the control tobacco plant that had not been modified."
Genetically enhanced tobacco could be an alternative source of biomass in areas like Extremadura and Andalusia, the traditional tobacco producers. The estimated calculations of the starch production of these enhanced varieties would be the equivalent to those of crops like barley or wheat. "As cereals are currently being used as the raw material to produce bioethanol, genetically enhanced tobacco could be an alternative source of biomass and for obtaining clean energies."
###
The thesis "Caracterizacin y aplicaciones biotecnolgicas de las tiorredoxinas plastidiales f y m de tabaco" (Characterization and biotechnological applications of plastidial thioredoxins f and m in tobacco) was supervised by Prof Inmaculada Farran-Blanch of the department of Agricultural Production of the Public University of Navarre.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Illinois river otters exposed to chemicals banned decades ago
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013 [
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Contact: Diana Yates diya@illinois.edu 217-333-5802 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Researchers report that river otters in Central Illinois are being exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides that were banned in the U.S. in the 1970s and '80s.
Their analysis appears in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources collected 23 river otters between 2009 and 2011, after the animals were incidentally killed (hit by cars or accidentally caught in traps, for example). The agency passed the carcasses along to researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) for analysis, and the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory conducted autopsies.
As part of this effort, the research team, led by wildlife technical assistant Samantha Carpenter and wildlife veterinary epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, both with the natural history survey, and U. of I. animal sciences professor Jan Novakofski, looked at liver concentrations of 20 organohalogenated compounds once used in agriculture and industry (all but one of which were later banned). Andreas Lehner, of Michigan State University, conducted the toxicological tests.
The researchers were surprised to find that average concentrations of one of the compounds they analyzed, dieldrin -- an insecticide (and byproduct of the pesticide aldrin) that was used across the Midwest before it was banned in 1987 -- exceeded those measured in eight river otters collected in Illinois from 1984 to 1989.
Liver concentrations of PCBs and DDE (the latter a breakdown product of the banned pesticide DDT) were similar to those in the earlier study, the researchers report.
"The PCBs, dieldrin and DDE were the contaminants that we detected in highest concentration, in terms of average concentrations," Carpenter said. "And male river otters had significantly higher concentrations of PCBs compared to females."
PCBs were once used as insulators and coolants in motors and electrical systems, but were banned in 1979 in the U.S. after studies found that exposure to these compounds caused cancer and other deleterious health effects in animals. PCBs are classified as "probable human carcinogens" and there are fish consumption advisories for this contaminant in many Illinois rivers.
DDT was banned in the U.S. in the early 1970s after decades of widespread use. Studies indicated that DDT and DDE contribute to eggshell thinning in several bird species and are toxic to fish, shellfish and other organisms. In mammals, these compounds can cause gene disruption and interfere with hormone function, particularly in a developing fetus.
Dieldrin was used extensively to kill crop pests, termites and mosquitoes before it was banned in 1987 in the U.S. Its use in the Midwest agricultural belt was particularly pronounced. Before these compounds were banned, U.S. farmers applied more than 15 million pounds of dieldrin and aldrin (its parent compound) to their crops every year -- much of it in the Midwest.
"Some studies (of dieldrin) exposure find links to cancer, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's and some do not," Carpenter said. "But perhaps most concerning is that both dieldrin and PCBs can act as developmental neurotoxicants, meaning that developing fetuses can be harmed at concentrations much smaller than those that can impact the health of adults."
Concentrations of contaminants in river otters ranged widely. One male had a concentration of PCBs in its liver of 3,450 parts per billion (ppb), while another had only 30 ppb. Dieldrin concentrations ranged from 14.4 to 534 ppb.
Since the otters were collected from counties all over Central Illinois, the findings could indicate that some watersheds have a worse contamination problem than others, Carpenter said.
"For many of the contaminants we did detect a large range," she said. "This is a red flag. We need to understand more about what humans and wildlife are being exposed to in different watersheds."
More research is needed to understand the factors that contribute to the river otters' exposure to these chemicals, Mateus-Pinilla said.
"We don't have a good understanding of how much time they spend in a particular area, how long they stay there, how far they go or where they spend most of their time during the winter versus the summer," she said. "All of these can contribute to differences in exposure."
The researchers do not know why the male otters in the study carried a heavier burden of PCBs than the females, Carpenter said. It may be simply that the males are larger. They may range further than the females, picking up more toxins as they go. Or the females might transfer some of the contaminants to their offspring during nursing, as previous research suggests.
"Maternal transfer is particularly interesting," Novakofski said. "In some watersheds humans may have the same kind of risk because they're eating the same kinds of fish that the otters might be."
Studies have shown that PCBs and dieldrin can be transferred through breast milk, he said.
"We don't know enough about how these contaminants behave synergistically," Carpenter said, especially since "the cocktail of contaminants that we're exposed to here in the Midwest differs from what humans and wildlife are exposed to in eastern or western North America."
###
The research team also included Illinois pathobiology professor Kuldeep Singh, Robert Bluett of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Damian Satterthwaite-Phillips and Nelda Rivera, both of the natural history survey. The INHS is a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the U. of I.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
Projects (W-146-R and W-167-R) and the natural history survey provided
funding for this research
Editor's notes: To reach Samantha Carpenter, email samantha@illinois.edu.
