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In the United States, hundreds of thousands of undocumented orphan wells have been abandoned, leaving the burden of managing environmental hazards to governmental agencies or the public. These wells, a result of over a century of fossil fuel extraction without adequate regulation, lack basic information like location and depth, emit greenhouse gases, and leak toxic substances into groundwater. For most of these wells, basic information such as well location and depth is unknown or unverified. Addressing this issue necessitates innovative and interdisciplinary approaches for locating, characterizing, and mitigating their environmental impacts. Our survey of the United States revealed the need for tools to identify well locations and assess conditions, prompting the development of technologies including machine learning to automatically extract information from old records (95%+ accuracy), remote sensing technologies like aero-magnetometers to find buried wells, and cost-effective methods for estimating methane emissions. Notably, fixed-wing drones equipped with magnetometers have emerged as cost-effective and efficient for discovering unknown wells, offering advantages over helicopters and quadcopters. Efforts also involved leveraging local knowledge through outreach to state and tribal governments as well as citizen science initiatives. These initiatives aim to significantly contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing greenhouse gases and improving air and water quality.

Benzophenone is a mutagen, carcinogen, and endocrine disruptor. Its presence in food products or food packaging is banned in the United States. Under California Proposition 65, there is no safe harbor for benzophenone in any personal care products, including sunscreens, anti-aging creams, and moisturizers. The purpose of this study was to determine (1) if benzophenone was present in a wide variety of commercial sun protection factor (SPF)/sunscreen products, (2) whether benzophenone concentration in the product increased over time, and (3) if the degradation of octocrylene was the likely source for benzophenone contamination. Benzophenone concentration was assayed in nine commercial sunscreen products from the European Union and eight from the United States (in triplicate), including two single ingredient sources of octocrylene. These same SPF items were subjected to the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA)-accelerated stability aging protocol for 6 weeks. Benzophenone was measured in the accelerated-aged products. Sixteen octocrylene-containing product lines that were recently purchased had an average concentration of 39 mg/kg benzophenone, ranging from 6 mg/kg to 186 mg/kg. Benzophenone was not detectable in the product that did not contain octocrylene. After subjecting the 17 products to the U.S. FDA-accelerated stability method, the 16 octocrylene-containing products had an average concentration of 75 mg/kg, ranging from 9.8 mg/kg to 435 mg/kg. Benzophenone was not detectable in the product that did not contain octocrylene. Benzophenone was detected in the pure octocrylene manufactured ingredient. Octocrylene generates benzophenone through a retro-aldol condensation. In vivo , up to 70% of the benzophenone in these sunscreen products may be absorbed through the skin. U.S. FDA has established a zero tolerance for benzophenone as a food additive. In the United States, there were 2999 SPF products containing octocrylene in 2019. The safety of octocrylene as a benzophenone generator in SPF or any consumer products should be expeditiously reviewed by regulatory agencies.

Purpose: This study explores variation in the axial location of Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) to determine if this reference plane varies with age and race., Methods: There were 168 spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) optic nerve head volumes that were obtained from healthy subjects and manually delineated within 24 axial slices to develop point clouds for Bruch's membrane and anterior scleral surfaces. A BMO-independent reference plane was generated based on the peripapillary sclera to measure BMO position. General estimating equations were used to determine the relationship of the axial position of BMO (BMO height) with choroidal thickness, age, and race (African Descent [AD] versus European Descent [ED]) controlling for variations in axial length., Results: The peripapillary choroid was thinner with increasing axial length (-14.9 μm/mm, P = 0.0096), advancing age (-1.1 μm/y, P = 0.00091), and in the ED group (20.2 μm, P = 0.019) in a multivariable model. Choroidal thickness was also strongly related to BMO height (P < 0.00001) independent of all covariates. Bruch's membrane opening position was more posterior relative to the sclera in older subjects (1.3 μm/y, P = 0.00017), independent of axial length and race. However, when choroidal thickness was included in the model, this association was lost (P = 0.225). There was no significant difference in BMO height between racial groups after adjustment for age and axial length., Conclusions: Bruch's membrane opening is more posteriorly located in older individuals. These differences are largely due to differences in choroidal thickness and suggest that BMO migrates posteriorly with age due to age-related choroidal thinning. However, additional studies in longitudinal datasets are needed to validate these findings.

Purpose: To carry out clinical and genetic characterization of juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) inherited as an autosomal dominant trait in a Panamanian family., Methods: Twenty-two members of a six-generation Panamanian family underwent an ophthalmologic evaluation. Blood samples were collected from 20 of these individuals for preparation of DNA for use in screening of microsatellite repeat genetic markers via polymerase chain reaction., Results: Eleven living family members covering 4 generations were diagnosed as affected with open-angle glaucoma of primarily juvenile onset. Four of 6 other at-risk individuals examined and enrolled were characterized as unaffected and two as indeterminate. Two additional individuals were not included in this study because they were too young to characterize or to provide a blood sample. Three spouses of affected family members were also examined and found not to have glaucoma. Of clinical importance was the finding of markedly elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in 2 affected brothers, both of whom were advised to have urgent filtration surgery; the finding of elevated IOP in the only seeing eye of the mother of these brothers, causing us to advise her to pursue more aggressive treatment; and the finding of early signs of glaucoma in a previously undiagnosed 9-year-old family member. Linkage analysis using selected microsatellite repeat markers in the 1q21-q31 region revealed strong evidence for linkage to the GLC1A gene with a maximum lod score of 3.75 for marker D1S431 at a recombination fraction of 0.00., Conclusions: The most likely interpretation of our data is that a mutation in the GLC1A gene is responsible for juvenile-onset POAG in this Panamanian family, thus expanding the countries of origin where this gene has been found to exist. The numbers of families with GLC1A glaucoma now reported from only a few centers worldwide raise questions about whether this disease may be more common than once thought. Evaluation of treatment histories and clinical outcomes in members of this and other previously reported families indicates that ophthalmologists need to understand the necessity for urgent filtration surgery in most cases of GLC1A glaucoma if vision is to be preserved.