Ecotoxicology, Wildlife Conservation, and Human Health

Frank Von Hippel, a Professor in the department of Biological Sciences at NAU is presenting “Ecotoxicology, Wildlife Conservation, and Human Health“.

Environmental contaminants impact the health and development of humans and wildlife in strikingly similar ways. This in part explains the power of the “one health” research paradigm whereby studies of animal and human health inform each other.  We use locally-occurring wildlife species to study the effects of contaminants on the development and health of vulnerable human populations, as well as to understand conservation implications for wildlife.  In this talk, I will present two such projects working with indigenous communities on islands: the Yupik people on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, and the Anindilyakwa people on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. The people of St. Lawrence Island are exposed to persistent organic pollutants through both atmospheric deposition and leaching of contaminants from Cold War military installations; these exposures may in part explain health disparities reported by communities on the island, including high rates of cancer.  We use fish on St. Lawrence Island to explore the effects of contaminants on gene expression, endocrinology, and development, as well as to differentiate between local and global sources of contaminants and to inform our studies of human health effects.  Groote Island is home to the Anindilyakwa people and a site of international conservation significance, with 12 threatened and endangered vertebrate species. This island is also the location of one of the largest manganese ore producers in the world, and manganese, as a neurotoxicant, may impose a significant health burden on both people and wildlife.  We use a carnivorous marsupial, the northern quoll, to examine the effects of manganese exposure on immune function, endocrinology, and behavior, and to inform studies on the effects of manganese on childhood neurodevelopment.