Dana Kolpin is a Research Hydrologist with the Central Midwest Water Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey in Iowa City, IA.  

Dana has been with the USGS since 1984 and has spent his entire career in Iowa. He led the USGS “Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Environment” project from 1998 until 2017. He now leads the USGS “Food Resources” project to understand the potential health risks from contaminant exposures associated with the growing and raising of plants and animals and the production and manufacturing of plant and animal products.

Dana has published over 250 papers that have been cited over 20,000 times in the literature. His paper "Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance" was a seminal paper on the occurrence of CECs in water resources and is the most highly cited paper in Environmental Science & Technology history. He has published a diverse array of papers including neonicotinoid insecticides in streams, the uptake of CECs into stream and terrestrial biota and the first ever documentation of the off-field transport on nitrapyrin and herbicide adjuvants to streams.

His most recent research includes investigating per-and polkyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in rural settings, measuring antibiotic-resistance genes in the environment, and understanding chemical and microbial contaminants being discharged into the environment by food and feedstock processing plants. 

Professional experience

1996-present, Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey

• Project lead (1998-2017) of USGS contaminants of emerging concern in the environment project
• Project lead (2018 to present) of USGS Food Integrated Science Team (https://www2.usgs.gov/envirohealth/science_teams/food/index.php)

1988-1996, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey

1984-1988, Hydrologic Technician, U.S. Geological Survey

Other select experience

1998-2021, Editorial Board for the journal Science of the Total Environment

2005, Assisted teaching PhD short-course “Pharmaceuticals and hormones in the environment” given by the University of Copenhagen (Brorfeld Field Station, Denmark)

2011, Expert consultant to the U.S. Government Accountability Office for their reports “Antibiotic Resistance: Data Gaps Will Remain Despite HHS Taking Steps to Improve Monitoring” (GAO-11-406, June 2011).

2014, Expert consultant for Ontario Ministry of Environment’s document “Canadian Water Quality Guideline for the Protection of Aquatic Life for Carbamazepine”

2014-2016, Committee member for the EU funded CAPACITIE Project

2018-2020, Committee member for the EU funded NaToxAq Project (http://natoxaq.ku.dk)

2018-present, Advisory Board member for the Center for Effects of Environmental Contamination at the University of Iowa

2020-present, Member of the Iowa Biomonitoring Program Advisory Board (https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/state_grants.html)

2021-present, Advisory Board Member for University of Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center’s Project “Investigation of Environmental Toxicants in Suicide Behavior”

Awards and honors (selected)

2002, The stream reconnaissance study for emerging contaminants (Kolpin et al., 2002) was cited as Discover Magazine’s 8th top science story for 2002 (January 2003 issue).

2003, USGS Shoemaker Award for Communication Product Excellence in the Event category.

2013, Was filmed for PBS documentary on pharmaceutical disposal (March 2013). The 30 minute documentary was broadcasted on Michigan PBS stations in November of 2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy4zgVtNPbo). This documentary has subsequently received a Telly People’s Choice Award, A Telly Award for Cause Marketing, and a Communicator Award.

2016, Received the USEPA ORD Bronze medal for “Integrative research on the presence of chemical and microbiological contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water and their potential for human and ecological health impacts”.

2020, Recipient of the 2019 Recipharm International Environmental Award

2020, USEPA 2019 Level II Scientific and Technical Achievement Award (STAA) winner for the USEPA/USGS Nationwide study on the prevalence and potential health effects of CECs in drinking water.

Select publications (ORCID: 0000-0002-3529-6505)

Additional info can be found at: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/dana-w-kolpin?qt-staff_profile_science_products=0#qt-staff_profile_science_products

Kolpin, D.W., Furlong, E.T., Meyer, M.T., Thurman, E.M., Zaugg, S.D., Barber, L.B., and Buxton, H.T., 2002, Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance: Environ.  Sci. Technol., 36: 1202-1211. DOI:10.1021/es011055j.

Kolpin, D.W., Skopec, M., Meyer, M.T., Furlong, E.T., Zaugg, S.D., 2004, Urban contribution of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants to streams during differing flow conditions: Sci Total Environ., 328: 119-130. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.01.015

Kolpin, D.W., Thurman, E.M., Lee, E.A., Meyer, M.T., Furlong, E.T., Glassmeyer, S.T., 2006, Urban contributions of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA to streams in the United States: Sci. Tot. Environ., 354: 191-197. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.01.028.

Schultz, M.M., Furlong, E.T., Kolpin, D.W., Werner, S.L., Schoenfuss, H.L., Barber, L.B., Blazer, V.S., Norris, D.O., Vajda, A.M. 2010. Antidepressant pharmaceuticals in two U.S. effluent-impacted streams: Occurrence and fate in water and sediment, and selective uptake in fish neural tissue: Environ. Sci. Technol., 44: 1918-1925. DOI:10.1021/es9022706.

Bradley, P.M., L.B. Barber, J.W. Duris, W.T. Foreman, E.T. Furlong, C.E. Givens, L.E. Hubbard, K.J. Hutchinson, C.A. Journey, S.H. Keefe, D.W. Kolpin. 2016. Pre/post-closure assessment of groundwater pharmaceutical fate in a wastewater-impacted stream system. Sci Total Environ. 568:916-925. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.104.

Schoenfuss, H.L., Furlong, E.T., Phillips, P.J., Scott, T-M., Kolpin, D.W., Cetkovic-Cvrlje, M., Lesteberg, K.E., Rearick, D.C. 2016. Complex mixtures, complex responses: Assessing pharmaceutical mixtures using field and laboratory approaches: Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 35: 953-965. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3147.

