nated parts of Lake Mead, Nev. This study has found unusually high levels of vitellogenin in male fish (Bevans H. E. et al, National Water Quality Assessment Program, Carson City, Nev., 1997; USGS Water Resources Investigations Report 96-4266). "The male fish in Lake Mead have vitellogenin levels that rival those in the females," said Gross. Researchers are trying to identify the substances that have affected the endocrine systems of the Lake Mead fish. On the basis of the results from the national survey, USGS director Gordon Eaton has called for further investigation. USGS is following the preliminary investigation with laboratory studies, which attempt to replicate the survey results, and with further analysis of fish tissues. —REBECCA RENNER
G7 nations to focus on children's health Environmental officials from the Group of Seven industrialized countries (G7) have agreed to consider children's health when setting pollution testing and assessment standards. A declaration signed at a May 6 meeting in Florida also recommended specific actions to coordinate environmental research and harmonize standards among the countries. Officials from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with Russia and the European Union, focused their annual environmental meeting for the first time on children's issues. "The general sense overall was that we would seek to collaborate on research related to children," said Elaine Francis, EPA Office of
WATER QUALITY National council created to improve monitoring The effort to improve and expand state water quality monitoring programs received a boost in May with the establishment of a permanent national group to push for comparable and scientifically defensible water quality information. On May 7, the Advisory Committee on Water Information established the National Water Quality Monitoring Council as the successor to the Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM). ITFM was formed in 1991 as a temporary federal and state partnership to evaluate water quality monitoring programs (ES&T, October r1995 458A-463A)) The council is a federal advisory committee made up of representatives from federal and state agencies, tribes, academia, industry, and professional societies. Members will provide guidance on sharing data, standardizing data collection methods, defining indicators, and promoting quality assurance and control. Recommendations from the council will be published in the Federal Register for public review and comment. Guidelines adopted by the council will be implemented voluntarily by its member organizations. According to Robert Perciasepe, EPA assistant administrator for water, the council will create and implement a nationwide water-monitoring strategy that will provide the best information for making water quality decisions. But critics said that the success of the council depends on developing consensus among its members and implementing recommendations at the state level. According to Chris Yoder, manager of the ecological assessment unit, Ohio EPA, "The national council is at a transition stage. The ITFM provided a good process to lay out the framework, but now we need to implement it at the state level." He noted that because "environmental monitoring is not at the top of states' list of priorities," the federal government must provide support and incentives for states to improve their monitoring capabilities. Elizabeth Fellows, chief of the Monitoring Branch, EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds and council co-chair, said that the most important thing about the council is that nonfederal and nonstate partners now are full members and will have greater say in the council's recommendations. Fellows said that the council, which meets in September, will continue the work of the ITFM. The council will also undertake coastal monitoring design, recommend a framework for groundwater monitoring, and sponsor a nationwide conference in 1998. —JANET PELLEY
Science Policy. The officials discussed lead, drinking water contamination, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, environmental tobacco smoke, and air quality as environmental threats to children. A key recommendation called on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to expedite its review of the 1995 U.S. proposals for testing protocols of developmental and reproductive effects based on children's health. Another key recommendation called on international organizations, working with the United Nations Environmental Programme, to complete a scientific assessment of endocrine disrupters. The also recommended ternational inventory of existing research on endocrine disrupters. The declaration recommends that the industrial nations, international organizations, and international financial institutions focus assistance funding on bacterial disinfection and source water protection for developing countries. Special attention should be given to technology transfer and capacity building in these developing countries, said the declaration, which singled out die development of small drinking water treatment systems as a top priority. Martha Shimkin, EPA Office of International Activities, said that although the declaration does not carry the force of law, it does represent the thinking of top environmental officials in industrialized countries. We hope to see many of these proposals tied into international agreements and national environmental policies down the road, she said. Ine declaration called for further actions to reduce children s blood lead levels to below 10 micrograms per deciliter. It urged the industrialized countries to set schedules and develop strategies to eliminate lead from gasoline, children's products, paint and rust-proofing agents, and food and drinking water supplies. ine officials also recommended mat industnalized countries implement regional commitments to reduce transboundary air pollution.—VINCENT LECLAIR
VOL. 31, NO. 7, 1997/ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 3 1 3 A
