Superfund Research Program
Hot Publications - January 14, 2025
An SRP-funded collaboration among the University of Pittsburgh, Duke University, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai revealed how exposure to metals before birth may influence developing kidneys’ health. The Virtual Consortium for Translation/Transdisciplinary Environmental Research, which brings scientists together across disciplines to accelerate research, funds the partnership.
Hot Publications - November 8, 2024
SRP-funded researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) found that heavy metal exposure disrupts a network of lipids in lung and airway cells called sphingolipids. Nestled in the cellular membrane, sphingolipids are one of the most abundant and complex types of lipids found across the human body, playing a role in cell growth, stress response, signaling, and survival.
Hot Publications - October 4, 2024
SRP-funded researchers at Villanova University identified specific molecular structures that improve the ability of biochar to trap and destroy the groundwater contaminant 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). These structures are called N groups, because they contain nitrogen and behave in similar ways.
Hot Publications - September 6, 2024
Adding two widely available fertilizers can form minerals that may remove arsenic from underground water reservoirs, according to a study by researchers from Columbia University SRP Center. The method uses chemical reactions to filter out arsenic, a naturally occurring element that can leach into aquifers and contaminate groundwater.
Hot Publications - August 9, 2024
TAMU SRP Center researchers created a new method to identify points of departure (PODs), or the lowest dose of a chemical that triggers a biological response.
Hot Publications - July 12, 2024
Scientists at the Columbia University SRP Center reported a link between arsenic in drinking water and type 2 diabetes. According to the authors, the findings underscore the need for considering type 2 diabetes as an adverse health outcome when developing arsenic standards for drinking water.
Hot Publications - June 7, 2024
Exposure to newer PFAS compounds, often assumed to be less toxic than their older counterparts because they accumulate less in the body, may still harm the liver, according to a study in mice from the NC State SRP Center. Newer PFAS compounds, like GenX and Nafion byproduct 2 (NBP2), are not well studied but are increasingly detected in the environment and in drinking water.
Hot Publications - May 3, 2024
Researchers from the University of Arizona SRP Center revealed how cadmium and arsenic, two toxic metals that frequently occur in soils together, may interact inside the human body. The effects of each individual metal on the digestive system have been studied, but little is known about how the contaminants behave when ingested simultaneously.
Hot Publications - April 5, 2024
In a new study, researchers at the TAMU SRP Center developed a three-dimensional cell culture model of a placenta and gained insights into the effects of certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), compounds that mimic hormones in the body, on maternal and fetal health. The team adapted a new technology called organ-on-chip (OOC) — interconnected human cells grown inside a small device — to represent the tissues of a second-trimester placenta.
Hot Publications - March 8, 2024
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island SRP Center used innovative sampling methods to document PFAS sources along the Pawcatuck River in Westerly, Rhode Island. They found that PFAS are ubiquitous in the river, retired and active textile mills are believed to be major contributors, and river dynamics may influence the amount of PFAS entering the Atlantic Ocean.
Hot Publications - February 9, 2024
Prenatal exposure to the environmental contaminant benzene may have dose- and sex-dependent effects on several gene pathways in the brain and gonads, or sex organs, of adult zebrafish, according to research partly funded by SRP at Wayne State University. Because zebrafish and humans share certain genes, these findings may point to ways that prenatal benzene exposure affects humans.
Hot Publications - January 12, 2024
Taking a page from culinary arts, researchers at the Harvard University SRP Center, led by Paul Westerhoff, developed a new method inspired by French cooking to improve the ability of carbon block filters to remove arsenic from water. This technique may offer a cheaper and more practical solution for people to reduce arsenic exposure at the tap.
Hot Publications - December 15, 2023
Researchers at the University of Iowa SRP Center identified specific PCB compounds, or congeners, associated with diabetes risk. The authors also calculated the lowest concentration, known as threshold, that resulted in a biological change related to diabetes.
Hot Publications - November 3, 2023
Researchers from the Louisiana State University SRP Center reported sophisticated methods to improve how environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are generated in the lab and used to study potential health consequences.
Hot Publications - October 6, 2023
Exposure to lead mixtures with other chemicals can impair mitochondrial function, according to Duke University SRP Center researchers. Mitochondria, special compartments found in the cells of most organisms, play a large role in energy production and metabolism. While it is known that lead can disrupt mitochondrial function by replacing calcium in cellular processes, there has not been much research on co-exposures with other environmental contaminants.
Hot Publications - September 8, 2023
Domestic animals like horses and dogs may help provide insight into PFAS exposure outside and inside the home, according to NIEHS-funded researchers at North Carolina State University SRP Center. Known as sentinel animals, horses and dogs are sensitive to environmental hazards like PFAS and can act as effective monitors for contaminants. PFAS are a class of chemicals linked to many health issues, including diabetes and immune dysfunction.
Hot Publications - August 4, 2023
Researchers at the OSU SRP Center uncovered the ability of Rhodococcus bacteria — microorganisms with bioremediative properties — to remove contaminants from drinking water under different environmental conditions.
Hot Publications - July 14, 2023
Researchers at the Wayne State University SRP Center developed a new technique that couples the Internet of Things sensor network with Edge Computing (IoTEC) to improve environmental monitoring.
Hot Publications - June 9, 2023
Exposure to PFAS can make it harder to keep weight off after dieting, according to NIEHS-funded researchers at The University of Rhode Island SRP Center. PFAS are widespread in the environment and have been linked to a large range of serious health issues, including harming metabolism and increasing obesity.
Hot Publications - May 5, 2023
Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure among Black adults, according to a study from the University of Louisville SRP Center. High blood pressure can contribute to heart disease, and both are more prevalent among Black adults in the U.S. than among any other race or ethnic group in the world. This is the first study to shed light on the potential underlying environmental exposures that might contribute to such health disparities.
Hot Publications - April 7, 2023
Northeastern University SRP Center researchers developed a novel system to remove the contaminant p-nitrophenol (PNP) from wastewater. Center Director Akram Alshawabkeh and trainee Patrick Compton led the team.
Hot Publications - February 3, 2023
Researchers at the TAMU SRP Center showed that advancements in human liver cell-based experiments can reduce uncertainties when assessing the health risk of contaminants.
Hot Publications - January 13, 2023
Researchers from the University of Rhode Island (URI) SRP Center identified and quantified PFAS in fish. The team aimed to better understand the ability of the chemicals to build up, or bioaccumulate, in freshwater fish to inform fish consumption advisories and decrease human exposure.
Hot Publications - December 9, 2022
In a recent study, researchers at the University of Iowa found that polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-degrading microorganisms can reduce PCBs emitted from contaminated sediment into the air. PCBs are widespread environmental pollutants and evidence has shown that exposure to PCBs increases the risk of developing adverse health effects, such as poor birth outcomes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
Hot Publications - November 4, 2022
Researchers from the University of New Mexico (UNM) SRP Center reported on a series of experiments to optimize specialized materials that can remove uranium from water and better understand the mechanisms behind how they work. The UNM SRP Center focuses on understanding and reducing exposures to members of the Navajo Nation living near abandoned uranium mines.
Hot Publications - October 7, 2022
Researchers at the URI SRP Center demonstrated that passive samplers can better capture PFAS concentrations over time in diverse aquatic environments.
PFAS are a class of widely used and extremely persistent chemicals found globally in air, soil, and water. As PFAS are increasingly associated with negative health effects in humans, it is important to understand their distribution throughout the environment.
Hot Publications - September 9, 2022
Most environmental studies that assess health risks from chemical exposures have focused on evaluating relationships between individual, well-known chemicals and health effects. A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) SRP Center identified understudied chemicals that frequently occur in the same products as those linked to breast cancer, which could inform studies on how exposure to chemical mixtures influences disease risk.
Hot Publications - August 5, 2022
Researchers at the UNC SRP Center have demonstrated an innovative method for identifying components of chemical mixtures and health outcomes associated with exposures. Combining a data-driven approach with cell-based studies allowed the team to determine chemical combinations that are potentially harmful.
Hot Publications - July 8, 2022
New membranes synthesized by researchers at the University of Kentucky SRP Center can improve the removal of PFAS in drinking water.
Hot Publications - June 3, 2022
Exposure during pregnancy to chemicals found in consumer products was associated with increased risk of preterm birth, according to a study by the PROTECT SRP Center and collaborators. Preterm birth, when babies are born before completion of 37 weeks of pregnancy, is considered a risk factor for future health complications, including neurological diseases and hearing loss.
Hot Publications - May 6, 2022
Human exposure to PFAS may affect biological pathways associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to SRP-funded research at Boston University.