Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America

Anne Fairbrother¹, Derek Muir², Keith R Solomon³, Gerald T Ankley⁴, Murray A Rudd⁵, Alistair B A Boxall⁶, Jennifer N Apell⁷, Kevin L Armbrust⁸, Bonnie J Blalock⁹, Sarah R Bowman¹⁰, Linda M Campbell¹¹, George P Cobb¹², Kristin A Connors¹³, David A Dreier¹⁴, Marlene S Evans², Carol J Henry¹⁵, Robert A Hoke¹⁶, Magali Houde², Stephen J Klaine¹⁷, Rebecca D Klaper¹⁸, Sigrun A Kullik¹⁹, Roman P Lanno²⁰, Charles Meyer²¹, Mary Ann Ottinger²², Elias Oziolor¹², Elijah J Petersen²³, Helen C Poynton⁹, Pamela J Rice²⁴, Gabriela Rodriguez-Fuentes²⁵, Alan Samel²⁶, Joseph R Shaw²⁷, Jeffery A Steevens²⁸, Tim A Verslycke²⁹, Doris E Vidal-Dorsch³⁰, Scott M Weir³¹, Peter Wilson³², Bryan W Brooks^{13

33}

Affiliations

¹ Exponent, Seattle, Washington, USA.
² Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington ON, Canada.
³ School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota.
⁵ World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden.
⁶ Environment and Geography Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
⁷ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁸ Department of Environmental Sciences, College of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
⁹ School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰ Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
¹¹ Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
¹² Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.
¹³ Procter and Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
¹⁴ Center for Environmental & Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
¹⁵ George Washington University, Washington, DC.
¹⁶ DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
¹⁷ Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
¹⁸ University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
¹⁹ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
²⁰ Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
²¹ Shell Oil Company, Houston, Texas, USA.
²² Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
²³ Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.
²⁴ US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, DC.
²⁵ Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
²⁶ FMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
²⁷ School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
²⁸ US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
²⁹ Gradient, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
³⁰ Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, California, USA.
³¹ Queen's University of Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
³² Sanofi, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
³³ Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.

PMID: 31361364
PMCID: PMC6852658
DOI: 10.1002/etc.4502

Review

Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America

Anne Fairbrother et al. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2019 Aug.

. 2019 Aug;38(8):1606-1624.

doi: 10.1002/etc.4502.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Exponent, Seattle, Washington, USA.
² Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington ON, Canada.
³ School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota.
⁵ World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden.
⁶ Environment and Geography Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
⁷ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁸ Department of Environmental Sciences, College of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
⁹ School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰ Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
¹¹ Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
¹² Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.
¹³ Procter and Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
¹⁴ Center for Environmental & Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
¹⁵ George Washington University, Washington, DC.
¹⁶ DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
¹⁷ Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
¹⁸ University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
¹⁹ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
²⁰ Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
²¹ Shell Oil Company, Houston, Texas, USA.
²² Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
²³ Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.
²⁴ US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, DC.
²⁵ Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
²⁶ FMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
²⁷ School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
²⁸ US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
²⁹ Gradient, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
³⁰ Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, California, USA.
³¹ Queen's University of Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
³² Sanofi, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
³³ Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.

PMID: 31361364
PMCID: PMC6852658
DOI: 10.1002/etc.4502

Abstract

Anticipating, identifying, and prioritizing strategic needs represent essential activities by research organizations. Decided benefits emerge when these pursuits engage globally important environment and health goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, horizon scanning efforts can facilitate identification of specific research needs to address grand challenges. We report and discuss 40 priority research questions following engagement of scientists and engineers in North America. These timely questions identify the importance of stimulating innovation and developing new methods, tools, and concepts in environmental chemistry and toxicology to improve assessment and management of chemical contaminants and other diverse environmental stressors. Grand challenges to achieving sustainable management of the environment are becoming increasingly complex and structured by global megatrends, which collectively challenge existing sustainable environmental quality efforts. Transdisciplinary, systems-based approaches will be required to define and avoid adverse biological effects across temporal and spatial gradients. Similarly, coordinated research activities among organizations within and among countries are necessary to address the priority research needs reported here. Acquiring answers to these 40 research questions will not be trivial, but doing so promises to advance sustainable environmental quality in the 21st century. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1606-1624. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Keywords: Emerging concerns; Environmental chemistry; Environmental hazard/risk assessment; Environmental toxicology; Global megatrends; Sustainability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

