UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: WInSTEP Environmental Health Science Program: Home

Welcome!

Welcome to the LibGuide for the UWM WInSTEP SEPA program. Here you will find many useful resources related to the UWM WInSTEP SEPA modules that will help you with your research.

Teacher & Student Resources

Click on the following links for more handy resources:

Agents of Change: Amplifying voices of future leaders in environmental health and justice

Poisons in our Planet

BioRender
Has thousands of science icons and templates for posters and papers

WInSTEP / SEPA Modules

Zebrafish as Models: Studying the Effects of Environmental Agents on Human Health

Integrating Physiology and Behavior: Using Fathead Minnows to Model the Effects of Environmental Agents

The Neuro-Muscular Basis of Earthworm Movements: Effects of Physical and Chemical Environmental Agents

Effects of Toxic Chemicals on Learning and Memory: Using Fish as a Model for Human Environmental Health

Public Health, Environmental Science, and Toxicology Links

Linking Modules to Society: Communications & Environmental Justice

Air Pollution and Impacts on Women's and Children's Health and Climate Change
Cooking and eating—caring for our families at home, moving onto work, school and markets, and then back home again. These are universal rituals that fill our days and the lives of people the world over. And yet there is an unrecognized health threat lurking in the shadows of our most basic routines: air pollution.
Alberta Scientist Links Crude Oil to Fish Deformities, Asks Canada to Investigate
This article from the Edmonton Journal describes fish deformaties currently being found downstream from Alberta's oilsands are similar to those observed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska and Florida's Deepwater Horizon disaster.
American Public Health Association
List of useful health organizations with easy-to-read websites.
America's Children and the Environment, 3rd Ed.
A report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provides key information on environmental stressors that can affect children's health, such as mercury, lead, BPA, etc.
Burning Sugar Cane Pollutes Communities of Color in Florida. Brazil Shows There’s Another Way
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Includes health and safety topics;data and statistics; emergency preparedness and response; environmental health;life stages and populations;healthy living; injury, violence and safety; travelers' health; and workplace safety and health. It also has news.
Children's Health - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
This site by NIEHS provides numerous links to topics on children's health and the possible environmental causes of children's illnesses and disorders.
Consumer Product Information Database
The Consumer Product Information Database (cpid) contains health effects information for products used in the home and in some commercial/institutional settings that contain chemicals.
Culprit Found for Honeybee Deaths in California Almond Groves
It's about time for the annual mass migration of honeybees to California, and new research is helping lower the chances the pollinators and their offspring will die while they're visiting the West Coast.
The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes
The world’s largest chemical maker, BASF, produces ingredients for America’s most popular products, from soaps to surface cleaners to dishwasher detergent. Emissions from their U.S. plants elevate cancer risks for an estimated 1.5 million people.
A Diverse Suite of Pharmaceuticals Contaminates Stream and Riparian Food Webs
A multitude of biologically active pharmaceuticals contaminate surface waters globally, yet their presence in aquatic food webs remain largely unknown. Here, we show that over 60 pharmaceutical compounds can be detected in aquatic invertebrates and riparian spiders in six streams near Melbourne, Australia.
Environmental Health Perspectives: Children's Health
This site features timely children’s health research and news as they are published in EHP as well as links to related material. The site includes its own “Search Children’s Health” function so visitors can search a full library of children’s health content by topic, author, or publication year and find exactly the information they need.
EPA Continues to Approve Toxic PFAS Chemicals Despite Widespread Contamination
Even as the Environmental Protection Agency has been trumpeting its efforts to find and clean up contamination from industrial chemicals known as PFAS, it has been allowing new chemicals in this class to enter into commerce, according to data from the agency.
EPA Issues Emergency Order to Stop Use of Pesticide Dacthal to Address Serious Health Risk
The U.S. EPA announced an emergency suspension of all use of the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal). The EPA has taken this action because unborn babies whose pregnant mothers are exposed to DCPA could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels, which has been linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible.
