Elk River Research Articles

Metals in organs of bottom sediments and aquatic plants of the Ełk River and its tributaries

The aim of the work was to analyze the content of Ni, Pb and Cd in organs (root, stem, leaf) Typha latifolia L. and Nuphar lutea as well as bottom sediments of the Elk River and selected tributaries. An attempt was also made to indicate the factors and processes governing the behavior of the investigated metals in the water environment of the examined rivers. The research object was the Elk River with its three tributaries - the Gawlik River, the Binduga River and the Kuwasy Canal. Samples of bottom sediments, leaves, stems and roots of Typha latifolia L. and Nuphar lutea were collected in August of 2015. The content of metals was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS). The results of analyses of sediments and plant material indicate a lack of environmental pollution by nickel (2.58-8.50 mg-kg-1) and lead (3.82-15.99 mg-kg-1) of the Elk River and its tributaries whereas the cadmium content ranged from 0.16-0.76 mg-kg-1. Nuphar lutea and Typha latifolia L. showed a varied capacity to accumulate nickel (1.20-10.51 mg-kg-1) and lead (0.04-14.16 mg-kg-1), occurring primarily in the roots. The smallest concentration of nickel and lead was recorded in the stems. The highest concentration of cadmium (2.56 mg-kg-1) was noted in the roots and the lowest (0.01 mg-kg) in the leaves. Factor analysis pointed to the processes of mobilizing elements from bottom sediments as a result of pH drop and their uptake by macrophyte roots and sorption processes of metal ions by macrophytes from river waters and their intensive accumulation in bottom sediments.

Effects of an Extreme Flood Event on Federally Endangered Diamond Darter Abundances

Extreme flood events can substantially affect riverine systems, modifying in-stream habitat and influencing fish assemblages and densities. Rare species are especially vulnerable to these disturbance events because of their small population size and often reduced phenotypic heterogeneity. In June 2016 the lower Elk River in West Virginia experienced severe flooding, resulting in a peak discharge that exceeded the 0.005 annual exceedance probability (>200 y flood) in the main stem. We obtained pre-flood and post-flood population count data and estimated abundances for one cohort of the federally endangered Diamond Darter (Crystallaria cincotta) at 15 sites. While both the total count data and total estimated abundance decreased following the flood, our analyses did not indicate the extreme flood event strongly impacted Diamond Darter abundance. This indicates individuals are able to withstand high velocities and resist displacement or mortality. In addition site-level abundances were estimated at three sentinel sites during 2015 and 2016 using a multinomial N-mixture model that accounted for variation in detectability resulting from water temperature. Mean estimated abundance varied among the three sites and between the 2 y. Our results suggest there is substantial variation in year-class strength between the two cohorts we sampled. It is suggested that survey efforts at established sentinel sites be continued on an annual basis in order to help determine factors influencing year-class strength.

Risk, Uncertainty, and Institutional Failure in the 2014 West Virginia Chemical Spill

On January 9, 2014, 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM), a chemical used to process coal, spilled into West Virginia’s Elk River and contaminated the drinking water of over 300,000 people. In the following weeks, the public uncovered a series of institutional failures—among the private sector, local utilities, and government agencies—preceding and following the spill. This case study introduces students to the institutional complexities and ecological vulnerabilities that slowed and confounded response to the disaster due to an unclear chain of responsibility across sectors. This case study also assesses how West Virginia residents and agencies perceived the environmental risk and the responsibility of different institutional agencies and how these perceptions added to the complexity and uncertainty surrounding response to the spill. This case study aims to teach students how risk assessment and perception interact with environmental governance.

The Economic and Health Effects of the 2014 Chemical Spill in the Elk River, West Virginia

AbstractIn January 2014, Freedom Industries spilled 4‐methylcyclohexylmethanol, a chemical foaming agent used in coal processing, from a storage facility into the Elk River in West Virginia. This chemical spill, one of the most significant in U.S. history, adversely affected the drinking water supply of over 300,000 individuals in the Charleston, West Virginia Metropolitan area. We use synthetic control methods to estimate the casual effects on macro‐economic growth and infant health outcomes from this water crisis. We find a significant decrease in 5‐minute Apgar Scores, a measure of how babies fare in the birthing process and outside of the womb, after the chemical spill. We do not find significant effects for infant birthweight or gestational age. We find a statistically insignificant decrease of per capita GDP in the Charlestown, West Virginia area compared to the synthetic control of 3% two years after the chemical spill.

