Superfund Research Program
Duke University Superfund Research Center - Developmental Co-Exposures: Mechanisms, Outcomes, and Remediation
Center Director: Heather M. Stapleton
Grant Number: P42ES010356
Funding Period: 2000-2027
Program Links
News Items List
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Promoting Safer Fish Consumption
SRP News Page - July 2024
Harmful contaminants like mercury and PFAS can accumulate in fish and can be transferred to people when those fish are eaten. Fish consumption advisories provide recommendations about what fish and shellfish to limit and avoid eating based on the body of water where the fish was caught. However, state agencies in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services often lack resources to update and communicate these advisories to the public.
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Duke SRP Center Promotes Garden Safety
SRP News Page - April 2024
Researchers at the NIEHS-funded Duke University Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center are using outreach and community-engaged research to help North Carolina residents identify, understand, and manage risks related to soil contamination. Center staff also develop a variety of tools to help residents identify contaminant sources near their gardens.
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Tackling Environmental Health Problems from Many Angles
Environmental Factor - July 2023
Current and upcoming research to address complex environmental health issues related to hazardous contaminants, climate-related disasters, and more, headlined the recent NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Progress in Research webinar series. Over the course of four sessions in April and May, the series highlighted 11 new and renewed SRP multiproject centers funded in 2022.
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SRP Centers Share Science With Students
SRP News Page - May 2023
A key goal of the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is to train future generations of scientists - in the lab and in the community. SRP Centers across the country have been doing just that, participating in community events to teach school-aged children about science.
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SRP Highlighted at SOT
SRP News Page - April 2023
NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded scientists from across the country gathered in person for the 2023 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting to share their research and exchange ideas. Held March 19 - 23 in Nashville, Tennessee, the 62nd SOT meeting and ToxExpo drew more than 5,000 attendees who gave more than 2,000 presentations and participated in more than 70 sessions.
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SRP Shines at SOT
SRP News Page - April 2022
NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees from across the country gathered in person and virtually for the 2022 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting, held March 27-31 in San Diego. The meeting highlighted diverse, cutting-edge research.
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Duke Campaign Promotes Safe Fish Consumption
SRP News Page - January 2022
New fish consumption advisories in North Carolina were developed using data collected through the NIEHS Superfund SRP Center at Duke University. The goal is to better protect the health of people who collect and eat fish from the Cape Fear River.
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Uncovering a Link Between Chemicals in Dust and Disease
SRP News Page - December 2021
Duke SRP Center Co-Director Heather Stapleton, Ph.D., described her research to understand the harmful chemical exposures that people may encounter in their homes and how they affect health.
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Scientific art competition showcases trainees' research, imagination
Environmental Factor - September 2021
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced university laboratories to shut down or go remote, the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) created an opportunity for trainees to celebrate their research efforts and the stories behind them. Led by SRP Health Scientist Administrator Danielle Carlin, Ph.D., SRP hosted a scientific art competition for trainees.
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SRP Trainee Event Highlights New Approaches to Engage with Communities
SRP News Page - August 2021
NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) trainees from institutions across the Southeastern U.S. gathered virtually for a two-day event, Aug. 2 and 4, to discuss best practices for partnering with communities vulnerable to environmental exposures. The event was organized by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), North Carolina State University, Duke University, University of Kentucky (UK), University of Louisville, and University of Alabama at Birmingham SRP centers.
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Data sharing key to environmental health research, experts say
Environmental Factor - June 2021
Three NIEHS Superfund Research Program events focus on how data science can be harnessed to better study contaminants.
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Using Fungi to Clean up Contaminated Soil
Research Brief - August 2020
Native fungal communities point to a new way of cleaning up contaminated soil. After conducting a study to characterize fungi found in soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), researchers at the NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program at Duke University discovered a group of fungi that may be promising for remediation.
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K.C. Donnelly Externships awarded to outstanding Superfund trainees
Environmental Factor - August 2020
Eleven outstanding trainees in the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) have won K.C. Donnelly Externship Award Supplements. The annual awards allow trainees to work side-by-side with experts at an outside institution to learn new methods and techniques to enrich their research.
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PAH and Hypoxia Exposure Result in Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Fish
Research Brief - February 2020
Zebrafish exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water with inadequate oxygen, or hypoxia, can experience a broad range of effects on the mitochondria, according to an NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded study. Changes to the function and integrity of mitochondria, which are organelles that make energy for the cell, can disrupt metabolism and reduce organism fitness and performance.
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PFAS contamination spurs university research collaboration
Environmental Factor - November 2018
Researchers from across North Carolina gathered at Duke University Sept. 28 for a symposium on an emerging class of contaminants called PFAS. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS, are persistent compounds that have been found in the environment, including drinking water. NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program currently support several research studies related to PFAS.
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Researchers respond quickly after Hurricane Florence
Environmental Factor - November 2018
After Hurricane Florence devastated parts of North and South Carolina in September, current and former NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees hit the ground running to test for pollution. As soon as they could reach areas affected by severe flooding, SRP researchers teamed up to take air, soil, and water samples in an effort to characterize contaminants that might be present, including concentrations and likely sources.
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Environmental chemistry goes high-tech
Environmental Factor - August 2018
P. Lee Ferguson, Ph.D., from Duke University, develops sophisticated methods to answer important questions like, What chemicals are in your drinking water? What about inside your home?
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Breast cancer link to environment highlighted at symposium
Environmental Factor - April 2018
Researchers supported by NIEHS are working to gain a deeper understanding of environmental factors with potential links to breast cancer. They and others spoke March 9 during "Breast Cancer and the Environment", a symposium sponsored by the Duke University Program in Environmental Health and Toxicology and the Duke Superfund Research Center