EPA Releases Final Report of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources
EPA’s report concludes that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances and identifies factors that influence these impacts.
The Exposome and Health: Where Chemistry Meets Biology
The exposome concept strives to capture the diversity and range of exposures, including synthetic chemicals, dietary constituents, psychosocial stressors, and physical factors, as well as their corresponding biological responses.
Exposure to Pollution Kills Millions of Children, WHO Report Finds
Worldwide, 1.7 million children's deaths are attributable to environmental hazards, such as exposure to contaminated water, indoor and outdoor pollution, and other unsanitary conditions, the reports found.
Extinction: Freshwater Fish in 'Catastrophic' Decline
Millions of people rely on freshwater fish for food and as a source of income through angling and the pet trade. But numbers have plummeted due to pressures including pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the damming and draining of rivers and wetlands.
Facing Consumer Pressure, Companies Start to Seek Safe Alternatives to BPA
For consumers, figuring out which canned foods and plastics contain the controversial chemical known as BPA can be nearly impossible. But determining whether newer alternatives are any safer may be even more difficult.
FastStats A to Z (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
The Faststats site provides quick access to statistics on topics of public health importance and is organized alphabetically. Links are provided to publications that include the statistics presented, to sources of more data, and to related web pages.
Frog Development
This video was supported by a SEPA grant from The National Center for Research Resources at NIH and is copyrighted to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition to describing normal frog embryo development, this video also explores the effects of environmental contaminants on development.
Getting to the Root of Toxic "Ethnic" Hair Care Products
From the pressures to have hair look one way or the other, many women of color have turned to “ethnic” hair care products. Unfortunately, many of these products contain highly toxic chemicals.
Healthfinder
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services federal Web site makes health prevention information accessible, including those with limited time or understanding of medical terminology. It is available in both English and Spanish.
How Blood Alcohol Concentration Impairs Body and Behavior
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a measurement of the percent of alcohol is in a person's bloodstream. This, rather than the exact amount of alcohol the person has consumed, will determine the effects the alcohol will have on the person's brain, body and behavior. There are many factors that affect BAC, including size, gender, physical condition; what has been eaten and when; how much sleep is logged; medications; and alcohol content of drinks.
How Climate Change Could be Causing Miscarriages in Bangladesh
In small villages along the eastern coast of Bangladesh, researchers have noticed an unexpectedly high rate of miscarriage. As they investigated further, scientists reached the conclusion that climate change might be to blame.
How Do You Make a Fish Dumber? Take it Out of School
Schools of fish clump together for a very simple reason: safety in numbers. But for some, banding together offers more than just protection. It’s a way of getting to the head of the class. Schooling fish learn from each other, and new research shows that when they’re taken out of their normal social group, individuals struggle to learn on their own.
How Science Moved Beyond Peer Review During The Pandemic
Hyperactivity in Children Linked to Plastic Additive, BPA
Children in the U.S. with higher levels of BPA in their bodies were more likely to have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to a study. The study of 460 children across the U.S. aged 8 to 15 years old found that 11 percent of those with BPA levels higher than the median level had ADHD. In contrast, 3 percent of those children with BPA levels below the median had ADHD.
In Small Doses: Arsenic
This short video discusses the risks associated with exposure to potentially harmful amounts of arsenic in private well water.
International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge
We can measure our personal carbon footprints by calculating how much greenhouse gas our activities produce. The CHALLENGE involves understanding the causes of climate change and then envisioning and embodying effective solutions so we, as a planet, can avoid the worst potential consequences.
Isolation Impairs Cognition in a Social Fish
