UNews - endocrine systems

Hontela contributes to IET team

trevor.kenney — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:18:28 +0000

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ecotoxicology expert is part of a new province-wide research institute dedicated to examining the impact of harmful chemicals in our environment.

Dr. Alice Hontela, a U of L biological sciences professor and Canada Research Chair in ecotoxicology, is among the researchers who make up the Institute of Environmental Toxicology (IET). Housed at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, the IET is a multidisciplinary team that will include biologists and engineers from the universities of Lethbridge, Calgary and Alberta, as well as scientists in municipal and federal laboratories. Its mandate is to develop new and improved technologies for effective risk assessment and remediation of contaminated sites.

Dr. Alice Hontela is pictured in her lab, one of several unique spaces in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building.

"Our research will help provide decision makers and the public with scientific information on the nature and magnitude of environmental contaminants, and offer some solutions to address this important global challenge," says Hontela.

Among other research collaborations, Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in The Human Environment) strategic network and the Alberta Institute for Water Research. She says climate change and increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants that exist in the water.

Through lab and fieldwork, Hontela studies the endocrine systems of different fish to determine the effects of certain pollutants. She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. See the following video for a look at Hontela's research.

Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

"Alberta is a province that is changing very quickly, and we have to find new ways to deal with our water and our pollutants," says Dr. Hamid Habibi, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the IET director.

An environment free of harmful chemicals is the group's top priority. IET will study the nature, fate and persistence of chemicals in the environment as well as the remediation of terrestrial and aquatic contamination activities.

Habibi says that the causes of contamination are wide ranging and could include pollutants released from wastewater treatment plants and landfills, such as plasticizers, surfactants, flame-retardants, drugs, personal care and industrial products. In addition, there are heavy metals or other toxins resulting from mining activities and electronics consumerism, agricultural runoff, oil sands operations and tailings ponds.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a full look at the January issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Understanding what's in our water

trevor.kenney — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:49:46 +0000

As Alberta's economy and population grow, the demand for water is soaring and so is the need to know how well we're managing this invaluable resource.

Canada Research Chair and U of L researcher Dr. Alice Hontela is adding to the well of knowledge by seeking to understand just exactly what's in our water.

Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in the Human Environment) strategic network. She says climate change and

Dr. Alice Hontela is adding to the well of knowledge by seeking to understand just exactly what's in our water.

increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants in it.

Through lab and fieldwork, she studies the endocrine systems of different fish species – whose systems resemble in some aspects those of humans – to determine the effects of certain pollutants.

She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

The answers Hontela and her colleagues discover are crucial to finding new ways to deal with our water and pollutants, and will aid in making sound management decisions for the future.

Award-winning collaborations

trevor.kenney — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:26:19 +0000

As Alberta's economy and population continue to boom, the demand for water is soaring and so is the need to know how well we're managing this invaluable resource.

Biological scientists Drs. Alice Hontela and Stewart Rood are part of a team of world-renowned researchers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge who are seeking to answer the province's most pressing questions related to water.

Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in The Human Environment) strategic network. She says climate change and increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants in it.

Through lab and fieldwork, she studies the endocrine systems of different fish species – whose systems resemble in some aspects those of humans – to determine the effects of certain pollutants.

She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

"Alberta is a province that is really changing very quickly, and we have to find new ways to deal with our water and our pollutants."

Rood, who was a co-director of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research from 2002 to 2007, is now part of a river research group supported by the new Alberta Water Research Institute. He is also a recent recipient of a Killam Research Fellowship.

He studies the relationship between water (particularly river water) and aspects of the natural environment, like floodplain forests (zones that flank rivers).

"More broadly, the topic in my area is, 'How can we effectively manage water in areas that are water scarce, with the double-threat of reducing water supplies due to climate change and increasing demands due to human population and industrial activity?'"

The answers Rood, Hontela and their colleagues discover will be crucial for making sound management decisions about water resources today and in the future.

UNews - endocrine systems

Hontela contributes to IET team

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Understanding what's in our water

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Award-winning collaborations

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