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The Toxics Directory - Ecotoxicology

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Federal

National Center for Environmental Assessment

http://www.epa.gov/ncea/

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development’s National Center for Environmental Assessment serves as the national resource center for the overall process of human health and ecological risk assessments; the integration of hazard, dose-response, and exposure data and models to produce risk characterizations. Guidelines for conducting ecological risk assessments can be found at this site.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Quality Division/Environmental Contaminants Program

http://contaminants.fws.gov/default.cfm

The Environmental Contaminants Program includes contaminants specialists stationed at more than 75 locations around the country. Service contaminants specialists are on the front lines in the fight against pollution. They specialize in detecting toxic chemicals; addressing their effects; preventing harm to fish, wildlife and their habitats; and removing toxic chemicals and restoring habitat when prevention isn't possible. They are experts on oil and chemical spills, pesticides, water quality, hazardous materials disposal and other aspects of pollution biology. The Contaminant Program's operations are integrated into all other Service activities and the Service's contaminants specialists often work in partnership with other agencies and organizations which have come to rely on our expertise.

Office of Cooperative Environmental Management

http://www.epa.gov/ocempage/index.html

The role of the Office of Cooperative Environmental Management (OCEM) is to provide the Administrator and other senior Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision-makers with stakeholder advice for developing and implementing national and international environmental policies. OCEM also provides efficient and effective operation and oversight of EPA advisory committees authorized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

ECOTOX Database

(218) 529-5225
FAX: (218)529-5003
e-mail: ecotox.support@epa.gov
http://www.epa.gov/ecotox/

The ECOTOX database is a source for locating single chemical toxicity data for aquatic life, terrestrial plants, and wildlife. ECOTOX integrates three toxicology effects databases: AQUIRE (aquatic life), PHYTOTOX (terrestrial plants), and TERRETOX (terrestrial wildlife). The databases are supported by U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, and Mid-Continent Ecology Division.

U.S. EPA Environmental Data

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/index_java.html

U.S. EPA created the Envirofacts Warehouse to provide the public with direct access to the wealth of information contained in its databases. The Envirofacts Warehouse allows you to retrieve environmental information from U.S. EPA databases on Air, Chemicals, Facility Information, Grants/Funding, Hazardous Waste, Risk Management Plans, Superfund, Toxic Releases, Water Permits, Drinking Water, Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence, and Drinking Water Microbial and Disinfection Byproduct Information (Information Collection Rule). Online queries allow you to retrieve data from these sources and create reports, or you may generate maps of environmental information by selecting from several mapping applications available through U.S. EPA's Maps On Demand.

Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends Program

Deputy Chief Biologist for Science
U.S. Geological Survey
Biological Resource Division
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, Virginia 20192
http://biology.usgs.gov/pub_aff/about.html

The U.S. Geological Survey Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program is designed to identify and understand the effects of environmental contaminants on biological resources, particularly those resources under the stewardship of the Department of the Interior. BEST provides sound scientific information to be used proactively to prevent or limit contaminant-related effects on biological resources. One of the information assessment tools developed by BEST is the Contaminant Exposure and Effects – Terrestrial Vertebrates Database, which contains approximately 4,000 records containing ecotoxicological exposure and effects information on over 150,000 individuals representing 200 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals residing in estuaries (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bioeco/).

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

12100 Beech Forest Road, Suite 4039
Laurel, Maryland 20708-4039
(301) 497-5500
FAX: (301) 497-5505
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/

The U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is a leading research institute for wildlife and applied environmental research, including study of the effects of environmental contaminants on wildlife and ecosystems. A variety of information resources are available on their Web site, including a database on endangered species containing data on status, environmental stressors presumed to have caused the species’ decline, proposed recovery tasks, and research needs (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/pattee/select.htm)
and a Contaminant Hazard Reviews series
(http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientid=1777744&infobase=eisler1.nfo&softpage=browse_frame_pg).

Columbia Environmental Research Center

4200 New Haven Road
Columbia, Missouri 65201
(573) 875-5399
FAX: (573) 876-1896
http://www.cerc.usgs.gov/

The Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) is a U.S. Geological Survey (U.S. GS) research facility located in Columbia, Missouri. CERC has a national mission of expertise in environmental toxicology and chemistry. CERC has developed several ecotoxicological databases, including an acute toxicity database for aquatic organisms (http://www.cerc.usgs.gov/data/data.htm).

Environmental Residue-Effects Database

http://www.wes.army.mil/el/ered/index.html

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/U.S. EPA Environmental Residue-Effects Database (ERED) is a compilation of data, taken from the literature, where biological effects (e.g., reduced survival, growth, etc.) and tissue contaminant concentrations were simultaneously measured in the same organism. Currently, the database is limited to those instances where biological effects observed in an organism are linked to a specific contaminant within its tissues.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Protection and Restoration Division

Coastal Protection and Restoration Division
Office of Response and Restoration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
7600 Sand Point Way, NE
Seattle, Washington 98115-0070
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/cpr/cpr.html

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Division (CPRD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Response and Restoration is a trustee for coastal resources. CPRD functions to protect coastal ecosystems from damage by toxic chemicals released by hazardous waste sites. Where contaminants have affected fish and other aquatic species, we work to cleanup and restore these ecosystems. CPRD offers tools and guidelines for examining the ecological effects of toxic contaminants in sediment and watersheds. One such tool is a set of Screening Quick Reference Tables (SQuiRTs) that present screening concentrations for inorganic and organic contaminants in various environmental media (http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/CPR/sediment/squirt/squirt.html). The Squirts also include guidelines for preserving samples and analytical technique options.