In variable environments, animals can learn to alter their behavior to adjust to changes. Sometimes, however, this learning ability can be impaired. For example, challenges in the social or physical environment can trigger physiological responses that compromise an individual's capacity to learn and these can prevent the animal from modifying its behavior to cope with the altered environment. One such disruption that might affect learning ability is the isolation of an individual that would normally live in a social group.
Is it Safe? Dose Makes the Poison
Toxicologists and other health professionals can provide a vital public service by presenting basic information about safety assessment. They can encourage the public to embrace a role in informed decision-making regarding risks from chemicals.
Lethal Doses of Water, Caffeine, and Alcohol
Tables describe the lethal doses of water, caffeine, and alcohol.
Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain
Manganese Exposure and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Rural School-Age Children: The Communities Actively Researching Exposure Study (Ohio, USA)
Manganese (Mn) plays a vital role in brain growth and development, yet excessive
exposure can result in neurotoxicity. Marietta, Ohio is home to the nation’s longest operating
ferromanganese refinery and community concern about their exposure led to the development of
the research study.
Medicines Pose Global Environmental Risk, Experts Warn
Residues from billions of doses of antibiotics, painkillers and antidepressants pose a significant risk to freshwater ecosystems and the global food chain.
MedlinePlus
Originated in 1998; National Library of Medicine's selective list of authoritative health information sources from the National Institutes of Health and other government and professional organizations in the U.S. Updated nightly.
Microplastics found in 93% of bottled water tested in global study
The bottled water industry is estimated to be worth nearly $200 billion a year, surpassing sugary sodas as the most popular beverage in many countries. But its perceived image of cleanliness and purity is being challenged by a global investigation that found the water tested is often contaminated with tiny particles of plastic.
Microplastics ‘Significantly Contaminating the Air’, Scientists Warn
Discovery of pollution in snowfall from the Arctic to the Alps leads to call for urgent research on potential human health impacts.
National Honey Bee Survey Pesticide Report
This report lists the level of detection (LOD) and the prevalence (percentage that the pesticide occurred) in all samples taken across the country as part of pollen sampling since 2011.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
NIEHS is one of 27 research institutions and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mission of the NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease.
Occurrence and Distribution of Neonicotinoids and Fiproles within Groundwater in Minnesota: Effects of Lithology, Land Use and Geography
Due to the widespread use of insecticides in agriculture and for urban pest control, there is the potential for contamination of groundwater systems.
Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers
Some ingredients used in nail products have been tied to cancer, miscarriages, lung diseases and other ailments. The industry has long fought regulations.
Pesticide Info Database
The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Pesticide Database is a one-stop location for toxicity and regulatory information for pesticides.
Plastic pollution litters the Great Lakes. The problem is only getting worse
Humans and animals are ingesting plastic particles released into the environment. Studies are finding microscopic plastic fibers in drinking water and fish — raising questions about what affect those particles may have on people’s health as well as the health of ecosystems which are absorbing plastic at the base of the food web.
Poisoned Development
The accumulation of toxins, and China's historic laissez-faire attitude toward environmental degradation, have contributed to a shocking list of communities where residents face serious health hazards.
Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health
Pollutants from Plant Killed Fish in China
Thousands of dead fish floated along a 19-mile stretch of a river in central China were killed by pollutants emitted by a local chemical plant.
Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides Associated with IQ Deficits in School-age Children
Three independent investigations found some evidence of an association between organophosphate exposures in utero and negative impacts on intelligence and mental development.
President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children
This website is a focal point for coordinating federal government efforts to explore, understand and act together to improve children's environmental health. It includes relevant activities, resources, features, and news and events.
Products Derived From Natural, Nontoxic Ingredients-Once Seen As Fringe-Are Now Mainstream
