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<h3><b><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:navy;font-weight:normal'>Carnegie
Mellon, USDA Report That Fe-TAML® Catalysts Degrade Estrogenic Compounds</span></font></b></h3>
<h3><b><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;font-weight:normal'>Main
Category: <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/public_health/">Public
Health News</a><br>
Article Date: 28 Jun 2006 - 15:00pm (PDT)</span></font></b></h3>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>28 Jun 2006</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> <br>
<input type=button value="Click to Print" onclick="return printPage()">
<br>
Scientists from </span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Carnegie</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>Mellon</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> </span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>University</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'> and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) have found that a rapid, environmentally friendly catalytic process
involving Fe-TAML® activators and hydrogen peroxide breaks down two types
of estrogenic compounds. These natural and synthetic compounds can mimic or
block the activities of hormones in wildlife and humans, which may disrupt the
normal functions of the endocrine system and impair development. They could
also contaminate drinking water. <br>
<br>
The results will be presented by Nancy Shappell, a research physiologist at the
USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Fargo, N.D, on Thursday, June 29,
at the 10th annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Washington,
D.C. Shappell will present her paper, "Degradation of Estradiol and
Ethinylestradiol With an Fe-TAML® Oxidant Activator and Hydrogen
Peroxide," during the Frontiers in Green Chemistry and Green Engineering
section of the conference. <br>
<br>
Fe-TAML (tetra-amido macrocyclic ligand) activators, which are synthetic
catalysts made with elements found in nature, originated at Carnegie Mellon's
Institute for Green Oxidation Chemistry under the leadership of Terry Collins,
the Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry in the Mellon College of Science. <br>
<br>
"Environmental studies on various wildlife species have shown evidence
that endocrine disruptors interfere with reproductive, immune and neurological
capabilities and cause developmental abnormalities," Collins said.
"We need to quickly develop a suite of standardized assays that test for
estrogen-like activity of introduced chemicals and their byproducts so that
anyone developing a new chemical technology can assess whether or not their
technology is associated with endocrine disruption." <br>
<br>
Waste from animal-rearing facilities across the </span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>United States</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> constitutes a major concentrated source of estrogens.
Millions of pigs housed in these facilities produce tons of waste products
laden with estrogens that can enter environmental and drinking waters. In
addition, synthetic versions of estrogen found in birth control pills can enter
surface water as a result of incomplete wastewater treatment, according to
Shappell. Some scientists have suggested that these environmental estrogens
could interfere with estrogen-controlled systems in wildlife and humans,
disrupting innate regulatory mechanisms and leading to developmental disorders,
infertility and other reproductive complications. <br>
<br>
"Our results show that Fe-TAML activators are capable of breaking down two
types of estrogenic compounds found as contaminants in surface water,"
Shappell said. "These promising results also indicate the potential use of
Fe-TAML activators to destroy estrogenic compounds in municipal and
agricultural wastewaters." <br>
<br>
Shappell and colleagues found that the Fe-TAML activator, used with hydrogen
peroxide, almost completely degraded estradiol and ethinylestradiol in the
laboratory. In fact, ethinylestradiol -- the synthetic estrogen found in most
birth control pills -- is resistant to most biological degradation processes,
but Fe-TAML activators break down more than 95 percent of this chemical within
five minutes. <br>
<br>
"Our next step would be to advance testing to the field. Fe-TAML
activators have been field-tested in the pulp and paper industry and textile
industry with promising results," said Colin Horwitz, research professor
at Carnegie Mellon. ARS scientists Pat Hunt and Kyoung Ro from the </span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Florence</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>, </span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>S.C.</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'>, Coastal Plains Plant, Soil and </span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Water</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> </span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Research</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>Center</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> were instrumental in making the connection between Shappell
and the Institute for Green Oxidation Chemistry, and will be involved in
field-testing swine wastewater. <br>
<br>
Past studies with Fe-TAML activators have shown their enormous potential to
provide clean, safe alternatives to existing industrial practices and provide
ways to remediate other pressing environmental problems that currently lack
solutions. Specific applications of Fe-TAML activators have included cleaning
wastewater from textile manufacturing, reducing fuel pollutants, treating pulp
and paper processing byproducts, and decontaminating a benign simulant of
anthrax -- all of which have been published by the Collins group. <br>
<br>
### <br>
<br>
The Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon develops innovative research
and educational programs in a range of scientific, interdisciplinary areas. For
more information, visit <a href="http://www.cmu.edu/mcs" target="_blank"><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy;text-decoration:none'>http://www.cmu.edu/mcs</span></font></a>
<br>
<br>
About The Agricultural Research Service (ARS): The ARS is the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. ARS conducts research to
develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national
priority and provide information access and dissemination to: ensure
high-quality, safe food, and other agricultural products; assess the
nutritional needs of Americans; sustain a competitive agricultural economy; enhance
the natural resource base and the environment; and provide economic
opportunities for rural citizens, communities and society. For more
information, visit <a href="http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/main.htm"
target="_blank"><font color=navy><span style='color:navy;text-decoration:none'>http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/main.htm</span></font></a>
<br>
<br>
Contact: </span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Lauren</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>Ward</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:
navy'> <br>
<a href="http://www.cmu.edu/" target="_blank"><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy;text-decoration:none'>Carnegie Mellon University</span></font></a>
</span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:navy'>Article URL:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=46029</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Deborah L. DeBiasi</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'>Email:
dldebiasi@deq.virginia.gov</span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>WEB site address: </span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><a href="www.deq.virginia.gov"><font
size=2><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>www.deq.virginia.gov</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Virginia</span></font><font size=2
color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Department</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> of Environmental
Quality</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Office of Water Permit Programs</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management
Program</span></font></p>
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style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Mail:
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Box 10009</span></font><font size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
color:navy'>, </span></font><font size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:
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style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font><font size=2
color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>23240-0009</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Location: </span></font><font size=2
color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>629 E. Main Street</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>, </span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Richmond</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>, </span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>VA</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>23219</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>PH: 804-698-4028</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>FAX: 804-698-4032</span></font></p>
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