James M. Lazorchak

James M. Lazorchak is a Research Aquatic Biologist and the Aquatic Research Facilities Manager in EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has a Ph.D. in Ecotoxicology from University of Texas at Dallas, a M.S. in Environmental Sciences from University of Texas at Dallas, a M.S. in Aquatic Ecology from Wright State University and a B.S. in Biology from Southeast Missouri State University. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Chemosphere and Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati and Thomas More University. His research in his early career centered on developing fish, invertebrate, and plant bioassessment and ecotoxicology methods to assess the biological integrity of lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries. He has coauthored the EPA bioassessment and whole effluent toxicity testing manuals. He has also collaborated on research on development and utilization of next generation biological tools like genomic methods to be used for bioassessments and ecotoxicity tests to assess ecosystem health and develop water quality criteria and water quality testing that can be used in regulatory programs for emerging contaminants (i.e., EDCs and pharmaceuticals, PFCs, and pesticides). He also has conducted research on the effects of salt generated from resource extraction activities (oil, gas, coal, and minerals) on aquatic and terrestrial resources. He has also coauthored several papers assessing the one health risks of consuming legacy contaminated fish. He is learning about invasive toxic Algae like Golden Algae P. parvum. They are invading inland reservoirs due to increases in salinity. His current research is on the use of biological indicators (sediment toxicity, biotic condition and invertebrate and fish tissue concentrations) to assess effectiveness of various remedies to reduce legacy contaminants in sediments of our Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). His primary research is improving existing and developing new monitoring and analytical methods to be used by states and drinking water utilities for monitoring water quality to help make early management decisions in addressing Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and the effects of their toxins. He is also generating ecotoxicity information on cyanobacteria and golden algae toxins. There is a lack of information for estimating safe levels for aquatic life concerning the toxicity of natural toxins produced by cyanobacteria and golden algae. Given the uncertainty of analytical standards for cyanobacteria and golden algae toxins, the cost associated with using them to conduct acute and chronic toxicity tests, and their potential impurities, a new approach using pure cultures and ambient bloom samples is being developed and evaluated.