Protection of the quality and integrity of food supplies is of global concern. Crops can accumulate non-nutritive and sometimes toxic metals and metalloids. Accumulated metals/metalloids can come in part, from fertilizers, which may contain variable levels of non-nutritive metals or metalloids such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel...
There are many links between exposure to environmental pollution and risks to human health. While advances in the fields of toxicology, exposure science, and environmental chemistry have shown light on many of these links, many more research challenges remain. One major challenge is how to accurately characterize the toxicity of...
Throughout their lifetime individuals are exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals. The study of chemical mixtures is an internationally recognized research priority, but seemingly complex challenge. To reduce the intricacy of studying mixtures, researchers have identified different prioritization methods based on exposure or the toxicity of chemicals. However, understanding the...
Silicone wristbands are easy-to-wear passive samplers that have been readily adapted into environmental health studies since first reported in 2014. Wristbands can be worn during normal daily activities and sequester a wide range of bioavailable organic chemicals. This dissertation includes a thorough review of silicone wristband technology, as well as...
Chemicals must be bioavailable for there to be a potential for exposure and consequent risk to human or environmental health. Passive sampling devices (PSDs) are used to quantify the time-integrated concentration of bioavailable contaminants. We demonstrate that PSDs can be paired with the zebrafish developmental toxicity bioassay to produce site-specific,...
Passive sampling devices (PSDs) were used to measure air vapor and water dissolved phase concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) at two different environmentally contaminated sites. Environmental contaminates like PAHs and OPAHs are present in both the atmospheric and aqueous environmental compartments. It is known that...
Environmental toxicologists and public health officials are responsible for assisting in the identification, management, and mitigation of public health hazards. As a result, there is a continued need for robust analytical tools that can aid in the rapid quantification and characterization of chemical exposure. In the first research phase, we...
Passive sampling is a popular technology for environmental monitoring, and silicone is an ideal choice for a variety of passive sampling applications. The silicone work described here encompasses laboratory and field studies that demonstrate the use of this polymer in novel environments, for new applications, and for emerging compounds. Unique...
Assessing the risk from exposure to a chemical mixture in the environment can seem prohibitively challenging. Most components of the mixture are not readily identifiable, chemicals may interact to cause other-than-additive toxicity, and the number of potential combinations of environmental contaminants is enormous. These challenges can make it seem impossible...
In the environment, it is the unbound fraction of chemical (Cfree) which is able to diffuse across environmental interfaces and biological membranes. It is therefore Cfree which drives many important biological-environmental processes including contaminant transport, bioaccumulation and toxicity. Passive sampling devices (PSDs) offer a simplified and more accurate approach for...