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...
There exists a growing need to establish a better in vitro model for evaluating PAH toxicity and carcinogenicity and to improve assessments of risk to human health, especially to the complex mixtures that exist in the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to the incomplete combustion...
Dibenzo(def,p)chrysene (DBC), (also known as dibenzo[a,l]pyrene), is a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) found in the environment, including food, produced by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. DBC, classified by IARC as a 2A probable human carcinogen, has a relative potency factor (RPF) in animal cancer models 30-fold higher...
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...
The trans-Pacific atmospheric transport of particulate matter (PM)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to remote sites in western North America has been well documented and has triggered research questions regarding to atmospheric transformation of PM-bound PAHs and the potential impacts on human health from their inhalation exposure. In this dissertation, field...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants and are mostly products of the incomplete combustion of organic material. PAHs are often found in environmental samples as a complex mixture of isomers. In addition, the same sources that produce complex PAH mixtures also produce other poorly characterized mixtures of organic compounds,...