**Figure 1**
Word cloud of 40 priority research questions from North America.

**Figure 2**
Forty priority research questions, ranked (denoted by number) among 7 themes, from North America. Q = question.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Cited by

Global scanning of cylindrospermopsin: Critical review and analysis of aquatic occurrence, bioaccumulation, toxicity and health hazards.
Scarlett KR, Kim S, Lovin LM, Chatterjee S, Scott JT, Brooks BW. Scarlett KR, et al. Sci Total Environ. 2020 Oct 10;738:139807. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139807. Epub 2020 Jun 2. Sci Total Environ. 2020. PMID: 32585507 Free PMC article. Review.
Towards Precision Ecotoxicology: Leveraging Evolutionary Conservation of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Targets to Understand Adverse Outcomes Across Species and Life Stages.
Brooks BW, van den Berg S, Dreier DA, LaLone CA, Owen SF, Raimondo S, Zhang X. Brooks BW, et al. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2024 Mar;43(3):526-536. doi: 10.1002/etc.5754. Epub 2023 Nov 3. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2024. PMID: 37787405 Free PMC article. Review.
Toxicology Advances for 21^st Century Chemical Pollution.
Brooks BW, Sabo-Attwood T, Choi K, Kim S, Kostal J, LaLone CA, Langan LM, Margiotta-Casaluci L, You J, Zhang X. Brooks BW, et al. One Earth. 2020 Apr 24;2(4):312-316. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2020.04.007. One Earth. 2020. PMID: 34171027 Free PMC article.
A review and meta-analysis of collaborative research prioritization studies in ecology, biodiversity conservation and environmental science.
Dey CJ, Rego AI, Midwood JD, Koops MA. Dey CJ, et al. Proc Biol Sci. 2020 Mar 25;287(1923):20200012. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0012. Epub 2020 Mar 18. Proc Biol Sci. 2020. PMID: 32183628 Free PMC article. Review.
Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for Asia.
Leung KMY, Yeung KWY, You J, Choi K, Zhang X, Smith R, Zhou GJ, Yung MMN, Arias-Barreiro C, An YJ, Burket SR, Dwyer R, Goodkin N, Hii YS, Hoang T, Humphrey C, Iwai CB, Jeong SW, Juhel G, Karami A, Kyriazi-Huber K, Lee KC, Lin BL, Lu B, Martin P, Nillos MG, Oginawati K, Rathnayake IVN, Risjani Y, Shoeb M, Tan CH, Tsuchiya MC, Ankley GT, Boxall ABA, Rudd MA, Brooks BW. Leung KMY, et al. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2020 Aug;39(8):1485-1505. doi: 10.1002/etc.4788. Epub 2020 Jul 20. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2020. PMID: 32474951 Free PMC article. Review.

See all "Cited by" articles

References

1. Aeppli C, Carmichael CA, Nelson RK, Lemkau KL, Graham WM, Redmond MC, Valentine DL, Reddy CM. 2012. Oil weathering after the Deepwater Horizon disaster led to the formation of oxygenated residues. Environ Sci Technol 46:8799–8807. - PubMed
1. Aguirre AA, Beasley VR, Augspurger T, Benson WH, Whaley J, Basu N. 2016. One health‐Transdisciplinary opportunities for SETAC leadership in integrating and improving the health of people, animals, and the environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 35:2383–2391. - PMC - PubMed
1. Altieri MA, ed. 2018. AGROecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture, 2nd ed CRC, Boca Raton, FL, USA.
1. Anastas PT, Zimmerman JB. 2018. The United Nations sustainability goals: How can sustainable chemistry contribute? Curr Opin Green Sustain Chem 13:150–153.
1. Anderson A. 2015. Reflections on environmental communication and the challenges of a new research agenda. Environ Commun 9:379–383.

Publication types

Actions
Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America

Affiliations

Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources