Significance:

• Endocrine disruptor

• Increased risk of NHL to people exposed to atrazine and nitrate in drinking water

• Association with very preterm delivery (< 32 weeks)

Objectives:

1. Identify watersheds in Nebraska at risk for exceeding nitrate-N and atrazine maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) in surface water

2. Determine specific times in the year where risks were greatest

Hypothesis:

• Hot spots = Corn production

• Hot times = Spring flush months

Conclusions:

• Risk was highest in high corn regions

• Method developed has the potential to be used for other dual exposure risk assessments

Publication: Hansen, S., T. L. Messer, and A. Mittelstet. 2019. Mitigating the Risk of Atrazine Exposure Across Nebraska, USA: Identifying Hot Spots and Hot Times in Surface Water Watersheds. Journal of Environmental Management, 250: 109424. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109424.

Gradaute Student: Samuel Hansen (MS Biological Systems Engineering; Graduated 2019)