Do River Drainage Boundaries Coincide with Phylogeographic Breaks in the Redband Darter?

The Redband Darter, Etheostoma luteovinctum, is a benthic headwater fish species found in the Caney Fork and Stones rivers (Cumberland River) and the Duck and Elk rivers (Tennessee River) of central Tennessee. Phylogenetic analyses of 2601 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) were used to assess the relationships among populations and identified two genetically distinct lineages of Redband Darter. One lineage is comprised of populations in the Duck R., Elk R., Middle Fork Stones R., West Fork Stones R., and Hickory Creek of the Caney Fork River, while the other lineage is confined to the remainder of the known localities in the Cumberland R. drainage. As clades were not restricted to drainage or system boundaries, patterns suggest system and drainage transfers. Additionally, morphological variation was examined among populations using standard meristic data and nuptial male color and pigmentation characteristics. Although some morphological traits varied between the two clades, members were not clearly diagnosable using morphology. Taxonomic recognition is not proposed for the two identified clades; however, each clade should be recognized as an evolutionarily significant unit and regarded as such in future conservation efforts. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the utility of AFLPs to assess genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships for species-level taxonomic or phylogeographic studies.

Degradation of Crude 4-MCHM (4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol) in Sediments from Elk River, West Virginia.

In January 2014, approximately 37 800 L of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (crude MCHM) spilled into the Elk River, West Virginia. To understand the long-term fate of 4-MCHM, we conducted experiments under environmentally relevant conditions to assess the potential for the 2 primary compounds in crude MCHM (1) to undergo biodegradation and (2) for sediments to serve as a long-term source of 4-MCHM. We developed a solid phase microextraction (SPME) method to quantify the cis- and trans-isomers of 4-MCHM. Autoclaved Elk River sediment slurries sorbed 17.5% of cis-4-MCHM and 31% of trans-4-MCHM from water during the 2-week experiment. Sterilized, impacted, spill-site sediment released minor amounts of cis- and up to 35 μg/L of trans-4-MCHM into water, indicating 4-MCHM was present in sediment collected 10 months post spill. In anoxic microcosms, 300 μg/L cis- and 150 μg/L trans-4-MCHM degraded to nondetectable levels in 8-13 days in both impacted and background sediments. Under aerobic conditions, 4-MCHM isomers degraded to nondetectable levels within 4 days. Microbial communities at impacted sites differed in composition compared to background samples, but communities from both sites shifted in response to crude MCHM amendments. Our results indicate that 4-MCHM is readily biodegradable under environmentally relevant conditions.

Comparative analytical and toxicological assessment of methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) mixtures associated with the Elk River chemical spill

On January 9, 2014, a chemical mixture containing crude methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) contaminated the water supply of Charleston, West Virginia. Although the mixture was later identified as a mix of crude MCHM and stripped propylene glycol phenyl ethers, initial risk assessment focused on 4-MCHM, the predominant component of crude MCHM. The mixture's exact composition and the toxicity differences between 4-MCHM, crude MCHM, and the tank mixture were unknown. We analyzed the chemical composition of crude MCHM and the tank mixture via GC/MS and, based on identified spectra, found that crude MCHM and the tank mixture differed in chemical composition. To evaluate acute developmental toxicity, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0, 1, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 parts per million (ppm; mg/L) of 4-MCHM, crude MCHM, or the tank mixture. The percent mortality and percent hatch, larval morphology alterations, and larval visual motor response test were used to establish toxicity profiles for each of the chemicals or mixtures. The acute toxicity differed between 4-MCHM, crude MCHM and the tank mixture with significant differences in survival, hatching, morphology, and locomotion at levels as low as the short-term screening level of 1 ppm, suggesting a need for further research into human health risks. This study is the first to evaluate the developmental toxicity of the tank mixture and highlights that studies evaluating risk should not assume the effects of 4-MCHM or crude MCHM are representative of the Tank 396 mixture.

