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.

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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

References

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Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America

Affiliations

Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

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References

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