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Papers by Katherine von Stackelberg
In 1984 the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) completed a Feasibility Study on the Hudso... more In 1984 the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) completed a Feasibility Study on the Hudson River that investigated remedial alternatives and issued a Record of Decision (ROD) later that year. In December 1989 USEPA decided to reassess the No Action decision for Hudson River sediments. This reassessment consists of three phases: Interim Characterization and Evaluation (Phase 1); Further Site Characterization and Analysis (Phase 2); and, Feasibility study (Phase 3). A Phase 1 report was completed in August, 1991. The team then completed a Final Work Plan for Phase 2 in September 1992. This work plan identified various PCB fate and transport modeling activities to support the Hudson River PCB Reassessment Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). This talk provides a description of the development of a Probabilistic bioaccumulation models to describe the uptake of PCBs on a congener-specific basis in six fish species. The authors have developed a framework for relating body burdens of PCBs in fish to exposure concentrations in Hudson River water and sediments. This framework is used to understand historical and current relationships as well as to predict fish body burdens for future conditions under specific remediation and no action scenarios. The framework incorporates a probabilistic approachmore » to predict distributions in PCB body burdens for selected fish species. These models can predict single population statistics such as the average expected values of PCBs under specific scenarios as well as the distribution of expected concentrations.« less
Springer eBooks, 2001
Limited resources and a high degree of uncertainty regarding the appropriate use of models, model... more Limited resources and a high degree of uncertainty regarding the appropriate use of models, model parameterization and approaches involved in ecological risk assessment require careful consideration in allocating limited societal resources directed towards bridging our knowledge gaps. Expert elicitation is a tool designed to quantify the judgment of individual experts on current research priorities. In conjunction with other factors, quantitative expert judgment can be used to assist in directing the allocation of research budgets and other resource
An ongoing issue in the management of the Salish Sea is the dilemma of how to integrate different... more An ongoing issue in the management of the Salish Sea is the dilemma of how to integrate different scales of information into an adaptive management program to ensure restoration and protection of the resource. Often, we have data on chemical contamination in the environment and exposure to the individual, information on habitat quality, and some general information on population dynamics of a species serving as a vital sign. However, this information is not tied together with a clear and quantitative model describing causality, probability and uncertainty. Furthermore, the goal is not just to preserve that species but to protect human well-being. Human well-being has become part of the lexicon to included ecosystem services endpoints such as a sense of place, education, recreational opportunities, employment, public safety and Tribal treaty rights. In a recent publication (Harris et al. 2017) it was demonstrated that it is possible to estimate risk in a contaminated site to ecological endpoints, human health and ecosystem services using a clearly defined causal pathways and Bayesian networks. Now we are applying the integration of ecological endpoints, ecosystem services and human well-being to the scale of the Salish Sea using specific watershed and coastal regions as models. In this study we are using Skagit, the Nooksack and the Cedar watersheds as case studies. Valerie Chu and Chelsea Mitchell (this session) have described the assessment methodologies and our modeling results for these watersheds. The vital sign is also tied to specific economic ecosystem services, is important to a sense of place, and are valued by the diverse constituencies in the region. We will demonstrate how the Chinook salmon population risk model can be translated as risk to a variety of ecosystem services contributing to human well-being. These outputs then become part of a larger adaptive management program for the system
The Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic requested the Harvard Institute for Intern... more The Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic requested the Harvard Institute for International Development to organize an effort to incorporate risk analysis into the regulatory process. The specific goal was to develop priorities in limiting stationary source air pollutant emissions based on acute health effects. Their Clean Air act required that existing sources comply with new source emission standards by the end of calendar year 1998, but the practicality of all sources complying with this schedule was in doubt. Personnel from the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health united in a task force to set up a system of risk analysis that focused attention on the industrial categories where compliance maximizes the protection of public health. Inputs to the analysis consisted of archival data on air quality and emissions throughout the country. A selection of four nonattainment areas defined the scope of the work. Dose-response models derived from published criteria combined with simplified air quality models provided the basis for the prioritization of industrial source categories. The task force report, completed late in 1997, identified fossil-fueled boilers, ferrous metallurgy, petroleum refining and cement manufacturing as the high priorities for regulation. The passage of the amendmentsmore » to the Clean Air Act by Parliament followed shortly after their introduction in August 1998 defining two classes of sources for regulation. High priority sources were placed in the fast track class.« less
Elsevier eBooks, 2011
Emissions from power generation are associated with adverse health and ecological effects. Fossil... more Emissions from power generation are associated with adverse health and ecological effects. Fossil fuel-based power plants (such as coal, oil, and to a lesser extent, natural gas) are associated with emissions of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and a variety of organic contaminants such as mercury and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Exposure to emissions from power plants has been associated with a variety of respiratory symptoms, typically based on short-term (e.g., from 5–10 min to 24 h) increases in ambient concentrations. In addition, exposure to constituents from emissions generated by fossil fuels has been associated with increases in premature mortality, particularly in the elderly, and a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Fossil fuels, particularly coal-fired power plants, are responsible for generating the majority of emissions to which humans are exposed.