State

Human and Ecological Risk Division, Department of Toxic Substances Control

1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4010
Sacramento, California 95812-0806
(916) 324-1826
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/AssessingRisk/HERD_FLY_Overview.cfm

The role of the Human and Ecological Risk Division (HERD) of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s (Cal/EPA) Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is to provide expert scientific support in the areas of toxicology, human and ecological risk assessment, exposure assessment, and industrial hygiene. It also includes scientific support to waste classification and assessment, and hazardous waste definition criteria development for the DTSC programs engaged in the cleanup and management of hazardous waste. Guidance on conducting ecological risk assessments at hazardous waste sites can be found at this site.

Ecotoxicology Unit, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4010
Sacramento, California 95814
(916) 327-1099
www.oehha.ca.gov/ecotox.html

The Ecotoxicology Unit was formed within the Cal/EPA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in response to increasing needs in California for the specific assessment of ecological risks posed by chemicals. The primary goals of the Ecotoxicology Unit are to coordinate ecological risk assessment (ERA) activities among Cal/EPA boards and departments, promote consistency in the methodologies used by these departments (harmonization), and develop guidelines for conducting ERAs for Cal/EPA. One of the tools developed by the Ecotoxicology Unit is the Cal/Ecotox Database (www.oehha.org/cal_ecotox/), an online searchable database containing exposure factor and toxicity information for select California wildlife species.

Office of Spill Prevention and Response

CalTIP Hotline Number (888) 334-2258
OSPR 24-hour Communications Center (916) 445-0045
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/Ospr/index.html

The Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) within the California Department of Fish and Game is the lead state agency charged with oil spill prevention and response within California's marine environment. OSPR directs spill response, cleanup, and natural resource damage assessment activities. Their Web site provides information on oil spills in California, relevant laws and regulations, and contingency plans for protecting California coastal areas from oil spills.

Endangered Species Project

California Department of Pesticide Regulation
830 K Street
Sacramento, California 95814-3510
(916) 445-4300
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/es/index.htm

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has been studying endangered species protection issues with federal funding since 1988. DPR activities include mapping sites occupied by federally listed species, evaluating pesticide exposure risks to inhabited sites, classifying risk and developing protection strategies to minimize risk to endangered species as needed.

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
7171 Fenwick Lane
Westminster, California 92683
(714) 894-2222
FAX: (714) 894-9699
http://www.sccwrp.org

The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority is a joint powers agency focusing on marine environmental research. Its mission is to gather the necessary scientific information so that its member agencies can effectively, and cost-efficiently, protect the southern California marine environment.

Other

Center for Ecological Health Research

Hoagland Hall
University of California
Davis, California 95616
(530) 752-5028
http://www.ice.ucdavis.edu/cehr/

The central goal of the Center for Ecological Health Research (CEHR) is to understand how multiple stresses interact to affect biological and ecological processes in aquatic and terrestrial systems. Natural stresses such as drought, salinity, and climate change and anthropogenic stresses such as toxic compounds, nutrients, species introductions, and habitat destruction have cumulative impacts on ecosystems. CEHR provides a forum and a structure that identifies significant issues, designs assessment strategies, and integrates research efforts relevant to assessing risks on selected ecosystems.

Ecological Risk Analysis: Tools and Applications, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

http://www.hsrd.ornl.gov/ecorisk/ecorisk.html

This site contains information regarding ecological screening and baseline risk assessments. This site was prepared by the Environmental Sciences Division and Life Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE). The Strategic Environmental Research Development Program through the U.S. DOE’s Office of Environmental Policy and Assistance provided partial support for this project. Available at this site are ecotoxicological screening benchmarks, bioaccumulation models, ecological risk assessment guidance, and other tools.

San Francisco Estuary Institute

7770 Pardee Lane
Oakland, CA 94621-1424
510.746.SFEI (7334)
Fax 510.746.7300
http://www.sfei.org/

The San Francisco Estuary Institute conducts the San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) for Trace Elements to evaluate the present and potential future effects of pollution on the beneficial uses of the waters of the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. RMP data are now accessible via the Institute's Web site at http://www.sfei.org/rmp/index.html, and through the RMP's Annual Reports available through the Institute. Other programs include Biological Invasions.

Great Lakes Wildlife Toxicology Database

http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/search/metadata.cfm?ID=116&Lang=e

Great Lakes Wildlife Toxicology Database is an online database containing information on the effects of environmental contaminants on reptiles and amphibians.

 
 
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