Superfund Research Program

Columbia University and Northern Plains Partnership for the Superfund Research Program

Center Director: Ana Navas-Acien
Grant Number: P42ES033719
Funding Period: 2022-2027

Program Links

News Items List

• Volatile Organic Compounds May Raise Hypertension Risk in Nonsmokers
  Environmental Factor - December 2024
  Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may increase blood pressure and risk of hypertension, according to an NIEHS-funded study led by Katlyn McGraw, Ph.D., former Columbia University SRP Center trainee. VOCs are commonly found in household products, vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions.
  

• 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.
  

• Scientific Journeys: From Preventive Medicine to Environmental Health Sciences
  Environmental Factor - February 2024
  Ana Navas-Acien, M.D., Ph.D., grew up in a desert-like area of Spain called Almeria where drinking water was scarce. For years, her parents relied on a rainwater collection system called an aljibe for drinking and cooking. These early experiences planted a seed.
  

• SRP Centers Host Summer Programs in Environmental Health
  SRP News Page - November 2023
  Two core goals of multi-project NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) centers are community engagement and research training. Summer programs provide opportunities for center researchers and trainees to serve as mentors and share their work with the community and for students of all ages, from elementary school to college, to learn more about environmental health and research.
  

• Extramural Paper of the Month: Metal Mixtures Linked with Biological Aging
  Environmental Factor - October 2023
  NIEHS-funded researchers with the Columbia University SRP Center identified metals that were associated with biological age acceleration, where exposure may be a risk factor for aging-related diseases in Native American communities. Although metal exposure may speed age acceleration, exposures are preventable, and the authors findings provide an additional strategy to prevent premature mortality.
  

• Extramural Paper of the Month: Stricter Drinking Water Standards for Arsenic Benefit Highly Exposed Populations
  Environmental Factor - September 2023
  A federal regulation lowering the amount of arsenic allowed in public water systems reduced arsenic exposure among communities across the U.S., found researchers at the Columbia University Northern Plains SRP Center.
  

• 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.
  

• Paper of the Month: DNA Mapping Reveals Genetic Variants Involved in Arsenic Metabolism in Diverse Populations
  Environmental Factor - April 2023
  By analyzing DNA from people of different ancestries, researchers at the Columbia University SRP-Center and collaborators identified several inherited genetic variants that could influence individual sensitivity to arsenic exposure. The findings point to potential biological mechanisms underpinning arsenic toxicity.
  

• Extramural Paper of the Month: Geospatial Analysis Shows Disproportionate Exposure to Arsenic and Uranium Across the U.S.
  Environmental Factor - February 2023
  Researchers at the Columbia University SRP Center found that higher proportions of people belonging to racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. are associated with significantly higher arsenic and uranium concentrations in their drinking water compared with non-Hispanic White residents.