News Items: University of Rhode Island

Superfund Research Program

Center Director: Rainer Lohmann
Grant Number: P42ES027706
Funding Period: 2017-2027

Six Trainees Win Prestigious K.C. Donnelly Awards
Environmental Factor - March 2025
Six trainees from Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded institutions received competitive K.C. Donnelly externships. These awards allow trainees to build their research capacity at other SRP centers or government agencies through innovative, collaborative research projects.

Superfund Grant Recipients Testify at PFAS Hearing
SRP News Page - January 2025
A panel of experts that included Superfund Research Program (SRP) grant recipients Laurel Schaider, Ph.D., and Sue Fenton, Ph.D., testified before Congress on Dec. 5 about the advantages and disadvantages of using PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in consumer products.

Water Contaminants Identified, Addressed in Marginalized Communities
Environmental Factor - October 2023
Researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) describe reasons for water contamination disparities, identify current private well disparities, and review how community engagement and interventions like pitcher filters can help protect marginalized communities.

Scientific Journeys: From the Faroe Islands to PFAS Research
Environmental Factor - October 2023
Longtime NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grant recipient Philippe Grandjean describes what kickstarted his career and where his research is headed, as well as the health effects of PFAS and how people can limit their exposure. Grandjean is an investigator at the University of Rhode Island SRP Center and works with communities in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago between Iceland and Norway.

Paper of the Month: PFAS Exposure May Interfere with Dieting Success
Environmental Factor - July 2023
Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) can hinder dieting efforts to lose weight, according to a study by the University of Rhode Island SRP Center. PFAS, which are found in numerous industrial and consumer products, have been linked to various health problems, including metabolic changes and obesity.

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 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.

University of Rhode Island Research: PFAS Passive Sampling Device
Technology Profile - June 2023
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island SRP Center, led by Rainer Lohmann, Ph.D., developed a passive sampling device to monitor per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater treatment plant effluent, as well as in groundwater and rivers.

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.

Complexities of PFAS Research Focus of Congressional Hearing
Environmental Factor - February 2022
Complexities of studying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were shared by SRP grantees and other experts during a congressional hearing. Witnesses discussed how increased research and development can better inform regulation and strengthen methods for cleaning up PFAS in the environment.

New Passive Sampling Device for PFAS
Research Brief - November 2021
Researchers from the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded centers at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and Brown University developed a new type of passive sampling device for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Their new tool overcomes many limitations to traditional approaches, such as detecting short-chain PFAS and low concentrations of the chemicals in water.

New approach sheds light on PFAS in coastal watersheds
Paper of the Month - June 2021
NIEHS-funded researchers developed a new tool to identify and characterize previously undetected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in watersheds on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The team identified a distinct signature for PFAS from aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), which is used in firefighting and can contaminate drinking water. However, a large fraction of fluorine could not be explained by AFFF.

New Technique Sheds Light on PFAS in Coastal Watersheds
Research Brief - May 2021
A new analytical workflow, developed by NIEHS Superfund Research Program grantees, can identify and characterize previously undetected per-and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, or PFAS, in contaminated watersheds. The team is led by Elsie Sunderland, Ph.D., of the University of Rhode Island SRP Center, and SRP trainee Brideger Ruyle, a doctoral student at Harvard.

PFAS profiles in seabirds point to a shift in chemical production
Paper of the Month - December 2020
Seabird tissue samples contain high levels of both legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to NIEHS-funded researchers. Study results reflect the shift toward production of new PFAS to replace legacy chemicals. PFAS are a large group of manmade chemicals. Due to their environmental persistence and known impacts on human health, many legacy PFAS have been phased-out of production.

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.