Winter storm-related injuries in Oklahoma, January 2007

Introduction

A January 2007 ice storm occurred in Oklahoma, causing power outages and hazardous travel conditions. The objective of this investigation was to describe the nature of winter storm-related injuries among Oklahoma residents, to determine populations at risk, and to inform prevention-planning personnel.

Methods

Winter storm-related injuries were a temporarily reportable condition; all acute-care hospitals and the state medical examiner logged storm-related injuries and deaths during January 12 − 30, 2007. Medical records were retrospectively abstracted.Risk of injury was described by demographic group, injury type, and mechanism.

Results

Among 6,047 persons experiencing winter storm-related injuries, 74% were injured in falls, 13% in motor-vehicle collisions (MVCs), 8% while sledding, 1% by unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning, 1% in cleanup activities, and 3% by other mechanisms. Median age of injured persons was 39 years. Persons aged ≥ 40 years were 1.4 times more likely to experience falls as the cause of injury than those aged < 40 years, and falls were twice as likely as other mechanisms to cause fractures among persons aged ≥ 40 years. Injured persons aged < 40 years were 2.2 times more likely to experience MVC-related injuries, and 19 times more likely to experience sledding-related injuries than persons aged ≥ 40 years.

Conclusions

Younger persons were more likely injured in MVCs and sledding incidents, whereas older persons were more likely to experience falls and fractures.

Impact on industry

Prevention messages for winter storm-related injuries should target winter-driving safety tips to younger adults and precautions regarding falls to older adults.     

PREPLANTING SOIL MOISTURE USING PASSIVE MICROWAVE SENSORS1

ABSTRACT: Accurate assessment of preplanting soil moisture conditions is necessary for good agricultural management, and can have a significant influence on crop yield in the Texas Panhandle region. The Texas High Plains Underground Water Conservation District invests considerable time and money in developing a soil moisture deficit map each year in the hopes of achieving optimal use of irrigation water. Microwave sensors are responsive to surface soil moisture and, if used in this application, can provide timely and detailed information on root zone soil moisture. For this reason, an experiment was conducted in 1984 to evaluate the potential of aircraft-mounted passive microwave sensors. Microwave radiometer data were collected over a 2700 km² area near Lubbock, Texas, with a processed resolution of 0.32 km². These data were ground registered and converted to estimates of soil moisture using an appropriate model and land cover and soil texture information. Analyses indicate that the system provides an efficient means for mapping variations in soil moisture over large areas.     

Herbivory in the gammarid amphipod Aora typica: relationships between consumption rates, performance and abundance across ten seaweed species

This paper reveals a substantial capacity for herbivory of seaweeds in the gammarid amphipod Aora typica, adults eating seven of ten taxonomically and morphologically diverse seaweed species offered to them in a no-choice assay. The green algae Ulva spathulata and Enteromorpha intestinalis were consumed at the highest rates in both no-choice (2.3–2.5 mg blotted weight individual⁻¹ day⁻¹) and multiple-choice assays (0.5–1.3 mg blotted weight individual⁻¹ day⁻¹). Adult A. typica collected from two different species of brown seaweeds had very similar feeding preferences to each other. Juvenile A. typica grew to reproductive maturity on the green algae E. intestinalis and U. spathulata, and the brown algae Carpophyllum maschalocarpum and Ecklonia radiata. In common with previous studies on members of other amphipod families, survivorship of juvenile amphipods was positively correlated with feeding preferences of adults across seaweed species (r ²=0.43, P=0.04). However, densities of A. typica on seaweeds in the field (excluding the intertidal E. intestinalis and U. spathulata) were not significantly correlated with feeding preferences of adults (r ²=0.07, P=0.5) or survivorship of juveniles (r ²=0.17, P=0.31). This suggests that either host seaweeds are not a major dietary component of these amphipods in nature, or that the host’s value as a food source is overridden by other properties such as the degree of shelter it affords from larger consumers. This study provides the first demonstration that a member of the cosmopolitan amphipod family Aoridae is capable of consuming a diverse range of seaweeds.     

COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE DUNGENESS WATERSHED TO PROTECT SALMON IN WASHINGTON STATE1

ABSTRACT: Over the last decade, the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe has formed partnerships with their neighboring county government, irrigation districts, property owners, and state and federal agencies in an effort to save the dwindling runs of Dungeness River salmon. Although considerable progress has been made to begin the recovery process, the watershed is included in recent listings of Pacific Northwest salmon under the Endangered Species Act. Under the coordination of an active watershed council, significant improvements have been made in water conservation and the protection of instream flows. Cooperation between the Tribe, irrigation districts and the Washington Department of Ecology resulted in a trust water rights agreement and the reduction of late summer water withdrawals by one‐third.     

Assaying organochlorines in archived serum for a large, long-term cohort: implications of combining assay results from multiple laboratories over time

Conserving irreplaceable, archived serum samples may sometimes conflict with the objective of minimizing measurement error due to laboratory effects. We sought to determine whether we could successfully combine assay results for DDT-related compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in serum from the same birth cohort obtained from different laboratories over time. Using the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) serum archive, we compared variability for assays of a quality control pool to variability for assays of subject serum. The quality control pool was created from native archived serum samples that were pooled, then aliquoted, blinded and inserted pair-wise into assay batches along with the subject serum for 5 studies using CHDS samples conducted over a 13year period by three different laboratories. We found that the variability between laboratory and over time within laboratory was small relative to inter-individual variability for p,p'-DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane), p,p'-DDE (1,1'-dichloro-2,2'-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene) and o,p'-DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2-(p-chlorophenyl)-2-(o-chlorophenyl)-ethane). Results were also consistent for most PCB congeners which were detectable in 85% or more of samples. Our results suggest that it is possible to combine assays for DDT and PCB congeners measured at positive levels as they are accumulated for cohort subjects without risking meaningful misclassification due to variation stemming from laboratory or time period. This has significant implications for future study costs, conservation of irreplaceable archived samples and for leveraging past investments for future research. For PCB congeners with very low levels, findings caution against pooling of assays without further exploration.     

Twenty Years of Change on Campsites in the Backcountry of Grand Canyon National Park

This article draws on three separate research and monitoring studies to describe 20-year trends in the number and condition of campsites in the backcountry of Grand Canyon National Park. Results are used to assess the effectiveness of a complex and innovative management program, adopted in 1983, that sought to concentrate use on designated campsites in popular places and disperse camping in more remote places. In 1984, conditions on 12 high-use campsites and 12 low-use campsites were carefully assessed. Conditions on 22 of these campsites were reassessed in 2005. In addition, campsite-monitoring surveys were conducted between 1985 and 1992 and again in 2003 and 2004. In these surveys, all campsites were located and their condition rapidly assessed. The detailed assessment of a sample of sites suggests relatively little change in condition during the 20-year period. The high-use sites were more highly disturbed than the low-use sites, but they did not change more during the study period. In contrast, changes at larger scales were dramatic. The total number of campsites more than doubled during the study period. Surprisingly, the proliferation of new campsites was greater in places where camping was only allowed on designated campsites than in places where camping was allowed anywhere. Concern that concentration of use on designated sites would cause unacceptable impact was unfounded. Management implications for other internationally significant protected areas that allow backcountry camping are explored.     

Halogenated persistent organic pollutants in deep water fish from waters to the west of Scotland

Halogenated persistent organic pollutants [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)] along with total lipid, were measured in the liver and muscle of three species of deep water fish (black scabbard, black dogfish (liver only) and roundnose grenadier) collected from the Rockall fishing area, to the west of Scotland, between 2006 and 2008. Both contaminant groups were detected in the muscle and liver, with concentrations of PCBs being higher than PBDEs. There were no significant differences in the PCB or PBDE concentrations between the three species, or different sampling locations in the Rockall fishing area. PCB concentrations (ΣICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea)7 PCBs) greater than 500 μg kg⁻¹ lipid weight were found in 26 of the 106 liver samples. PCB concentrations were compared to OSPAR assessment criteria, concentrations were above background but below Environmental Assessment Criteria. Estimated Toxic Equivalent (TEQ) concentrations, calculated using published models, in the fish muscle and liver indicated that consumption of deep water fish is unlikely to represent a risk to human health. The high squalene content in some of the black dogfish liver necessitated an additional clean-up step, involving gel permeation chromatography, when analyzing for PBDEs. Concentrations of PBDEs were low with many congeners being below detection limits, particularly in the muscle. There are currently no assessment criteria available for PBDEs. Furthermore, there is only very limited data on PBDEs in deep water fish. However, the concentrations observed in this study were similar to the concentrations recently reported in Mediterranean deep water fish.     