Jan Novakofski, call 217-333-6181; jnova@illinois.edu.
Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, 217-333-6856; nohram@illinois.edu.
The paper, "River Otters as Biomonitors for Organochlorine Pesticides,
PCBs, and PBDEs in Illinois," is available online or from the U. of I.
News Bureau.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Illinois river otters exposed to chemicals banned decades ago
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013 [
| E-mail
| Share
]
Contact: Diana Yates diya@illinois.edu 217-333-5802 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Researchers report that river otters in Central Illinois are being exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides that were banned in the U.S. in the 1970s and '80s.
Their analysis appears in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources collected 23 river otters between 2009 and 2011, after the animals were incidentally killed (hit by cars or accidentally caught in traps, for example). The agency passed the carcasses along to researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) for analysis, and the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory conducted autopsies.
As part of this effort, the research team, led by wildlife technical assistant Samantha Carpenter and wildlife veterinary epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, both with the natural history survey, and U. of I. animal sciences professor Jan Novakofski, looked at liver concentrations of 20 organohalogenated compounds once used in agriculture and industry (all but one of which were later banned). Andreas Lehner, of Michigan State University, conducted the toxicological tests.
The researchers were surprised to find that average concentrations of one of the compounds they analyzed, dieldrin -- an insecticide (and byproduct of the pesticide aldrin) that was used across the Midwest before it was banned in 1987 -- exceeded those measured in eight river otters collected in Illinois from 1984 to 1989.
Liver concentrations of PCBs and DDE (the latter a breakdown product of the banned pesticide DDT) were similar to those in the earlier study, the researchers report.
"The PCBs, dieldrin and DDE were the contaminants that we detected in highest concentration, in terms of average concentrations," Carpenter said. "And male river otters had significantly higher concentrations of PCBs compared to females."
PCBs were once used as insulators and coolants in motors and electrical systems, but were banned in 1979 in the U.S. after studies found that exposure to these compounds caused cancer and other deleterious health effects in animals. PCBs are classified as "probable human carcinogens" and there are fish consumption advisories for this contaminant in many Illinois rivers.
DDT was banned in the U.S. in the early 1970s after decades of widespread use. Studies indicated that DDT and DDE contribute to eggshell thinning in several bird species and are toxic to fish, shellfish and other organisms. In mammals, these compounds can cause gene disruption and interfere with hormone function, particularly in a developing fetus.
Dieldrin was used extensively to kill crop pests, termites and mosquitoes before it was banned in 1987 in the U.S. Its use in the Midwest agricultural belt was particularly pronounced. Before these compounds were banned, U.S. farmers applied more than 15 million pounds of dieldrin and aldrin (its parent compound) to their crops every year -- much of it in the Midwest.
"Some studies (of dieldrin) exposure find links to cancer, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's and some do not," Carpenter said. "But perhaps most concerning is that both dieldrin and PCBs can act as developmental neurotoxicants, meaning that developing fetuses can be harmed at concentrations much smaller than those that can impact the health of adults."
Concentrations of contaminants in river otters ranged widely. One male had a concentration of PCBs in its liver of 3,450 parts per billion (ppb), while another had only 30 ppb. Dieldrin concentrations ranged from 14.4 to 534 ppb.
Since the otters were collected from counties all over Central Illinois, the findings could indicate that some watersheds have a worse contamination problem than others, Carpenter said.
"For many of the contaminants we did detect a large range," she said. "This is a red flag. We need to understand more about what humans and wildlife are being exposed to in different watersheds."
More research is needed to understand the factors that contribute to the river otters' exposure to these chemicals, Mateus-Pinilla said.
"We don't have a good understanding of how much time they spend in a particular area, how long they stay there, how far they go or where they spend most of their time during the winter versus the summer," she said. "All of these can contribute to differences in exposure."
The researchers do not know why the male otters in the study carried a heavier burden of PCBs than the females, Carpenter said. It may be simply that the males are larger. They may range further than the females, picking up more toxins as they go. Or the females might transfer some of the contaminants to their offspring during nursing, as previous research suggests.
"Maternal transfer is particularly interesting," Novakofski said. "In some watersheds humans may have the same kind of risk because they're eating the same kinds of fish that the otters might be."
Studies have shown that PCBs and dieldrin can be transferred through breast milk, he said.
"We don't know enough about how these contaminants behave synergistically," Carpenter said, especially since "the cocktail of contaminants that we're exposed to here in the Midwest differs from what humans and wildlife are exposed to in eastern or western North America."
###
The research team also included Illinois pathobiology professor Kuldeep Singh, Robert Bluett of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Damian Satterthwaite-Phillips and Nelda Rivera, both of the natural history survey. The INHS is a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the U. of I.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
Projects (W-146-R and W-167-R) and the natural history survey provided
funding for this research
Editor's notes: To reach Samantha Carpenter, email samantha@illinois.edu.
Jan Novakofski, call 217-333-6181; jnova@illinois.edu.
Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, 217-333-6856; nohram@illinois.edu.
The paper, "River Otters as Biomonitors for Organochlorine Pesticides,
PCBs, and PBDEs in Illinois," is available online or from the U. of I.
News Bureau.
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