Innovations in designing green chemicals are emerging in nearly every US industry, from plastics and pesticides to toys and nail polish. The article also contains a link to an interactive website that looks at toxic substances room by room in a house.
Rapid Evolution Saved This Fish From Pollution, Study Says
Researchers Find Plastic in Raindrops
The Rise Of The "Personal Diffuser" Stick—Is Essential Oil Vaping Safe?
Sacrifice Zones: Mapping Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution
Safe Urban Gardening
What could healthier than a backyard garden? In this podcast, learn why soil contamination makes gardening potentially risky in some areas. Experts explain what recent research can tell us about safe gardening practices.
Scotchgard Chemical Ails Fish Where Tannery Scraps Litter River
Industrial chemicals once used to manufacture the iconic Hush Puppies shoe brand may be contaminating the Rogue River in an area where leftover leather from a demolished tannery litters the riverbank above the Rockford dam.
The Selenium Battle of Lake Koocanusa
Silencing the Scientist: Tyrone Hayes on Being Targeted by Herbicide Firm Syngenta
A video interview by Democracy Now! with scientist Tyrone Hayes of the University of California, Berkeley, who discovered a widely used herbicide may have harmful effects on the endocrine system. But when he tried to publish the results, the chemical’s manufacturer launched a campaign to discredit his work.
Stop Playing Whack-a-mole With Hazardous Chemicals
Think Those Chemicals Have Been Tested?
This article from The New York Times talks about the lack of testing and regulation of industrial chemicals that people use on a daily basis in products such as shampoos and detergents.
Thousands of Invisible Oil Spills Are Destroying the Gulf
Toxic Chemicals are More Dangerous to Children than Adults
Toxicity of Cigarette Butts, and their Chemical Components, to Marine and Freshwater Fish
This study represents the first in the literature to investigate and affirm the toxicity of cigarette butts to fish, and will assist in assessing the potential ecological risks of cigarette butts to the aquatic environment.
Toxins From Nonstick Chemicals in Drinking Water of 15M Nationwide
They come from everyday products ranging from nonstick pan surfaces, carpet stain-proofing and water-resistant clothing. And they're in almost every American's blood: highly fluorinated toxic chemicals known as PFCs.
The Weight of Numbers: Air Pollution and PM2.5
Emanating from smokestacks, vehicle engines, construction projects, and fires large and small, airborne pollution – sometimes smaller than the width of a human hair, and very often the product of human activity – is not just contributing to climate change. It is a leading driver of heart disease and stroke, lung cancer, and respiratory infections the world over.
Why Hawaii is Trying to Ban a Common Sunscreen
The waters surrounding Hawaii's eight main islands contain more than 410,000 acres of living coral reefs. If strung together, the reefs would be bigger than Oahu, Hawaii’s third largest island. And because of Hawaii’s geographic isolation, the reefs support unique life. It’s a shame that our sunscreen might be killing them.
Why We Should Trust Scientists (Naomi Oreskes)
Many of the world's biggest problems require asking questions of scientists — but why should we believe what they say? Historian of science Naomi Oreskes thinks deeply about our relationship to belief and draws out three problems with common attitudes toward scientific inquiry — and gives her own reasoning for why we ought to trust science.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The DNR is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the natural resources and environment of Wisconsin. It manages state fish, wildlife, forests, parks, air and water resources, and environmental protection.
World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the leading authority for health within the United Nations system.
The World's Worst Toxic Pollution Problems-Report 2015
A report by the Blacksmith Institute describing the world's worst toxic pollution problems from mining, industrial and agricultural activities and its global impact on human health.

Leadership and Roles

David Petering, Co-Principal Investigator
Craig Berg, Co-Principal Investigator
Michael Carvan, Co-Principal Investigator
Daniel Weber, Scientist
Henry Tomasiewicz, Scientist

Jake Luo, Data Scientist

Michael Pickart, Scientist
Renee Hesselbach, Outreach Specialist

UWM WInSTEP SEPA Program Video

UWM Brings Science (and Zebrafish) to Wisconsin High Schools
This video provides an overview of the UWM WInSTEP SEPA program and the impact it has on science teachers and students throughout Wisconsin.

Helpful Websites on Statistics

QuickCalcs
Calculates Chi square, t-test, p values, mean/difference/ratio/SD
Standard Deviation Calculator
VassarStats: Website for Statistical Computation
For ANOVA or F-test

Acknowledgements

This project is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant (Award Number R25GM142031), which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

WInSTEP Environmental Health Science Program: Home