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Sonzogni Featured in UW Sea Grant Institute Biennial Report: 2002 – 2004

MADISON , Wis. - WSLH Environmental Health Division Director William Sonzogni, Ph.D, was recently lauded in the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute's Biennial Report (2002-2004).

The feature article, titled "Identifying New Toxins" (page 15) is reprinted below:

IDENTIFYING NEW TOXINS

The discovery by UW Sea Grant researchers William Sonzogni and Jon Manchester of high levels of PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), a common flame retardent, in Lake Michigan fish has greatly increased the level of awareness of PBDE contamination throughout the Great Lakes region and beyond. Sonzogni and Manchester also created a database of the concentrations of six major PBDE congeners in forage fish from Lake Michigan that showed increasing concentrations over time.

As a result of this work, PBDE is now considered a priority contaminant by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the State Division of Health increased its monitoring of PBDEs. The report of this project's initial findings, published in Environmental Science & Technology, was six months later "one of the most cited" papers in the field by the Institute for Scientific Information.

Submitted By: WSLH Public Affairs

Date: August 1, 2005

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