Bradley, P.M., Journey, C.A., Romanok, K.M., Buxton, H.T., Jones, D.K., Foreman, W.T., Furlong, E.T., Hladik, M.L., Iwanowicz, L.R., Kolpin, D.W., Kuivila, K.M., Loftin, K.A., Mills, M.A., Meyer, M.T., Orlando, J.L., Reilly, T.J., Smalling, K.L., Villeneuve, D.L. 2017. Expanded target-chemical assessment reveals extensive mixed-organic-contaminant exposure in U.S. streams. Environ. Sci. Technol. 51: 4792-4802. DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b00012.

Burns, E.E., Carter, L.J., Kolpin, D.W., Thomas-Oates, J., Boxall, A.B.A. 2018. Temporal and spatial variation in pharmaceutical concentrations in an urban river system. Water Research, 137: 72-85. DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2018.02.066.

Scott, T-M., Phillips, P.J., Kolpin, D.W., Colella, K., Foreman, W.T., Furlong, E.T., Gray, J.L. 2018. Pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities as sources of pharmaceuticals to municipal wastewater treatment plants in the United States. Sci. Total Environ. 636: 69-79. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.160.

Boone, J.S., Vigo, C., Boone, T., Byrne, C., Ferraio, J., Benson, R., Donohue, J., Simmons, J.E., Kolpin, D.W., Furlong, E.T., Glassmeyer, S.T. 2019. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in source and treated drinking waters of the United States. Sci. Total Environ. 653: 359-369. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.245.

Masoner, J.R., Kolpin, D.W., Cozzarelli, I.M., Barber, L.B., Burden, D.S., Foreman, W.T., Forshay, K.J., Furlong, E.T., Groves, J.F., Hladik, M.L., Hopton, M.E., Jaeschke, J.B., Keefe, S.H., Krabbenhoft, D.P., Lowrance, R., Romanok, K.M., Rus, D.L., Selbig, W.R., Williams, B.H., Bradley, P.M. 2019. Urban stormwater: An overlooked pathway of extensive mixed contaminants to surface and groundwaters in the United States. Environ. Sci. Technol. 53:10070-10081. DOI:10.1021/acs.est.9b02867.

Masoner, J.R., Kolpin, D.W., Cozzarelli, I.M., Smalling, K.L., Bolyard, S., Field, J.A., Furlong, E.T., Gray, J.L., Lozinski, D., Reinhart, D, Rodowa,  A., Bradley, P.M. 2020. Landfill leachate contributes per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals to municipal wastewater. Environ. Sci.: Water Res. & Technol. 6: 1300-1311. DOI: 10.1039/d0ew00045k.

Zhi, H., Kolpin, D.W., Klaper, R.D., Iwanowicz, L.R., Meppelink, S.M., LeFevre, G.H. 2020. Occurrence and spatiotemporal dynamics of pharmaceuticals in a temperate-region wastewater effluent-dominated stream: Variable inputs and differential attenuation yield evolving complex exposure mixtures. Environ. Sci. Technol. 54: 12967-12978. DOI:10.1021/acs.est.0c02328.

Kolpin, D.W., Hubbard, L.E., Cwiertny, D.M., Meppelink, S.M., Thompson, D.A., Gray, J.L. 2021. A comprehensive statewide spatiotemporal stream assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in an agricultural region of the United States. Environ. Sci. Technol. Letters, 8: 981-988. DOI:10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00750.

Webb, D.T., Zhi, H., Kolpin, D.W., Klaper, R.D., Iwanowicz, LR., LeFevre, G.H. 2021. Municipal wastewater as a year-round point source of neonicotinoid insecticides that persist in an effluent-dominated stream. Environ. Sci.: Processes & Impacts. 23: 678-688. DOI:10.1039/D1EM00065A

Zhi, H., Mianecki, A.L., Kolpin, D.W., Klaper, R.D., Iwanowicz, L.R., LeFevre, G.H. 2021. Tandem field and laboratory approaches to quantify attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical transformation products in a wastewater effluent-dominated stream. Water Research, 203: 117537. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117537.

Hubbard, L.E., Kolpin, D.W., Givens, C.E., Blackwell, B.R., Bradley, P.M., Gray, J.L., Lane, R.F., Masoner, J.R., McCleskey, R.B., Romanok, K.M., Sandstrom, M.W., Smalling, K.L., Villeneuve, D.L. 2022. Food, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams. Environ. Sci. Technol., 56: 1028-1040. DOI:10.1021/acs.est.1c06821.

Wilkinson, J.L., Boxall, A.B.A., Kolpin, D.W., et al., 2021. Pharmaceutical pollution of the world’s rivers. PNAS. 119(8): e2113947119. DOI:10.1073/pnas.2113947119.

Meade, E.B., Iwanowicz, L.R., Neureuther, N., LeFevre, G.H., Kolpin, D.W., Zhi, H., Meppelink, S.M., Lane, R.F., Schmoldt, A., Mohaimani, A., Mueller, O., Klaper,R.D. 2022. Transcriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream. Sci.Total Environ. v. 856, 159069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159069.

Schumann, P.G., Meade, E.B., Zhi, H., LeFevre, G.H, Kolpin, D.W., Meppelink, S.M., Iwanowicz, L.R., Lane. R.F., Schmoldt, A., Mueller. O., Klaper, R.D. 2022. RNA-seq reveals potential gene biomarkers in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) for exposure to treated wastewater effluent. Environmental Science Processes & Impacts, in press.