June 2022

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Shedding Daylight on Sunscreens

By Nikki Maples-Reynolds, Scott Dyer, and Raghu Vamshi

As summer gears up and our thoughts turn toward sunny days at the beach--and ways to avoid the sun from harming our skin--we, as scientists, also consider how our actions and choices impact those sharing the world's environment. One of those actions is whether the use of sunscreen and its ingredients may impact on sea life.

Recently, questions have been raised regarding the environmental safety of some UV filters used in personal, skincare, and beach products to corals. In some locations, regulatory actions have been precautionary, leading to bans. The answers to these questions lie in the weight of evidence of scientific studies that have been conducted and others that need to be conducted. So far, peer-reviewed published research has not shown that UV filters will harm native coral reef populations or decrease their ability to respond to other environmental stressors. Two of the biggest hurdles in conducting definitive toxicity tests have been the maintenance of representative test systems and the environmental relevance of dosing used in those studies. Since studies to date do not provide reliable evidence for risk assessment, the scientific community waits for good practices in ecological study design and execution to determine if there are risks of UV filters to coral populations.


Two areas of our research have been the use of eco-epidemiology to assess potential risks of natural and anthropogenic factors, including UV filters, to corals in Hawaii; and the development of a modeling framework to evaluate and better understand the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure from UV filter ingredients, not only to coral, in marine and freshwater environments.


“Coral reefs form diverse ecosystems that provide habitat and haven for a huge variety of plants and animals. They have been called the 'canaries of the ocean' due to their sensitivity to changes in temperature, water quality, and water clarity. Coral bleaching, the disruption of the symbiotic relationship between coral polyps and zooxanthellae, has been occurring at alarming rates globally with ocean temperatures being a huge factor along with many local stressors including disease, land and marine pollutants, and physical damage. We are excited to be actively working with a diverse group of researchers to diagnose, predict, and prioritize actions to preserve and protect the abundance of these beautiful and amazing resources.” - Marty Williams, Water Resources Engineer and Co-Founder, Waterborne Environmental, Inc.


Contact Waterborne to find out more about Waterborne’s experience with coral stressors and eco-epidemiology.

 Bees Can Legally Be Fish In California

Bees are considered fish? As of a May 31st ruling by the California Third District Court of Appeal, insects, mollusks, and other spineless creatures falling under the umbrella term “invertebrate" are protected as "fish" under the California Endangered Species Act. The Act was designed to protect “native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant,” and, according to the Act, a “fish” is defined as “a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part, spawn, or ovum of any of those animals.” The ruling means bumblebees can now be eligible for listing under the California Endangered Species Act.


“The issue presented here is whether the bumblebee, a terrestrial invertebrate, falls within the definition of fish, as that term is used in the definitions of endangered species in section 2062, threatened species in section 2067, and candidate species (i.e., species being considered for listing as endangered or threatened species) in section 2068 of the Act,” wrote California’s Third District Court of Appeal in its ruling. Read the Act here. 

Waterborne's Impressions of the EU SETAC Conference, May 15-19th

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SETAC Europe's 32nd Annual Meeting held in Copenhagen, May 15-19th, was an experience for our own Amelie Schmolke and Gerco Hoogeweg. Both attended the event to present several oral presentations and posters and came home with memories of an industry looking toward the future.  Complete Waterborne Europe SETAC details, including authorship and presentation times, can be found on our Europe SETAC landing page

It Was Great to Talk to People in Person Again!

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That was what I heard from basically everyone I spoke with at the conference. I wholeheartedly agree. 


Beyond seeing people, SETAC Europe also delivered on the science. Mechanistic effect modeling has taken off in Europe in the past few years: what used to be a single session in a small room was covered by three sessions and a topical discussion (all in a single day) during this SETAC Europe. The large room was full and multiple delegates from European regulatory agencies were in attendance. Exciting work was presented and big steps towards improving modeling and communication was made!

DriftRadar Was a SETAC Europe Highlight

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2022's Europe SETAC was my first in-person event in over 2.5 years and it was both exciting and a bit nerve-wracking being around nearly 2000 people. Yet, it was fun to see many old friends and meet new ones. 

 

One of my highlights was learning about Bayer’s DriftRadar application. This innovative concept takes precision agriculture one step further and it is a step toward integrating buffer zones and distance rules recorded on pesticide application labels. At the core of this concept is a GPS sensor and wind speed meter on the sprayer to determine the position in the field during spraying and the wind direction every tenth of a second. Location and wind parameters provide information to the sprayer which then automatically adjusts the nozzle to reduce drift or even close off the nozzle to ensure required distances are observed. Based on what I saw and learned, DriftRadar is a highly versatile system that all farmers small and large can use in their operations.

 

DriftRadar is currently demonstrated in Europe and should work quite nicely on small and highly diverse agricultural production areas in Europe. Within the US a critical application of this system is controlling drift with respect to the endangered species in the US. With known ES location information, farmers can program this into DriftRadar and avoid drift of these critical areas.

 

The environmental-fate session of SETAC was smaller than usual with 4 presentations and about 30 posters. Those of us working in this field were delighted with the very nice work presented. In spite of the oral presentations scheduled on the event's last morning, many people attended the session, which we presenters greatly appreciated.

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Waterborne to Present at Environmental Modeling Public Meeting, June 23rd

Waterborne will be represented by Amelie Schmolke at the EPA's Environmental Modeling Public Meeting on June 23rd. She will present, "Modeling realistic habitat and pesticide exposures to evaluate potential effects and mitigation for populations of an endangered fish species." Learn more here

Schedule Your Waterborne Meetings for ACS Fall, August 21st-25th

Are you headed to ACS Fall 2022, Sustainability in a Changing World, August 21st - 25th in Chicago? We're sending a contingent of senior scientists and are booking meetings now. Contact us to schedule your in-person meeting during the conference. Contact us at info@waterborne-env.com for more information. 

Waterborne Environmental is a renowned consulting firm that has provided innovative solutions to the world’s most complex environmental problems since 1993. Our experienced, unbiased scientists and engineers work across industries to evaluate environmental, ecological, and human risks. Our work spans across industry and regulatory agencies to support the balance in the needs of a growing population with the environmental impact on our valuable natural resources.


Our The Current Newsletter is published monthly. Visit us online to find more articles, videos, and information about our work. Click here to contact us.

Waterborne Environmental Inc.

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