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Health-Impact Analyses
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Health-Impact Analyses
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Health-Impact Analyses
This paper presents two wildlife exposure models that incorporate the influence of chemical distr... more This paper presents two wildlife exposure models that incorporate the influence of chemical distribution in the environment, habitat suitability relative to that chemical distribution, and foraging behaviors of the modeled species. Spatiallyexplicit wildlife exposure models provide more realistic exposure estimates for use in human health and ecological risk assessments, and provide a means for evaluating the impact of different remedial alternatives by identifying and focusing on areas where habitat use and chemical contamination intersect. The Spatially Explicit Exposure Model (SEEM) is being developed for the US Army to improve the realism of terrestrial wildlife exposure modeling. The aquatic model, FISHRAND-Migration (FR), is a mechanistic, time-varying bioaccumulation model. This second-order probabilistic model incorporates both sediment and water sources to predict the uptake of organic chemicals based on prey consumption and food web dynamics. The Monte Carlo probabilistic ...
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 2019
ABSTRACTWe estimated the risk to populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) due to ... more ABSTRACTWe estimated the risk to populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) due to chlorpyrifos (CH), water temperature (WT), and dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in 4 watersheds in Washington State, USA. The watersheds included the Nooksack and Skagit Rivers in the Northern Puget Sound, the Cedar River in the Seattle–Tacoma corridor, and the Yakima River, a tributary of the Columbia River. The Bayesian network relative risk model (BN‐RRM) was used to conduct this ecological risk assessment and was modified to contain an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition pathway parameterized using data from CH toxicity data sets. The completed BN‐RRM estimated risk at a population scale to Chinook salmon employing classical matrix modeling runs up to 50‐y timeframes. There were 3 primary conclusions drawn from the model‐building process and the risk calculations. First, the incorporation of an AChE inhibition pathway and the output from a population model can be combined with ...
Contaminated Forests, 1999
The high degree of uncertainty in modeling structure and input parameters used to describe radion... more The high degree of uncertainty in modeling structure and input parameters used to describe radionuclide fate and transport in forest ecosystems has posed difficulties in accurately modeling radionuclide transport. Many dynamic parameters are required for modeling (such as radionuclide residence half-times in forest compartments) and these parameters are typically difficult to measure (e.g., half-lives vary over a wide range: from days to thousands of years). The NATO workshop brought together more than 70 experts in forest radioecology and ecosystem modeling encompassing a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. It provided a unique opportunity to quantify the state of knowledge on processes and parameters used in forest ecosystem modeling.
