and labeling DNA from native bacteria populations in soil samples and analyzing it on Greer's chip. Using a microscope hooked up to a computer, the researchers look for DNA that sticks to the chip to show that microbes that degrade hydrocarbons are present in the soil sample. "The molecular tools give you a direct way of measuring biodiversity and allow you to monitor how it changes when you threaten it, and how it comes back to health after cleanup," Greer said. He predicts that environmental regulations will change to incorporate the new technology because it is more sensitive and sophisticated than current technology for monitoring pollutants and evaluating risk. Other research being conducted by James Quinn, associate professor of biology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, shows that herring gulls could be used as "the canary in the coal mine for early detection of mutagens in the environment". Quinn has demonstrated that the frequency of mutations in minisatellite DNA, a repetitive section of DNA that is prone to mutations, is highest in herring gulls that live near steel mills in the Great Lakes. The inheritable mutations are proportional to the rate of mutation in DNA sequences that code for proteins that affect the gulls' survival and reproduction he said Quinn's next step is to determine which of three suspects— heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—are causing the mutations. "The intention is to measure mutation rates in gulls in Hamilton Harbor near the steel mills and compare them to mutation rates after the harbor is cleaned up," he said. Ultimately, mutation rates in populations of gulls could be used to detect the presence of mutagens in the environment before any outward signs such disease are ob~ served he said The research could lead to chancres in environmental regulations if for in-
stance, mutagens were found to originate on particulates from smokestacks, Quinn suggested. "Biomolecular tools have the potential to revolutionize wildlife conservation," said Kathy Dickson, senior waterfowl biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service. She cited research on tracking and identifying migratory birds. Samples of feathers, eggshells, and blood have provided genetic markers that have helped delineate subpopulations of ducks and track them between their wintering and breeding grounds. Compared to banding and recapturing of birds "the biomolecular tools are more costeffective and allow us to answer questions we had no way of askint? in the past " Dickson said "Biomolecular techniques as a whole have tremendous potential for improving environmental
monitoring, but we have to balance their rapid introduction with careful consideration of their impacts on society and the environment," cautioned Mclntyre. The new techniques could, for instance, reveal that certain genes predispose women of child-bearing age to be more sensitive to certain pollutants, and exposure limits could be reduced accordingly, he said. The technology could also raise genetic privacy issues if certain individuals prove to be more sensitive to the pollutants because of their genetic makeup Mclntyre is trying to catalyze the formation of a national Canadian environmental genomics network and has hired a consultant to inve'stigate how to inte environmental concerns into the projects that Fnvirnnment Canada is fundinp JANET PELLEY
Sustainability New sustainability benchmark takes aim at the GDP A pilot environmental index with aspirations to challenge the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the preeminent measure of society's well-being made its debut in January. Since then, thousands of people worldwide in government, academia, industry, and nongovernmental organizations have downloaded copies of it. "Everyone who has studied the subject recognizes that the GDP isn't adequate," said Jim Salzman, a law professor at American University. The GDP focuses on economic growth, so it increases as the percentage of people suffering from cancer and the frequency of oil spills rises because such environmentally undesirable things generate economic activity, he explained. Measures of how well countries maintain the health of their environments will play a key role in the coming century, according to a National Academy of Engineering report published last year, and a number of high-profile efforts are under way to create such environmental indicators. What sets the new environmental sustainability index (ESI) apart is its sole focus on environmental matters and its ability to compare the performance of different countries over time, according to its developers. It was produced as a collaboration between researchers at Columbia and Yale Universities and members of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders for Tomorrow, an international group with members in business, academia, government, and environmental groups. "We view the ESI as playing a role similar to a cumulative grade point average," said Daniel Esty, director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, who also directed the project to build the index. The pilot index is available on the Web site maintained by Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network (www. ciesin.org). The authors welcome criticism, Esty said, and they hope to have a final version available by the end of the year. —KELLYN S. BETTS
APRIL 1, 2000 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS " 1 6 5 A
