Spatial trends and drivers of marine debris accumulation on shorelines in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas using citizen science.

This study measured spatial distribution of marine debris stranded on beaches in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Citizen science, fetch modeling, relative exposure index and predictive mapping were used to determine marine debris source and abundance. Citizen scientists quantified debris type and abundance on 16 beaches within three coastal exposures (The Atlantic Ocean, Great Bahama Bank and The Exuma Sound) in South Eleuthera.

Estimating the risk of bladder and kidney cancer from exposure to low-levels of arsenic in drinking water, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Arsenic in drinking water impacts health. Highest levels of arsenic have been historically observed in Taiwan and Bangladesh but the contaminant has been affecting the health of people globally. Strong associations have been confirmed between exposure to high-levels of arsenic in drinking water and a wide range of diseases, including cancer.

Spatiotemporal assessment (quarter century) of pulp mill metal(loid) contaminated sediment to inform remediation decisions.

A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour, a former tidal estuary within Pictou Landing First Nation since 1967. Fifty years of effluent discharge into Boat Harbour has created >170,000 m of unconsolidated sediment, impacted by inorganic and organic contaminants, including metal[loid]s, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, and furans. This study aimed to characterize metal(loid)-impacted sediments to inform decisions for a $89 million CAD sediment remediation program.

A population-based study of prevalence trends and geospatial analysis of hypospadias and cryptorchidism compared with non-endocrine mediated congenital anomalies.

Introduction: Several reports have suggested an increase in the prevalence of hypospadias and cryptorchidism over the last few decades. Endocrine disruption caused by exposure to environmental chemicals has been postulated as a possible cause.

Objectives: The objectives of our study were: 1) to determine whether the prevalence of hypospadias and cryptorchidism is increasing compared with other congenital anomalies not known to be mediated by endocrine factors; and 2) to perform a geospatial analysis of these congenital malformations looking for clustering that could offer insight into environmental risk factors.

Lessons for PPGIS from the application of a decision-support tool in the Nova Forest Alliance of Nova Scotia, Canada.

The effectiveness of a decision-support tool created to identify protected-area potential within the Nova Forest Alliance (NFA) of Nova Scotia, Canada is assessed from the perspective of a public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) approach. The application sought to create an integrated GIS-based decision-support tool for community-focused communication and conservation assessment among NFA partners (including private woodland owners, government agencies, forest companies, and non-government organizations) and potential application within other model forests in Canada. The application illustrated that the GIS-based tool, once set up and populated with the necessary data, was able to generate effective visual alternatives to support decision making within the NFA community and elsewhere.