Kinetic, product, and computational studies of the ultrasonic induced degradation of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM)

A massive spill of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM), a semi-volatile organic compound, contaminated the Elk river and forced the recent closure of tap water for nearly 300,000 residents. Typical water treatment methods are not effective for MCHM remediation, however ultrasonic irradiation leads to its rapid pseudo-first order degradation. The degradation processes were effectively modeled employing heterogeneous kinetic models with the reaction surface corresponding to the gas-liquid interface of the cavitation bubble. The Freundlich model which takes into account non-uniform distribution within the reactive zone showed the strongest correlation to the observed degradation kinetic data with R2 > 0.99. Solute-solute clustering behavior is proposed to explain non-uniform distribution of MCHM. The results indicate the degradation occurs predominantly at the gas-liquid interface as a result of hydroxyl radical reactions and pyrolysis with primary reaction products, (4-methylcyclohexenyl) methanol and 4-methylcyclohexanone. Computational methods using density functional B3YPL/6-311G** calculations with Gaussian 09 provided insight of the hydroxyl radical and pyrolytic degradation pathways for the isomeric and conformational forms of MCHM. Our studies demonstrate that heterogeneous kinetic models and computational methods are important tools for the fundamental understanding and effective application of ultrasonically mediated degradation of MCHM which may be extended to a number of semi-volatile compounds.

The 2014 crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol chemical release and birth outcomes in West Virginia

ABSTRACTApproximately 10,000 gallons of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol and propylene glycol phenyl ether were accidentally released into the Elk River upstream from a water treatment facility in West Virginia. The objective of this study was to use logistic and Poisson regression analyses to determine the effect potential exposures had on adverse birth outcomes (birth weight, small for gestational age, and abnormal Apgar score). We adjusted for confounding factors and assessed prevalence of adverse birth outcomes by residential location and timing of the pregnancy. There were no statistically significant interactions between residential location and timing of the pregnancy (range of p values: .157–.806). Changes in the prevalence of birth outcomes were consistent before and after the spill regardless of residential location. There was no evidence of an association between adverse birth outcomes and potential exposure to the released chemicals.

Media and ‘undone science’ in West Virginia’s Elk River chemical spill

ABSTRACTIn January 2014, a storage tank in Charleston, West Virginia leaked 10,000 gallons of an industrial coal-cleansing chemical called ‘crude MCHM’ into the Elk River, poisoning the water supply of 300,000 residents. During the ensuing water crisis, conflict quickly developed over the risks of chemical exposure. Few studies on crude MCHM existed, leaving large knowledge gaps about the potential health consequences for residents in the affected area. This study utilizes newsprint coverage of the water crisis to analyze the media’s role in environmental and scientific disputes. Specifically, I examine how news actors can influence scientific knowledge production during times of crisis. Findings indicate that, by challenging official knowledge and introducing alternative epistemic forms, the media revealed knowledge gaps in the official science and played a crucial role in directing the research agenda. Implications for future work on the democratization of science during environmental disasters are discussed.

