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Research Briefs 2002
May 29, 2002
Dartmouth scientists report mechanism that may explain seasonal spikes
in water contamination.
The first melt of spring brings hope for warmer days, but may
also bring the greatest concentration of toxic chemicals to streams,
lakes, and hibernating life. At a meeting of the American Geophysical
Union this week, a group of researchers, led by Dartmouth earth
sciences professor Xiahong Feng and graduate student Valisa Nez,
report a mechanism that may explain these seasonal spikes in water
contamination. This study shows that two natural processes, ice
formation and water flow, contribute to raise contamination levels
of the first melting snow, or meltwater, of the season. MORE>>
[Abstract]
Solute Transport Processes in Temperate
Snowpacks Revealed From Nitrate and Sulfate Concentration
Contact:
Xiahong
Feng
Stefan
Sturup
Carl
Renshaw
May 29, 2002
Where's the Arsenic in New England Orchards?
HANOVER, N.H. - Increased awareness of the dangers of arsenic
exposure has led to the investigation of New England apple orchards,
as they have long been suspected of releasing arsenic into the
environment. New research by Dartmouth scientists shows these
suspicions to be, for the most part, unfounded. Their study presented
at the Spring Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (May 28-31)
confirms previous evidence that arsenic, sprayed on trees as an
insecticide, generally stays bound up in soil, limited to the
upper inches. MORE>>
Contact:
Xiahong
Feng
Carl
Renshaw
Stefan
Sturup
March 19, 2002
Algae might be missing mercury link in aquatic food chain
A team of Dartmouth researchers is one step closer to understanding
how toxic metals, specifically methylmercury, move through the
aquatic food chain. Their
results, to be published in the April 2, 2002, issue of the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences suggest that there is a link
between the amount of algae in the water and the amount of mercury
going up the food chain, and their findings may help explain why
levels of mercury in the water don't always indicate corresponding
levels in fish.
MORE>>
[Abstract] [Full
Text]
Algal blooms reduce the uptake of toxic methylmercury in freshwater food
webs
Contact:
Paul Pickhardt
Carol
Folt
Celia
Chen
February 14, 2002
Restricting R-movies linked to decreased teen smoking
Researchers from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center
at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center,  Dartmouth
Medical School and Dartmouth College have identified a new strategy for
parents who don't want their children to smoke or drink: don't
let them watch R-rated movies. A new paper in the January/ February 2002
issue of Effective Clinical Practice states that children who are not
restricted from watching R-rated movies are three times more likely to
smoke or drink alcohol compared to those who are never allowed to watch
them.
MORE
>>
[Full
Text] Relation between
Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol
Contact: Madeline
Dalton
February 5, 2002
Tanning lamps
may increase risks of skin cancers
Users of tanning lamps may have an increased incidence of skin cancers
and younger users may be at greatest risk,report
Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers.
"The growing popularity of artificial tanning (for non-medical reasons)
among adolescents and young adults is cause for concern," says first author
Margaret R. Karagas, PhD, a DMS epidemiologist who is associate professor
of community and family medicine and associate director of the Center
for Environmental Health Sciences at Dartmouth. MORE
>>
[Full
Text] Use of Tanning Devices
and Risk of Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Skin Cancers
Contact: Margaret
Karagas
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