EAGER: PPER: Empowering Citizen Scientists to Reduce Sources of Emerging Contaminants

内分泌干扰化合物在某些个人护理产品的生命周期的各个阶段（包括制造、使用和处置）被引入环境中。虽然废水必须经过处理才能达到许可证的要求，但内分泌干扰化合物目前没有受到管制，因此，污水处理厂在排放前去除内分泌干扰化合物的程度差别很大。 公民科学家有可能在科学发现过程中发挥重要作用，他们可以参与确定可能的行动方针和所需的立法。 该项目的目标是让民间科学家参与收集和报告有关水中内分泌干扰化合物水平的数据。 这项研究最终可能导致萨斯奎汉纳河流域内分泌干扰化合物的数量减少。该项目中使用的方法有可能是变革性的，并适用于美国其他流域，这些流域正在应对鱼类种群下降和污染物浓度增加。该项目的研究人员正在招募大约50-60名志愿公民科学家参加数据生成和焦点小组会议，以最终确定减少环境中内分泌干扰化合物的方法。在这个研究项目中，公民科学家：1）使用研究人员开发的内分泌干扰化合物足迹工具来估计他们个人护理，家庭清洁和洗衣产品中的内分泌干扰化合物的质量; 2）从萨斯奎汉纳河流域收集水样，分析来自药品、个人护理产品、3）参加焦点小组会议，以确定研究需求和优先事项，潜在的行动方针，以及与减少萨斯奎汉纳河流域内分泌干扰化合物有关的理想立法。公民科学家从内分泌干扰化合物足迹工具和水质数据中生成的数据提供了一个潜在的强大洞察力，使公民科学家能够将他们使用的常见含内分泌干扰化合物的产品与地表水中存在的内分泌干扰化合物联系起来。这些知识将使公民科学家能够积极做出个人决定，以减少内分泌干扰化合物的来源。宾夕法尼亚州立大学调查研究中心的加入为团队带来了独特的焦点小组专业知识。通过宾夕法尼亚州立大学的水质实验室设施和美国农业部的分析化学专业知识，确保产生高质量的内分泌干扰化合物数据。本提案中使用的方法有可能产生变革，并适用于美国其他正在应对鱼类种群减少和内分泌干扰化合物问题的流域。

Endocrine disrupting compounds are introduced into the environment during various stages of the life cycle of certain personal care products including manufacturing, use, and disposal. Although wastewaters must be treated to meet permit requirements, endocrine disrupting compounds are currently not regulated and therefore the extent to which sewage treatment plants remove them prior to discharge varies widely. Citizen scientists have the potential to play a significant role in the scientific discovery process, and they can participate in identifying potential courses of action and desired legislation.  The goal of this project is to involve citizen scientists in collecting and reporting data concerning the levels of endocrine-disrupting compounds in the water. This study eventually could lead to a reduction in the amount of endocrine disrupting compounds in the Susquehanna River Basin. The methods used in this project have the potential to be transformative and to be applied to other watersheds across the United States that are coping with fish population declines and increasing contaminant concentrations. The project researchers are recruiting approximately 50-60 volunteer citizen scientists to participate in data generation and focus groups meetings to ultimately identify ways to reduce endocrine disrupting compounds in the environment. In this research project, citizen scientists: 1) employ an endocrine disrupting compound footprint tool developed by the researchers to estimate the mass of endocrine disrupting compounds in their personal care, household cleaning, and laundry products; 2) collect water samples from locations across the Susquehanna River Basin to be be analyzed for more than 50 endocrine disrupting compounds from pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides; 3) participate in focus group meetings to identify research needs and priorities, potential course of action, and desired legislation related to reducing endocrine disrupting compounds in the Susquehanna River Basin. Data generated by the citizen scientists from the endocrine disrupting compound footprint tool and the water quality data provides a potentially powerful insight to enable the citizen scientists to link their usage of common endocrine disrupting compound-containing products to the presence of endocrine disrupting compounds in surface water. This knowledge will empower the citizen scientists to actively make personal decisions to reduce endocrine disrupting compound sources. The inclusion of the Penn State Survey Research Center brings unique focus group expertise to the team. The analytical chemistry expertise through Penn State's water quality laboratory facilities and the USDA ensures that high quality endocrine disrupting compound data is generated. The methodologies used in this proposal have the potential to be transformative and to be applied to other watersheds across the United States that are coping with fish population declines and endocrine disrupting compound concerns.