The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene was featured in three recent stories published by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH).

 

Pathbreaking cystic fibrosis research initiated in Wisconsin 40 years ago changed the course of diagnosis and treatment of children around the world

The WSLH Newborn Screening Program played a critical role in this groundbreaking research.

“The Wisconsin cystic fibrosis RCT project certainly laid the foundation for CF newborn screening in Wisconsin, in the nation, and beyond. CF newborn screening in Wisconsin continues to evolve,” she (WSLH Newborn Screening Director Dr. Mei Baker) explained. “With the adoption of next-generation sequencing technology, the newborn screening laboratory at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene now can simultaneously detect 689 CF-causing variants. It is the most comprehensive panel at this time, and a relevant practice to the current discussion on genomic sequencing in newborn screening.”

UWSMPH story – https://www.pediatrics.wisc.edu/pathbreaking-cystic-fibrosis-research-initiated-in-wisconsin-40-years-ago-changed-the-course-of-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-children-around-the-world/

 

Wisconsin Partnership Program Turns 20 – Support for Medical and Public Health Education, Community Service and Research Helps Transform School

The latest issue of UWSMPH’s Quarterly magazine has a story on the 20^th anniversary of the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP), which was started with a donation of half of the proceeds from the conversion of Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin from a non-profit to a for-profit corporation. The other half of the proceeds was donated to the Medical College of Wisconsin. The WPP has helped transform the UW Medical School into the UW School of Medicine and Public Health – the country’s first combined school of medicine and public health.

The WSLH gets a mention in the article as being key to this transformation.

 

‘Forever chemicals’ show up in Wisconsin residents – Highest levels found in those who eat locally-caught fish

The WSLH Chemical Emergency Response (CER) section performed PFAS testing on serum samples from 605 adults as part of a collaborative UWSMPH, WSLH and WI Department of Health Services research study. The finding were published in Environmental Research – link below.

UWSMPH news release – https://www.med.wisc.edu/news/pfas-found-in-wisconsin-residents/

Determinants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure among Wisconsin residents – Environmental Research, Volume 254, 1 August 2024, 119131, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119131

 

 

The UW School of Pharmacy profiles Assistant Professor Heather Barkholtz’s latest research in “Breaking Bad Chemistry”.

Barkholtz, who holds a joint appointment with the UW School of Pharmacy and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s Forensic Toxicology section, received a National Institute of Justice grant to “…tease out the toxicological difference between mirror-image meth isomers.”

Barkholtz is also collaborating with School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine and Public Health faculty to research the intoxicating properties of various cannabinoids found in cannabis or marijuana products.

Read the story – https://pharmacy.wisc.edu/2024/09/05/breaking-bad-chemistry/

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations for the Labor Day holiday.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene wastewater surveillance data is just one contribution from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) researchers to Public Health Madison-Dane County’s award-winning interactive respiratory illness dashboard.

More about the collaboration – https://www.med.wisc.edu/news/data-alerts-community-when-sickness-lurks/

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations for the July 4th holiday.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

A new study published in the academic journal Environmental Research Letters, reveals that the environmental impact of the February 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern train accident in East Palestine, Ohio covered a very large geographical area. Inorganic pollutants released due to the accident were found in wet weather downfall (wet deposition) from the Midwest through the Northeast reaching as far as southern Canada and North Carolina. The findings are significant as many inorganic pollutants in rain and snow have chemical effects on aquatic flora and fauna. According to the paper, these pollutants spread over at least portions of 16 states and an area of 1.4 million square kilometers.

Researchers from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were able to estimate the spatial extent and chemical elements deposited resulting from the incident by using precipitation chemistry measurements routinely collected by the National Atmospheric Deposition Programs (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN), which makes routine wet weather measurements at 260 sites across North America.

The train accident and the subsequent fire resulted in the release of many different pollutants into the atmosphere over several days, which the NADP researchers were able to track in precipitation.

Lead researcher and coordinator of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP), which has been monitoring pollution deposited across North America in precipitation for over 40 years, David Gay, says: “Our measurements not only show the expected high chloride concentrations, but also the vast geographical area they covered. However, even more surprising are the unexpectedly high pH levels (more basic) and exceptionally elevated alkali and alkaline earth metals, exceeding the 99th percentiles of the last ten years of measurements. All of these pollutants are important in the environment because their accumulation has an impact on the Earth’s aquatic and terrestrial environments in many ways.”

“This study demonstrates the important role of a nationwide network for routine precipitation monitoring,” says Dr. Gay. “Our observations allowed us to determine the regional atmospheric impact from the accident and subsequent response activities.”

While the current NADP networks do not quantify organic compounds that might be more specific tracers of the train cargo, the documented widespread impacts on precipitation suggest a significant amount of chemical pollution falling to the earth’s surface as a result of the accident.

Journal article

 

In 2023, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene embarked on a new program hosting 17 undergraduate summer interns as part of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Public Health Laboratory Internship Program. This summer we have 18 – and one of last year’s interns was hired for a full-time job at the WSLH.

APHL wrote about the WSLH’s experiences with the program in the latest issue of Lab Matters magazine

Learn more about the APHL Public Health Laboratory Internship Program

In this talk, WSLH Senior Data Scientist Dr. Kelsey Florek discusses how the bioinformatics team in the WSLH Communicable Disease Division is:

• Developing new tools and strategies to enhance genomic data driven insights
• Building genomic data analytics capacity through advanced data workflows automation and new cloud-based resources
• Contributing to a national bioinformatics strategy across public health laboratories in the U.S.

Watch the recording

WSLH Data Portal

Wastewater professionals across the state were honored today as Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers proclaimed May 22, 2024 Wastewater Professionals Appreciation Day.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Director and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of civil and environmental engineering Jamie Schauer spoke at a celebratory event held at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District today reminding guests about the vital role that wastewater professionals play in protecting the health of Wisconsinites.

Wastewater professionals have been crucial in partnering with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences to implement the Wisconsin Wastewater Surveillance Program.

In 2023, the Wisconsin program was named a CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) Center of Excellence, one of only four in the country.

DHS News release about the proclamation

 

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.