Assessing multiple novel tracers to improve the understanding of the contribution of agricultural farm waste to diffuse water pollution

A study was undertaken on drained and undrained 1 ha grassland lysimeters to assess the effectiveness of multiple novel tracing techniques in understanding how agricultural slurry waste moves from land to water. Artificial fluorescent particles designed to mimic the size and density of organic slurry particles were found to move off the grassland via inter-flow (surface + lateral through-flow) and drain-flow. Where both pathways were present the drains carried the greater number of particles. The results of the natural fluorescence and δ13C of water samples were inconclusive. Natural fluorescence was higher from slurry-amended lysimeters than from zero-slurry lysimeters, however, a fluorescence decay experiment suggested that no slurry signal should be present given the time between slurry application and the onset of drainage. The δ13C values of >0.7 microm and <0.7 microm material in drainage were varied and unrelated to discharge. The mean value of >0.7 microm δ13C in water from the drain-flow pathways was higher from the lysimeter which had received naturally enriched maize slurry compared to the lysimeter which received grass slurry indicating a contribution of slurry-derived material. Values of <0.7 microm δ13C from the same pathway, however, produced counter intuitive trends and may indicate that different fractions of the slurry have different δ13C values.     

Fungal biotransformation of 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol

Fungal degradation of 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH, C₆F₁₃CH₂CH₂OH) by two wood‐decaying fungal strains and six fungal isolates from a site contaminated with per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) was investigated. 6:2 FTOH is increasingly being used in FTOH‐based products, and previous reports on the microbial fate of 6:2 FTOH have focused on bacteria and environmental microbial consortia. Prior to this study, one report demonstrated that the 6:2 FTOH biotransformation by the wood‐decaying fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, generated more polyfluoroalkyl substances, such as 5:3 acid (F(CF₂)₅CH₂CH₂COOH), and diverted away from producing the highly stable perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). Most of the fungi (Gloeophyllum trabeum and isolates TW4‐2, TW4‐1, B79, and B76) examined in this study showed similar degradation patterns, further demonstrating that fungi yield more 5:3 acid (up to 51 mol% of initial 6:2 FTOH dosed) relative to other metabolites (up to 12 mol% total PFCAs). However, medium amendments can potentially improve 6:2 FTOH biotransformation rates and product profiles. The six fungal isolates tolerated up to 100 or 1,000 milligrams per liter of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, and some isolates experienced increased growth with increasing concentrations. This study proposes that fungal pathways must be considered for the biotransformation of potential PFAS precursors, such as 6:2 FTOH, and suggests the basis for selecting proper microorganisms for remediation of fluoroalkyl‐contaminated sites.     

Passive sampling of herbicides combined with effect analysis in algae using a novel high-throughput phytotoxicity assay (Maxi-Imaging-PAM)

We propose to combine a passive sampler for polar organic compounds (POS) with a specific bioassay for phytotoxicity to assess the hazard of herbicidal compounds in surface waters. The POS consisted of an Empore disk coated with styrenedivinylbenzene deployed in a Teflon housing, which has relatively high sampling rates (e.g., approximately 1 L d(-1) for diuron). POS were deployed for 5 days in a small-scale field study in South East Queensland, Australia, in a relatively pristine environment and an urban environment to explore sensitivity towards herbicides and potential influences of non-herbicidal pollutants. Besides chemical analysis of 8 herbicides, a novel bioassay (Maxi-Imaging-PAM, IPAM) was employed to assess the phytotoxic effects of water samples and POS extracts. The IPAM allows rapid assessment of photosynthetic quantum yields of a large number of samples via chlorophyll-fluorescence imaging and the saturation pulse method. Sampling rates for several herbicides from laboratory calibrations were found to be applicable under field conditions. Toxic equivalent concentrations (with reference to the herbicide diuron) were computed from the concentrations determined by chemical analysis and the relative potency (also termed toxic equivalence factor) of the detected herbicides. There was good agreement between diuron equivalent concentrations from chemical analysis and diuron equivalent concentrations determined with the IPAM.