Recycling of Used Lead-Acid Batteries: Guidelines for Appraisal of Environmental Health Impacts
Nature of the sites – Heterogeneous site contamination – Spatial and temporal variability in the ... more Nature of the sites – Heterogeneous site contamination – Spatial and temporal variability in the source term – Behavior of ecological receptors Benefits: Realistic and site-specific assessment – Better problem formulation and assessment – Reduced cost of remediation
Recycling of Used Lead-Acid Batteries: Guidelines for Appraisal of Environmental Health Impacts
In 1984 the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) completed a Feasibility Study on the Hudso... more In 1984 the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) completed a Feasibility Study on the Hudson River that investigated remedial alternatives and issued a Record of Decision (ROD) later that year. In December 1989 USEPA decided to reassess the No Action decision for Hudson River sediments. This reassessment consists of three phases: Interim Characterization and Evaluation (Phase 1); Further Site Characterization and Analysis (Phase 2); and, Feasibility study (Phase 3). A Phase 1 report was completed in August, 1991. The team then completed a Final Work Plan for Phase 2 in September 1992. This work plan identified various PCB fate and transport modeling activities to support the Hudson River PCB Reassessment Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). This talk provides a description of the development of a Probabilistic bioaccumulation models to describe the uptake of PCBs on a congener-specific basis in six fish species. The authors have developed a framework for relating body burdens of PCBs in fish to exposure concentrations in Hudson River water and sediments. This framework is used to understand historical and current relationships as well as to predict fish body burdens for future conditions under specific remediation and no action scenarios. The framework incorporates a probabilistic approachmore » to predict distributions in PCB body burdens for selected fish species. These models can predict single population statistics such as the average expected values of PCBs under specific scenarios as well as the distribution of expected concentrations.« less
Springer eBooks, 2001
Limited resources and a high degree of uncertainty regarding the appropriate use of models, model... more Limited resources and a high degree of uncertainty regarding the appropriate use of models, model parameterization and approaches involved in ecological risk assessment require careful consideration in allocating limited societal resources directed towards bridging our knowledge gaps. Expert elicitation is a tool designed to quantify the judgment of individual experts on current research priorities. In conjunction with other factors, quantitative expert judgment can be used to assist in directing the allocation of research budgets and other resource
An ongoing issue in the management of the Salish Sea is the dilemma of how to integrate different... more An ongoing issue in the management of the Salish Sea is the dilemma of how to integrate different scales of information into an adaptive management program to ensure restoration and protection of the resource. Often, we have data on chemical contamination in the environment and exposure to the individual, information on habitat quality, and some general information on population dynamics of a species serving as a vital sign. However, this information is not tied together with a clear and quantitative model describing causality, probability and uncertainty. Furthermore, the goal is not just to preserve that species but to protect human well-being. Human well-being has become part of the lexicon to included ecosystem services endpoints such as a sense of place, education, recreational opportunities, employment, public safety and Tribal treaty rights. In a recent publication (Harris et al. 2017) it was demonstrated that it is possible to estimate risk in a contaminated site to ecological endpoints, human health and ecosystem services using a clearly defined causal pathways and Bayesian networks. Now we are applying the integration of ecological endpoints, ecosystem services and human well-being to the scale of the Salish Sea using specific watershed and coastal regions as models. In this study we are using Skagit, the Nooksack and the Cedar watersheds as case studies. Valerie Chu and Chelsea Mitchell (this session) have described the assessment methodologies and our modeling results for these watersheds. The vital sign is also tied to specific economic ecosystem services, is important to a sense of place, and are valued by the diverse constituencies in the region. We will demonstrate how the Chinook salmon population risk model can be translated as risk to a variety of ecosystem services contributing to human well-being. These outputs then become part of a larger adaptive management program for the system
The Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic requested the Harvard Institute for Intern... more The Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic requested the Harvard Institute for International Development to organize an effort to incorporate risk analysis into the regulatory process. The specific goal was to develop priorities in limiting stationary source air pollutant emissions based on acute health effects. Their Clean Air act required that existing sources comply with new source emission standards by the end of calendar year 1998, but the practicality of all sources complying with this schedule was in doubt. Personnel from the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health united in a task force to set up a system of risk analysis that focused attention on the industrial categories where compliance maximizes the protection of public health. Inputs to the analysis consisted of archival data on air quality and emissions throughout the country. A selection of four nonattainment areas defined the scope of the work. Dose-response models derived from published criteria combined with simplified air quality models provided the basis for the prioritization of industrial source categories. The task force report, completed late in 1997, identified fossil-fueled boilers, ferrous metallurgy, petroleum refining and cement manufacturing as the high priorities for regulation. The passage of the amendmentsmore » to the Clean Air Act by Parliament followed shortly after their introduction in August 1998 defining two classes of sources for regulation. High priority sources were placed in the fast track class.« less
Elsevier eBooks, 2011
Emissions from power generation are associated with adverse health and ecological effects. Fossil... more Emissions from power generation are associated with adverse health and ecological effects. Fossil fuel-based power plants (such as coal, oil, and to a lesser extent, natural gas) are associated with emissions of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and a variety of organic contaminants such as mercury and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Exposure to emissions from power plants has been associated with a variety of respiratory symptoms, typically based on short-term (e.g., from 5–10 min to 24 h) increases in ambient concentrations. In addition, exposure to constituents from emissions generated by fossil fuels has been associated with increases in premature mortality, particularly in the elderly, and a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Fossil fuels, particularly coal-fired power plants, are responsible for generating the majority of emissions to which humans are exposed.
