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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

News Items: University of Kentucky

Superfund Research Program

Nutrition and Superfund Chemical Toxicity

Center Director: Kelly G. Pennell
Grant Number: P42ES007380
Funding Period: 1997-2025
View this project in the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)

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News Items List

  • Researchers Team Up with Louisville Community to Investigate Chemical Exposures
    SRP News Page - October 2024
    Concerns about volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) potentially leaking into a library in Louisville prompted action by NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program (SRP) centers. Collaborators at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville (UofL) came together with local researchers and community members to address the problem.
  • Improving PFAS Filters with Charged Molecules
    Environmental Factor - June 2024
    Researchers at the University of Kentucky (UK) Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center tested the impact of electrically charging certain filtration materials to remove PFAS.
  • SRP Centers Shine at SOT
    SRP News Page - April 2024
    Many NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded scientists and trainees, as well as SRP staff, attended the 63rd Annual Meeting and ToxExpo for the Society of Toxicology (SOT), held March 10-14 in Salt Lake City.
  • Improved Machine Learning Technique to Reveal How Metabolites Are Created
    SRP News Page - February 2024
    Researchers from the University of Kentucky (UK) SRP Center are using machine learning techniques to help interpret how chemicals are processed, or metabolized, in the body. A series of interconnected processes in the body, known as metabolic pathways, can convert substances into smaller molecules, or metabolites. For certain chemicals, these metabolites can be more toxic than their parent compound.
  • Rollie Mills wins 2023 Wetterhahn Award
    Environmental Factor - January 2024
    The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) selected Rollie Mills, from the University of Kentucky (UK) SRP Center, as the 26th recipient of the Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award.
  • New Workflow Improves Data Management and Sharing
    SRP News Page - December 2023
    A team of scientists funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) published a new workflow to help researchers across disciplines share environmental health data more effectively. The workflow provides a standardized framework for collecting, organizing, and distributing scientific data so that it can be more easily understood and used by other groups.
  • Kelly Pennell, Ph.D. - From Pipes to People: Addressing Vapor Intrusion and Water Contamination
    SRP News Page - September 2023
    As a high schooler, Kelly Pennell, Ph.D., was inspired by environmental and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa to help people affected by environmental exposures. Now, as director of the University of Kentucky (UK) Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center, she is working to protect public health from exposures to toxic substances like PFAS, trichloroethylene (TCE), and tetrachloroethene (PCE).
  • High-Fiber Diet May Protect Against Exposure to PFOS
    Environmental Factor - April 2023
    A diet rich in fiber may decrease disease risks associated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure, according to researchers at the University of Kentucky SRP Center.
  • Trainings Help SRP Center and Partners Spread Nutrition Knowledge Across Kentucky
    SRP News Page - November 2022
    University of Kentucky (UK) Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center staff are teaching Kentucky residents to educate their communities about good nutrition and environmental stewardship. Staff members recently led two train-the-trainer events introducing tools and curricula for teaching adults and children.
  • SRP Teams Tackle Pandemic Challenges from Many Angles
    SRP News Page - March 2022
    Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) teams have shown resourcefulness, updating existing projects and pursuing new research to address environmental health needs.
  • High-Fiber Diet May Protect Against Harmful Health Effects of PCBs
    Research Brief - March 2020
    Two new NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program (SRP) studies showed how a type of dietary fiber, inulin, may protect against heart disease, including heart disease resulting from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). According to University of Kentucky SRP Center researchers, a diet high in inulin may reduce or modify certain lipids associated with an increased chance of developing cardiovascular problems and may protect against adverse cardiovascular effects caused by environmental toxicants.
  • PCBs Alter Glucose Regulation Differently in Males and Females
    Research Brief - August 2019
    Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) affects glucose regulation during weight loss differently in male and female mice, according to a new Superfund Research Program (SRP) study. The researchers discovered that differences were related to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a protein involved in the regulation of various biological responses and cell maintenance in the body.
  • Promising Membrane Technology Reduces Chlorobenzene in Groundwater
    Research Brief - February 2019
    A new Superfund Research Program collaboration has developed a promising groundwater cleanup technology that provides an efficient, low-maintenance method of removing chlorobenzene and other compounds from water. The method integrates electrochemical oxidation, which uses electricity to transform contaminants into non-toxic substances, and membranes containing palladium (Pd), a metal used as a catalyst in many industrial chemical synthesis applications and groundwater treatment.
  • Angela Gutierrez honored with 2017 Wetterhahn Award
    Environmental Factor - January 2018
    The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) selected Angela Gutierrez, from the University of Kentucky SRP Center, as the 20th recipient of the Wetterhahn Memorial Award. The announcement of the 2017 winner was made at the Dec. 7 SRP 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
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Last Reviewed: April 09, 2025