Superfund Research Program

Research Translation Core

Project Leader: Lindell E. Ormsbee
Co-Investigator: Kelly G. Pennell
Grant Number: P42ES007380
Funding Period: 2005-2019

Project-Specific Links

Final Progress Reports

Year:   2019  2013  2007 

The UK-SRC RTC continues to work with project investigators and graduate students to disseminate and translate research results from both environmental science (non-biomedical) and biomedical projects. RTC staff continue to work with the Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment and US Department of Energy personnel to implement a treatability study using the proposed remediation technologies being developed as part of Project 7. RTC staff also have met with the director of the Kentucky Division of Waste Management (KDWM) and the executive director of the Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission to discuss concerns about two new contaminated sites: Lee's Land landfill and Black Leaf pesticide plant, both located in Louisville. The RTC also continues to sponsor a bi-monthly seminar at the KDWM as a vehicle to promote UK-SRC research, identify agency evidence needs, and address technical concerns of the department.

On the biomedical side, a relationship has been established with the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research and Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks, a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Through this relationship, the UK-SRC is now linked to public health practice-based research networks in 30 states around the nation. RTC co-leader Dr. Anna Hoover also has a leadership role within that organization, working closely with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, Academy Health, the Public Health Accreditation Board, and other national entities to identify broad-based public health practice and policy evidence needs and to discern relevant linkages with UK-SRC research. The RTC will continue working with these new partners to translate emerging nutrition-related evidence from the UK-SRC.

Studies and Results

University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UK-SRC) Research Translation Core (RTC) continues building processes that promote the translation of project-specific research outcomes from within the UK-SRC but also the advancement of science from across the national NIEHS Superfund Research Program. Within its own SRC, the RTC works closely with non-biomedical (or environmental science and engineering) and biomedical researchers, as well as potential end users, in translating current research outcomes into policies, practices, and technologies to improve environmental public health. The UK-SRC RTC directly engages with government stakeholders, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the federal level, the Kentucky Cabinet for Energy and the Environment at the state level, and elected officials at the local level. The RTC also exchanges information with broader audiences, including congressional representatives, universities, Superfund community groups, and the general public.

Currently, the UK-SRC RTC collaborates with regulators and scientists at the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) to produce a Superfund-related seminar series. Seminar topics are identified directly by state government stakeholders have included: vapor intrusion, determination of TCE risk values, prenatal and early-life exposures, methods for developing useful conceptual site models, background PAH concentrations in geographical areas where coal tar sealants are used, and arsenic levels in urban areas. The series is organized by a joint advisory board that includes DEP administrators, scientists, and staff, along with RTC personnel. This ongoing partnership has contributed to the development of additional collaborative activities, including a potential participatory risk communication workshop which will include both state agency personnel and Superfund community stakeholders.

RTC staff have also met with the director of the Kentucy Division of Waste Management and the excutive director of the Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission to discuss concerns about two new contaminate sites: Lee's Land landfill and Black Leaf pesticide plant (both in Louisville). Agency staff request technical support in addressing the community concerns about the identified contaminants.

RTC affiliated faculty member Anna Hoover has been involved in an affiliated research project funded by EPA entitled: "Research to Improve Risk Communication Strategies During and After the Decontamination and Clearance Phase of an Intentional Biological Release". Dr. Hoover provides context-based engagement, interview, facilitation, and analytic expertise for this research project, which focuses on developing risk communication guidelines for communicating with stakeholders, media, and the public during post-incident decontamination and clearance.

Both Dr. Ormsbee and Dr. Hoover are also involved in another affiliated research project funded by the Kentucky Cabinet for Environmental Protection entitled: "Floyds Fork Stakeholder Engagement Project". This project is implementing the stakeholder engagement protocol developed as part of RTC work with the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant community to another community outside of Louisville. These research activities have resulted in 6 conference papers that were published this year.

