Superfund Research Program

Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS

Center Director: Carolyn J. Mattingly
Grant Number: P42ES031009
Funding Period: 2020-2025

Program Links

News Items List

• SRP Centers Partner to Address PCB Concerns
  SRP News Page - May 2024
  NIEHS-funded researchers at the University of Iowa and the North Carolina State University (NC State) Superfund Research Program (SRP) centers partnered to address community concerns about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) discovered in an NC State building. During an online forum on February 24, 2024, the team answered questions from the NC State community about the health effects of PCBs.
  

• 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.
  

• Extramural Paper of the Month: Rapid-Imaging Method Leverages Machine Learning to Study Immune Cells
  Environmental Factor - February 2024
  Researchers at the North Carolina State University Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center and small business collaborators developed a new approach that combines advanced imaging methods with machine learning to rapidly image and count neutrophils, a type of immune cell, in zebrafish embryos. Research suggests that exposure to environmental pollutants can decrease neutrophil levels, emphasizing the need for strategies to screen chemicals affecting neutrophil counts.
  

• Extramural Paper of the Month: Dogs and Horses May Be Important Indicators of PFAS Exposure
  Environmental Factor - October 2023
  Scientists with North Carolina State University SRP Center measured levels of PFAS in dogs, horses, and children in towns downstream of a PFAS manufacturing plant after the community voiced concern about the health of their pets and families. The authors identified concentrations of two types of PFAS in dogs that were similar to the concentrations found in children from another North Carolina town.
  

• 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.
  

• GenX Exposure Study reports results back to the community
  Environmental Factor - January 2023
  Following the discovery of high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the blood of GenX Exposure Study participants, researchers are working quickly to report their findings back to the North Carolina communities and address their concerns.
  

• SRP, Pacific Basin Consortium Promote Health in a Changing Climate
  Environmental Factor - November 2022
  The 19th International Conference of the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health, held Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 on Jeju Island, South Korea, brought together global experts to discuss advancing environmental health and translating scientific knowledge to action under a changing climate.
  

• SRP Centers Deliver Data Science Trainings
  SRP News Page - June 2022
  NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees developed publicly available courses to help their trainees and the broader environmental health sciences research community develop data science skills.
  

• Pine Needles Work as Passive Samplers for PFAS
  Paper of the Month - April 2022
  North Carolina State University SRP Center researchers showed that pine needles can be used as a tool to monitor the presence and distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) over time. Thanks to their waxy coating, pine needles can trap PFAS and other airborne pollutants, providing a record of contamination.
  

• Extramural Paper of the Month: Pine Needles Work as Passive Samplers for PFAS
  Paper of the Month - April 2022
  North Carolina State University SRP Center researchers showed that pine needles can be used as a tool to monitor the presence and distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) over time.
  

• Studying Alligators and Humans May Reveal How PFAS Harm the Immune System
  SRP News Page - November 2021
  Researchers at the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center at North Carolina State University (NCSU) are exploring connections between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and immune function in both animals and humans. They are gaining insight into how exposure to PFAS over decades may harm the immune system and the body's ability to fight off infections, including COVID-19.
  

• SRP Researchers Inform PFAS Guidance
  SRP News Page - September 2021
  Involving the community is valuable when adjusting clinical and public health guidance, especially as it relates to the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other chemicals of concern.
  

• 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.
  

• 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.
  

• Trainees Get Creative During the Pandemic
  SRP News Page - July 2021
  When in-person events, classes, and research activities were put on hold due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded trainees got creative and identified unique opportunities to pursue safely during the pandemic. With support from their mentors, SRP trainees gained experience across multiple scientific fields, conducted research in a collaborative environment, and engaged with diverse stakeholders and community members.
  

• Pandemic vulnerability tool provides county-level snapshots
  Environmental Factor - February 2021
  Visualizations of 12 risk factors support localized public health interventions to stem the pandemic's spread.
  

• SRP Centers Expand Scope to Address COVID-19 Research Needs
  SRP News Page - December 2020
  The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) provided supplemental funding to four centers to expand the focus of their research to address critical knowledge gaps related to exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its disease, COVID-19. In response to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, this funding encourages SRP researchers to address the public health crisis and its disparate effects on vulnerable populations.
  

• Fighting COVID-19 using data science
  Environmental Factor - June 2020
  NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees and in-house scientists are lending their expertise in data integration and online tool development to explore how COVID-19 spreads and why some communities experience higher risk of infection. The projects described below represent just some of the diverse research underway at SRP centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.