Funding Helps Expand Arsenic Awareness Program
Long-term exposure to arsenic can lead to a host of health issues, including heart disease; cancer of the bladder, lung, liver, prostate, and skin; diabetes, and more.
Continue ReadingNot Just a Drop in the Bucket
Students in Lynn Hanna’s class at Conners Emerson School in Bar Harbor are working with Bar Harbor’s local health officer Mike Gurtler to test all residential wells in Bar Harbor for arsenic.
Continue ReadingCitizen Scientists Support Doctoral Research
Arsenic, lead, and uranium, naturally occurring contaminants in some groundwater, are not uncommon in New England, where significant portions of the population rely on wells for drinking water. Long-term or acute exposure to these contaminants can lead to multiple types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Federal and state guidelines regulate the maximum contaminant...
Continue ReadingMDI Biological Laboratory Gets Children Involved Through Citizen Science
So far, schools in the program have collected 1,200 samples and 15% of them have had higher than recommended levels of arsenic (the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level is 10 parts per billion). “All About Arsenic” aims to build scientific literacy and interest, and to show school-aged children that as citizen scientists they can...
Continue ReadingAnecdata.org: Citizen Science keeps us connected while we’re apart
MDI Biological Laboratory has moved quickly to continue providing opportunities for educational experiences and public engagement in scientific research. Anecdata.org, our online citizen science platform, is just one way we’re increasing our connectivity with like-minded people while we all need to stay apart to slow the spread of COVID-19. Based out of our Community Lab,...
Continue ReadingTroubled Water
Jane E. Disney, Ph.D., MDI Biological Laboratory senior staff scientist and director of education, and Anna Farrell, program coordinator for the institution's Community Environmental Health Laboratory, were interviewed for the investigative documentary, "Troubled Water," on environmental threats to the nation's water supply.
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