Farms and livestock leave their mark on the Chesapeake Bay

Endocrine Disrupters, Copper and Ammonia among Factors Examined

WASHINGTON -- Pesticides, agricultural runoff and animal by-products are affecting fish, frogs and the overall state of the Chesapeake Bay. The latest findings will be presented at the 220th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. Among the highlights:

• Gian Gupta, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, will discuss the effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF), a pesticide recently banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on the eggs of a species of frog that is common in the Bay. (The poster on this research, AGRO 99, will be presented from 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 22, in the Washington Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B.)

• Anthony S. Pait, Ph.D., of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will describe the effects of endocrine disrupters, environmental contaminants that can cause abnormal hormonal changes, on a species of fish that is common in the Bay. (The paper on this research, AGRO 138, will be presented at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23, in the Renaissance Washington Hotel, Grand Ballroom Central.)

• Andrea M. Dietrich, Ph.D., of Virginia Tech, will describe the impact of runoff from copper-based pesticides on marine life in the Bay. (The paper on this research, AGRO 140, will be presented at 3:05 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23, in the Renaissance Washington Hotel, Grand Ballroom Central.)

• Bo Liu, of Battelle Memorial Institute, will present the results of a one-year study of how the Susquehanna River, an important tributary, contributes to the overall pesticide levels of the Bay. (The paper on this research, AGRO 142, will be presented at 3:55 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23, in the Renaissance Washington Hotel, Grand Ballroom Central.)

• Wayne Robarge, Ph.D., of North Carolina State University, will discuss atmospheric ammonia emissions from large-scale swine farms in North Carolina, which could have broader implications for the Bay. (The paper on this research, AGRO 165, will be presented at 2:25 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, in the Renaissance Washington Hotel, Grand Ballroom Central.

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A nonprofit organization with a membership of 161,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.