Evaluation of Exposure-Type Stratification to Improve Poison Center Surveillance

ObjectiveOur objective was to determine if the detection performance ofcurrent surveillance algorithms to detect call clusters is improved bystratifying by exposure category.IntroductionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses theNational Poison Data System (NPDS) to conduct surveillance ofcalls to United States poison centers (PCs) to identify clusters ofreports of hazardous exposures and illnesses. NPDS stores basicinformation from PC calls including call type (information requestonly or call reporting a possible chemical exposure), exposure agent,demographics, clinical, and other variables.CDC looks for anomalies in PC data by using automated algorithmsto analyze call and clinical effect volume, and by identifying callsreporting exposures to pre-specified high priority agents. Algorithmsanalyzing call and clinical effect volume identify anomalies when thenumber of calls exceeds a threshold using the historical limits method(HLM). Clinical toxicologists and epidemiologists at the AmericanAssociation of Poison Control Centers and CDC apply standardizedcriteria to determine if the anomaly is a potential incident of publichealth significance (IPHS) and then notify the respective healthdepartments and PCs as needed. Discussions with surveillance systemusers and analysis of past IPHS determined that call volume-basedsurveillance results in a high proportion of false positive anomalies.A study assessing the positive predictive value (PPV) of thisapproach determined that fewer than four percent of anomalies over afive-year period were IPHS.1A low PPV can cause an unnecessarywaste of staff time and resources. We hypothesized that first stratifyingcall volume by exposure category would reduce the number of falsepositives. With the help of medical toxicologists, we created 20toxicologically-relevant exposure categories to test this hypothesis.MethodsTo compare cluster detection performance between the twoapproaches, we used a historical testbed of hourly exposure callcounts with and without initial stratification by exposure categoryfrom 10 selected PCs from Jan 1, 2006 - Jul 31, 2015. We ran theHLM for both non-stratified and stratified testbeds to estimate themonthly number of anomalies triggered (i.e., alert burden). Our targetsignals to assess detection performance consisted of call samples fromthree large public health events: the 2009 Salmonella food poisoningevent from contaminated peanut butter, the 2012 Hurricane Sandy-associated carbon monoxide poisonings in New Jersey, and the 2014Elk River contaminated water spill in West Virginia (WV). Foreach event, we chose 30 random calls one thousand times to obtain1000 random sets of inject clusters. Each inject cluster was iterativelyadded into the testbed with and without initial stratification byexposure category. We then applied the HLM for each iteration to seeif the algorithm identified the inject cluster. The sensitivity for eachapproach for each PC was calculated as the proportion of iterationswhere the algorithm identified the inject cluster. We reported mediansensitivities from the ten PCs for each of the time windows of 1, 2,4, 8, and 24 hours.ResultsFigure 1 summarizes results for the WV event with markersshowing anomaly burden (x-axis) and sensitivity (y-axis) using thestratified (Δ) and the non-stratified (o) approach by different timewindows (hrs). The results from the other two events are not shownbut established similar patterns. Anomaly burden is shown as theestimated monthly anomaly count for each approach. For example,markers linked by the arrow show that with a 4-hour time window,the stratified approach achieves nearly perfect sensitivity with ~10anomalies as the monthly anomaly burden while sensitivity of thenon-stratified approach is below 20% with ~40 monthly anomalies.The stratified approach gave improved overall sensitivity across alltime windows, and reduced anomaly burden for 1-, 2-, and 4-hourtime windows.ConclusionsWe found a consistent detection advantage (higher sensitivityand lower anomaly burden) for the stratified vs traditional non-stratified approach for 1-, 2-, and 4-hour time windows. Furtherresearch should focus on refining the stratified approach and thespecific surveillance parameters (such as time windows) that increasealgorithm performance.Figure 1: Detection performance comparison: stratified vs non-stratifiedapproach; 2014 Elk River contaminated water spill in West Virginia scenario

In vitro cytotoxicity assessment of a West Virginia chemical spill mixture involving 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol and propylene glycol phenyl ether.

Thousands of gallons of industrial chemicals, crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPh), leaked from industrial tanks into the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia, USA, on January 9, 2014. A considerable number of people were reported to exhibit symptoms of chemical exposure and an estimated 300,000 residents were advised not to use or drink tap water. At the time of the spill, the existing toxicological data of the chemicals were limited for a full evaluation of the health risks, resulting in concern among those in the impacted regions. In this preliminary study, we assessed cell viability and plasma membrane degradation following a 24-h exposure to varying concentrations (0-1000μM) of the two compounds, alone and in combination. Evaluation of different cell lines, HEK-293 (kidney), HepG2 (liver), H9c2 (heart), and GT1-7 (brain), provided insight regarding altered cellular responses in varying organ systems. Single exposure to MCHM or PPh did not affect cell viability, except at doses much higher than the estimated exposure levels. Certain co-exposures significantly reduced metabolic activity and increased plasma membrane degradation in GT1-7, HepG2, and H9c2 cells. These findings highlight the importance of examining co-exposures to fully understand the potential toxic effects.

Evaluation of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) in a combined irritancy and Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA) in mice

4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) is a flotation reagent used in fine coal beneficiation. On January 9, 2014, crude MCHM, a mixture containing predominantly MCHM, was inadvertently released into the Elk River, a municipal water source that serves about 300,000 people in the Charleston, WV area, resulting in temporary contamination of 15 percent of the state's tap water and causing significant dermal exposure. The current studies were undertaken to determine whether crude MCHM or MCHM has the potential to produce dermal irritancy and/or sensitization. BALB/c female mice were treated daily for 3 consecutive days by direct epicutaneous application of 25 μL of various concentrations of crude MCHM or MCHM to the dorsum of each ear. A mouse ear-swelling test was used to determine irritancy potential and was undertaken in combination with the standardized Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA) to determine skin sensitizing potential. MCHM was found to produce skin irritation at concentrations above 20% and did not produce sensitization. Crude MCHM also produced irritation, although weaker, and in addition was found to be a weak to moderate skin sensitizer. The results are discussed in terms of potential human health hazard.

Crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) did not cause skin irritation in humans in 48-h patch test

Crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) is an industrial chemical used to wash and clean coal. On January 9th, 2014 approximately 10,000 gallons of a mixture containing crude MCHM were released into the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia, contaminating the local water supply. Following the spill, residents reported numerous health complaints, and sought medical attention for ailments including rashes and itching. The relationship between the complaints and the spill were unknown, as such symptoms are reported frequently in the background. In this study, the primary irritation potential of crude MCHM was evaluated in 206 individuals who underwent 48 hour semi-occluded patch testing. MCHM concentrations assessed in this study were 1, 5, 15, and 100 ppm. No appreciable skin reactions were observed in individuals at any concentration. Three of the five concentrations evaluated were above the highest measured concentration of MCHM in the tap water of residents in West Virginia (3.7 ppm). The results of this study suggest that crude MCHM would not be a dermal irritant for the vast majority, if not all, potentially exposed persons at the concentrations in the water reported after the spill.

Acute Health Effects After the Elk River Chemical Spill, West Virginia, January 2014.

On January 9, 2014, approximately 10 000 gallons of a mixture of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol and propylene glycol phenyl ether spilled into West Virginia's Elk River, contaminating the potable water supply of about 300 000 West Virginia residents. This study sought to describe acute health effects after the chemical spill. We conducted a descriptive analysis using 3 complementary data sources: (1) medical records of patients who visited an emergency department during January 9-23, 2014, with illness potentially related to the spill; (2) West Virginia Poison Center caller records coded as "contaminated water" during January 9-23, 2014; and (3) answers to household surveys about health effects from a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) questionnaire administered 3 months after the spill. In the 2 weeks after the spill, 2000 people called the poison center reporting exposure to contaminated water, and 369 people visited emergency departments in the affected area with reports of exposure and symptoms potentially related to the spill. According to CASPER weighted cluster analyses, an estimated 25 623 households (21.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.4%-28.9%) had ≥1 person with symptoms who felt that they were related to the spill in the 3 months after it. Reported health effects across all 3 data sources included mild skin, respiratory, and gastrointestinal symptoms that resolved with no or minimal treatment. Medical records, poison center data, and CASPER household surveys were inexact but useful data sources to describe overall community health effects after a large-scale chemical spill. Analyzing multiple data sources could inform epidemiologic investigations of similar events.

Assessment of Impact and Recovery Needs in Communities Affected by the Elk River Chemical Spill, West Virginia, April 2014.

In January 2014, 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol spilled into the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia, contaminating the water supply for about 120 000 households. The West Virginia American Water Company (WVAWC) issued a "do not use" water order for 9 counties. After the order was lifted (10 days after the spill), the communities' use of public water systems, information sources, alternative sources of water, and perceived impact of the spill on households were unclear to public health officials. To assist in recovery efforts, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER). We used the CASPER 2-stage cluster sampling design to select a representative sample of households to interview, and we conducted interviews in 171 households in April 2014. We used a weighted cluster analysis to generate population estimates in the sampling frame. Before the spill, 74.4% of households did not have a 3-day alternative water supply for each household member and pet. Although 83.6% of households obtained an alternative water source within 1 day of the "do not use" order, 37.4% of households reportedly used WVAWC water for any purpose. Nearly 3 months after the spill, 36.1% of households believed that their WVAWC water was safe, and 33.5% reported using their household water for drinking. CASPER results identified the need to focus on basic public health messaging and household preparedness efforts. Recommendations included (1) encouraging households to maintain a 3-day emergency water supply, (2) identifying additional alternative sources of water for future emergencies, and (3) increasing community education to address ongoing concerns about water.

Effect of substrate size on sympatric sand darter benthic habitat preferences

ABSTRACTThe western sand darter, Ammocrypta clara, and the eastern sand darter, A. pellucida, are sand-dwelling fishes that have undergone range-wide population declines, presumably owing to habitat loss. Habitat use studies have been conducted for the eastern sand darter, but literature on the western sand darter remains sparse. To evaluate substrate selection and preference, western and eastern sand darters were collected from the Elk River, West Virginia, one of the few remaining rivers where both species occur sympatrically. In the laboratory, individuals were given the choice to bury into five equally available and randomly positioned substrates ranging from fine sand to granule gravel (0.12–4.0 mm). The western sand darter selected for coarse and medium sand, while the eastern sand darter was more of a generalist selecting for fine, medium, and coarse sand. Substrate selection was significantly different (p = 0.02) between species in the same environment, where the western sand darter preferred coarser substrate more often compared to the eastern sand darter. Habitat degradation is often a limiting factor for many species of rare freshwater fish, and results from this study suggest that western and eastern sand darters may respond differently to variations in benthic substrate composition.

