La Point to serve on national committee

Tom La Point, director of the UNT Institute of Applied Sciences and professor of biological sciences, was recently selected by the National Academy of Sciences to serve on the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology.

During a 21-month study, La Point will provide the 18-member board with his expertise on heavy metals. His knowledge will be used to help evaluate Environmental Protection Agency conclusions on the Coeur d'Alene Basin superfund site in northern Idaho.

A 1,500-square-mile abandoned mining area located near the Coeur d'Alene Tributary, the superfund site — part of a federal program to clean up the nation's hazardous waste — has an accumulation of hazardous materials in the soil and water. The area was designated a superfund site in part because of the potential impact of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and zinc upon the ecosystems and people.

"Dr. La Point has a broad range of experience that directly applies to this study," says Ray Wassel, National Academy of Sciences Research Council senior program manager. "We cast a broad net to get suggestions from different sources about the best scientists to conduct this study. La Point met our criteria."

Board members were chosen not only because of their expertise, but also for their objectivity, he says. The NAS searched for scientists without a vested interest in the outcome of the superfund site assessment.

The board will serve as an objective advisory panel. Its mission is to appraise the accuracy of the EPA's scientific and technical approaches in rating the Coeur d'Alene site's risk to humans and the environment. The board will also review and comment on the agency's decision-making strategies and recommendations for corrective action.

"What the board decides about Coeur d'Alene will impact analysis of other superfund sites around the country," Wassel says.

According to the NAS, lessons from the board's Coeur d'Alene report could be applied to similar superfund sites in which cases of water or air contamination are distributed over extensive geographical areas. The study will determine if other approaches need to be developed in the superfund program. These suggestions could include new methods for assessing the extent of contamination, the impacts on health and the environment, and possible corrective strategies.

La Point has served as professor and senior scientist in UNT's Department of Biological Sciences and Institute of Applied Sciences since Jan. 1, 1999. He received his doctoral degree in aquatic biology from Idaho State University in 1980 and his master's degree in population biology from the University of Houston in 1975. He received his bachelor of science degree in zoology and physiology from the University of Wyoming in 1971.

He is a member of numerous scientific associations, including the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the American Institute for Biological Sciences and the American Society for Testing and Materials.

BY CATHY CASHIO ccashio@unt.edu

Other web references

• Institute of Applied Sciences
• Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

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