| Toxicology and Natural Resource Damage Assessments |
| FEDERAL INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, AND RODENTICIDE ACT (FIFRA) |
| WEST has extensive experience in the design, conduct and analysis of toxicology investigations conducted under FIFRA. WEST experience under FIFRA includes: |
- Large-scale field studies to evaluate effects of insecticides on wildlife
- Evaluation of alternative techniques for design and analysis of terrestrial field studies for pesticide registration
- Development of experimental designs and data analysis procedures for aquatic mesocosm studies and terrestrial field studies
- Computer simulations related to pesticide effects on wildlife
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| WEST was the lead in development of the document "Use of Experimental Designs in Terrestrial Field Studies" for a consortium of chemical companies in the USA. |
Representative FIFRA projects include:
- Conducted study to evaluate effects on nontarget wildlife of an insecticide used on golf courses in Florida through marking over 500 passerines, conducting marked bird spotmapping surveys, carcass searching, and collection of biological samples for pesticide residue analysis.
- Reviewed literature on hazards of the rodenticide zinc phosphide to non-target wildlife, developed related bibliography, identified data gaps and provided recommendations for re-registration of zinc phosphide.
- Consulted on design of field monitoring procedures for effects of a pesticide on avian populations in Canada.
- Designed study to determine effects of a pesticide on wildlife populations in Iowa.
- Consulted on statistical analysis of aquatic biological data from mesocosms in support of applications to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for re-registration of an insecticide.
- Evaluated alternative techniques for design and analysis of terrestrial field studies required by the Environmental Protection Agency for registration of pesticides.
- Served as Study Director for a study to determine magnitude of residues on fruit processed products following post-harvest applications to fruit in Florida, California and Washington.
- Analyzed data using bioequivalence tests to examine differences in 1) avian survival based on radiotelemetry and mark/resighting data, 2) avian brain cholinesterase levels, and 3) number of carcasses located in pesticide-treated and reference areas.
- Conducted computer simulations to determine power of statistical tests to detect 20% decreases in egg hatchability and other reproductive parameters for avian reproduction studies required by the EPA.
- Analyzed data to determine efforts of a corn insecticide on non-target plants in Iowa and Illinois.
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| NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (NRDA) |
| WEST has played a lead role in the design, conduct and statistical analysis of field and laboratory studies in support of Trustee's Natural Resource Damage Assessment cases: |
- The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, March 1989
- Injury assessments due to release of hazardous substances at
- Upper Clarks Fork River, Montana
- Coeur d'Alene Basin, Idaho
- Saginaw Bay, Michigan
- California Marine Bioassay Project, California.
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WEST responsibilities in NRDA cases have included:
- writing and review of study protocols
- site sampling procedures
- statistical analysis
- methodology development for appropriate statistical inferences
- primary field data collection
- report preparation
- expert witness
- preparation of guidance documents
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| The combination of statistics and field ecology at WEST provides a unique ability to produce well-designed and defendable wildlife studies.
Representative NRDA projects include:
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- Conducted Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Natural Resource Damage Assessment study to measure injury to passerine birds inhabiting floodplains through capture of birds with mist nets and collecting blood samples for hematocrit, protoporphyrin, and ALAD measurements; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Statistical design, analysis, and reporting of terrestrial wildlife field and laboratory studies in the Coeur d'Alene Basin National Resource Damage Assessment, Idaho; US Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Statistical design and analysis of wildlife and fisheries field and laboratory studies and participation in the collection of field data on the Upper Clark Fork River Basin National Resource Damage Assessment; State of Montana.
- Statistical design and analysis of the Coastal Habitat Injury Assessment for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska; State of Alaska and U.S. Forest Service. WEST is also providing consultation on field studies to determine damage to large mammals and piscivorous birds and participated in collection of primary data.
- Prepared sections on measuring injury and injury quantification for wildlife exposed to oil for NOAA Injury Determination and Quantification Document prepared for Natural Resources Damage Assessment studies; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Consultation on design and analysis of bioassay studies for testing of discharge water into marine waters for the California Marine Bioassay Project; State of California.
- Geostatistical analysis of existing soil and sediment data in the Saginaw River Basin and Saginaw Bay for design of sampling and monitoring networks; Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
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