Oxidative remediation of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPh). Evidence of contaminant repair reaction pathways.

A large spill of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPh) into the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia on January 9, 2014 led to serious water contamination and public concerns about appropriate remediation. To assess the feasibility of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for remediation of waters contaminated with these compounds, we induced hydroxyl radical (HO˙) reactions using time-resolved and steady-state radiolysis methods. Detailed product analyses showed initial HO˙ attack was at the benzene ring of PPh, and occurred through H-atom abstraction reactions for MCHM. Pulse radiolysis and steady state radiolysis experiments conducted using pure compound solutions, mixtures of the compounds and real water solvents allowed us to obtain mechanistic insights of hydroxyl radical attack and establish the fate of the compounds using AOP remediation technologies. These results demonstrate that hydroxyl radical induced oxidization of PPh can lead to "repair-type" reactions, which regenerates this contaminant. The study further highlights the importance of such counterproductive reactions for the quantitative estimate of the required amount of oxidant in any large-scale treatment approaches.

Seafarers, and: The Parting Glass

Seafarers, and: The Parting Glass V.C. McCabe (bio) Seafarers Some say Saint Brendan traveledfrom Ireland to West Virginialong before Columbus ever set sail.Perhaps that's why the Criel andGrave Creek burial mounds of theAdena bear a ghostly resemblanceto the Neolithic earthen domes ofBrú na Bóinne. The solstice sunkisses Ogham petroglyphs in theTug River Valley on its overseasjourney to the triskel-carved coverstone of Newgrange, soft beams oflight illuminating the passage tombthrough the corbel arch, bouncingbetween bookended emeralds, thegreen-hued mountains and watersof Glen Ferris and Glendalough. [End Page 124] The Parting Glass So fill to me the parting glass Good night and joy be with you all —Traditional In Harper's Ferry, where the townsquare's antiquated shops stillsmoke after desecration by fire,two rivers converge, crowned byBlue Ridge Mountains, crossed bysteel and timber railroad bridges.The Appalachian Trail imbibesthe Potomac panorama beforeits trek into northern wildernessand transatlantic ocean immersionend at the Irish coast, sliding upthe Slieve League cliffs of Donegaland down the Sperrin Mountains ofTyrone to grab a Guinness in anUlster pub, toasting every gloriousmountain climbed between therivers Shenandoah and Shannon. [End Page 125] V.C. McCabe V.C. McCabe is a West Virginia poet, writer, and music journalist whose work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, Spillway, The Galway Review, Appalachian Journal, The Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper, and many other journals. She resides with her husband in a book-filled cottage on the bank of Elk River. Her website is vcmccabe.com. Copyright © 2017 Berea College

Advancing environmental health surveillance in the US through a national human biomonitoring network.

The United States lacks a comprehensive, nationally-coordinated, state-based environmental health surveillance system. This lack of infrastructure leads to: • varying levels of understanding of chemical exposures at the state & local levels • often inefficient public health responses to chemical exposure emergencies (such as those that occurred in the Flint drinking water crisis, the Gold King mine spill, the Elk river spill and the Gulf Coast oil spill) • reduced ability to measure the impact of public health interventions or environmental policies • less efficient use of resources for cleaning up environmental contamination Establishing the National Biomonitoring Network serves as a step toward building a national, state-based environmental health surveillance system. The Network builds upon CDC investments in emergency preparedness and environmental public health tracking, which have created advanced chemical analysis and information sharing capabilities in the state public health systems. The short-term goal of the network is to harmonize approaches to human biomonitoring in the US, thus increasing the comparability of human biomonitoring data across states and communities. The long-term goal is to compile baseline data on exposures at the state level, similar to data found in CDC's National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Barriers to success for this network include: available resources, effective risk communication strategies, data comparability & sharing, and political will. Anticipated benefits include high quality data on which to base public health and environmental decisions, data with which to assess the success of public health interventions, improved risk assessments for chemicals, and new ways to prioritize environmental health research.