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Health-Impact Analyses
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Health-Impact Analyses
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Health-Impact Analyses
This paper presents two wildlife exposure models that incorporate the influence of chemical distr... more This paper presents two wildlife exposure models that incorporate the influence of chemical distribution in the environment, habitat suitability relative to that chemical distribution, and foraging behaviors of the modeled species. Spatiallyexplicit wildlife exposure models provide more realistic exposure estimates for use in human health and ecological risk assessments, and provide a means for evaluating the impact of different remedial alternatives by identifying and focusing on areas where habitat use and chemical contamination intersect. The Spatially Explicit Exposure Model (SEEM) is being developed for the US Army to improve the realism of terrestrial wildlife exposure modeling. The aquatic model, FISHRAND-Migration (FR), is a mechanistic, time-varying bioaccumulation model. This second-order probabilistic model incorporates both sediment and water sources to predict the uptake of organic chemicals based on prey consumption and food web dynamics. The Monte Carlo probabilistic ...
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 2019
ABSTRACTWe estimated the risk to populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) due to ... more ABSTRACTWe estimated the risk to populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) due to chlorpyrifos (CH), water temperature (WT), and dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in 4 watersheds in Washington State, USA. The watersheds included the Nooksack and Skagit Rivers in the Northern Puget Sound, the Cedar River in the Seattle–Tacoma corridor, and the Yakima River, a tributary of the Columbia River. The Bayesian network relative risk model (BN‐RRM) was used to conduct this ecological risk assessment and was modified to contain an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition pathway parameterized using data from CH toxicity data sets. The completed BN‐RRM estimated risk at a population scale to Chinook salmon employing classical matrix modeling runs up to 50‐y timeframes. There were 3 primary conclusions drawn from the model‐building process and the risk calculations. First, the incorporation of an AChE inhibition pathway and the output from a population model can be combined with ...
Contaminated Forests, 1999
The high degree of uncertainty in modeling structure and input parameters used to describe radion... more The high degree of uncertainty in modeling structure and input parameters used to describe radionuclide fate and transport in forest ecosystems has posed difficulties in accurately modeling radionuclide transport. Many dynamic parameters are required for modeling (such as radionuclide residence half-times in forest compartments) and these parameters are typically difficult to measure (e.g., half-lives vary over a wide range: from days to thousands of years). The NATO workshop brought together more than 70 experts in forest radioecology and ecosystem modeling encompassing a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. It provided a unique opportunity to quantify the state of knowledge on processes and parameters used in forest ecosystem modeling.
Recycling of Used Lead-Acid Batteries: Guidelines for Appraisal of Environmental Health Impacts
Nature of the sites – Heterogeneous site contamination – Spatial and temporal variability in the ... more Nature of the sites – Heterogeneous site contamination – Spatial and temporal variability in the source term – Behavior of ecological receptors Benefits: Realistic and site-specific assessment – Better problem formulation and assessment – Reduced cost of remediation
Recycling of Used Lead-Acid Batteries: Guidelines for Appraisal of Environmental Health Impacts