Anna Hoover (RTC) became deputy director and co-PI of the Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks National Coordinating Center, a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In this capacity, she supports more than two dozen Public Health PBRNs across the nation while managing the Coordinating Center's daily operations. In September, the Public Health PBRN National Coordinating Center merged with the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research, with Hoover becoming deputy director of the joint enterprise, which supports research on the effective and efficient organization, financing, and delivery of evidence-based public health services. Relationships have been established with the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research and Public Health Practice-Based Research Programs, a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Through this relationship, the UK-SRC is now linked to public health practice-based researcher networks in 30 states around the nation. Research Translation Core Leadership placed within that organization is also working closely with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, Academy Health, the Public Health Accreditation Board, and other national entities to identify broad-based public health practice and policy evidence needs and to discern any potential linkages with UK-SRC research.

In April, 2013, Dr. Ormsbee was asked to give the G.V. Memorial Lecture at Virginia Tech University, where he discussed the challenges of developing and implementing mathematical models to address environmental problems. This lecture was attended by over 200 faculty, students, and practitioners.

Dr. Hoover served as co-chair of the Communities, Ecology, and Health: Making the Connection, Sessions A/B for the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America Annual Meeting on November 21st 2013.

RTC staff have worked with each of the UK SRC project leaders to help translate the results of their research to different stakeholder groups. Specific activities and results are summarized by project:

Superfund Chemicals, Nutrition, and Endothelial Cell Dysfunction (PI: Hennig). During the last year, graduate students and post-docs associated with Dr. Hennig published six journal articles and made 12 conference presentations.

The Impact of Obesity on PCB Toxicity(PI: Cassis). During the last year, graduate students and post-docs associated with Dr. Cassis published one journal articles and made 3 conference presentations.

Chloro-Organic Degradation by Nanosized Metallic Systems and by Chelate-Modified Hydroxyl Radical Reaction (PI: Bhattacharyya). During the last year, graduate students and post-docs associated with Dr. Bhattacharyya published five journal articles and made 8 conference presentations. Included in the journal articles was a joint publication with Dr. Ormsbee: Gui, M., Ormsbee, L., Bhattacharyya D., "Functionalized Membranes for Polychlorinated Biphenyl Degradations," Ind. Eng Chem. Res. 2013, May, 52(31); 10430-10440.

During the last year, Dr. Bhattacharyya has worked to solidify two separate MOUs which should help leverage the current research. First, an MOU was established between UK and US EPA (NRMRL, Cincinnati) in 2012, through the efforts by D. Bhattacharyya at UK and Dr. Sikdar at US EPA. This MOU will leverage the membrane and nanotechnology skills of the UK to create a credible and productive research program and researchers. The MOU will also increase the Agency's knowledge and understanding of chemical engineering and materials engineering and handling. The parties intend for their collaboration to increase the relevance of the UK' s research and engineering programs, particular in the areas of environmental engineering, design, modeling, advanced membrane separation techniques, and nanostructured material synthesis for water applications. A second MOU was established between University of Kentucky and Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore) in Nov 2013, through efforts by D. Bhattacharyya at UK and Prof. Rong Wang (at NTU). The Parties agreed to cooperate on research activities in the following areas in accordance with their respective needs and Objectives: (a) Joint research projects in the area of advanced membrane technologies for water, environment, and bio applications; (b) Visits by and exchange of PhD students, researchers and academic staff for discussions and research on research projects, including possible laboratory.

The RTC has also worked with Dr. Bhattacharyya in support of efforts to commercialize the technologies being developed as part of this project. These efforts included: Collaborative full-scale development work on membranes (functionalized membranes with nanoparticles) for water treatment applications with Sepro Membrane Inc, Oceanside, CA (2012–present). Reactive membrane modules are being developed by Sepro through licensing of UK NIEHS-SRP based patents with the intent of testing this technology as part of Paducah Superfund site TCE degradation studies.

Significance

The research associated with the biomedical projects continues to support the hypothesis that nutrition may help modulate the impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals, and in particular chlorinated organics. The research associated with the environmental science (non-biomedical) projects has progressed to the point where new remediation technologies are being prototyped through a collaboration with Sepro Membrane Inc. This development is likely to lead to the actual implementation of the developed technology, with a potential initial pilot study at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.