Superfund Research Program
Science Highlights - May 15, 2025
Supported by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program, Diana Aga, Ph.D., and graduate student Karla Rios-Bonilla are developing a new method to detect PFAS. The strategy can quantify short and ultrashort PFAS, which are notoriously difficult to detect with conventional methods.
Science Highlights - March 5, 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.
Science Highlights - March 5, 2025
Researchers use evidence from three kinds of studies to determine if a chemical may cause cancer or other adverse outcomes: human studies (epidemiological effects), animal studies (biological effects), and mechanistic studies (how chemicals contribute to disease).
Science Highlights - December 12, 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.
Science Highlights - November 12, 2024
Enspired Solutions, a woman-owned environmental remediation company, received an NIEHS Superfund Research Program small business innovation research grant to develop an innovative technology to destroy PFAS contaminants in water.
Science Highlights - October 8, 2024
A protein called NRF2, which controls a protective response against oxidative stress, may also promote disease if it is activated for extended periods of time, according to Donna Zhang, Ph.D., during a September 10 Distinguished Lecture at NIEHS.
Science Highlights - June 17, 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.
Science Highlights - February 14, 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.
Science Highlights - December 7, 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.
Science Highlights - December 7, 2023
Members of the Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable convened November 7 to share approaches for sampling and characterizing sites polluted by PFAS, a class of harmful chemicals that resist degradation. Through several case studies, speakers also illustrated unique challenges to understanding the sources and extent of PFAS contamination in the field.
Science Highlights - November 17, 2023
Texas A&M University scientists developed a skin cream that may protect people from contaminants in floodwaters, such as benzene, toluene, and xylene. The cream, which forms a barrier between human skin and contaminants, is the culmination of several studies, partially funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP), which have explored materials that can adsorb and immobilize toxicants to reduce human exposures.
Science Highlights - October 6, 2023
NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded researchers explored a new, cost-effective method of water treatment using biochar - a conductive, absorbent material - made from banana peels. This approach could inform large-scale, low-cost treatments in water systems, according to the authors at the Northeastern University Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) SRP Center.
Science Highlights - September 11, 2023
How the body repairs DNA damage following exposure to a chemical called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) can provide new insights for cancer treatment, according to Jennifer Kay, Ph.D. The former Massachusetts Institute of Technology SRP Center trainee presented her findings during the August 1 Wetterhahn Award Seminar.
Science Highlights - September 11, 2023
A new report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides recommendations for implementing new approach methodologies (NAMs) in human health risk assessments. The committee that developed the report, which was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), included several SRP grant recipients.
Science Highlights - August 4, 2023
With funding from the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) and other NIEHS programs, researchers at the Oregon State University (OSU) SRP Center developed a simple, non-invasive approach to monitor personal chemical exposures using silicone wristbands. The highly sensitive wristbands can be used to measure exposure to low levels of hundreds of chemicals, offering a unique tool to better understand the complex mixtures people may be exposed to throughout daily life.
Science Highlights - July 6, 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.
Science Highlights - June 21, 2023
Researchers with the NIEHS-funded Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center have found distinctive genetic patterns signifying damage from the toxic chemical N-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA. The patterns could potentially be used to monitor cancer development and inform therapeutic interventions.
Science Highlights - June 2, 2023
NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded researchers recently installed filtration systems in Native American communities to reduce exposure to and the health effects of arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Led by the Columbia University Northern Plains SRP Center and in partnership with Northern Plain Tribal Nations and the Indian Health Service, the team installed arsenic filters under household kitchen sinks and launched a corresponding educational campaign.
Science Highlights - April 27, 2023
Longer wildfire seasons are leading to more frequent and intense fires that could have disastrous consequences for human health. In a recent study, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) SRP Center explored the biological mechanism behind heart and lung responses to wildfire smoke.
Science Highlights - April 1, 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.
Science Highlights - March 3, 2023
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island SRP Center and collaborators revealed a link between developmental per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and reduced bone density in childhood and adolescence.
Science Highlights - March 3, 2023
For the past two decades, researchers with the University of Arizona SRP Center have been studying human exposures to mining waste and how to improve site remediation in the Southwest.
Science Highlights - January 1, 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.
Science Highlights - October 1, 2022
Current breast cancer research and efforts to evaluate how combined exposures can influence the disease were discussed during an NIEHS-led event Aug. 24-25.
Science Highlights - September 8, 2022
Funded by SRP, a study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego found evidence that newborn mice can be exposed to the antibacterial chemical triclosan during lactation, resulting in significant fat build up in their liver — an early sign of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Science Highlights - September 6, 2022
A novel technology that can efficiently bind to and break down per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment was developed by scientists at Texas A&M Agrilife Research with support from an SRP individual research grant.
Science Highlights - July 15, 2022
Researchers at the University of Kentucky SRP Center created new membranes that can deactivate SARS-CoV-2 on contact, preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Science Highlights - May 19, 2022
During recent NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Progress in Research webinars, grantees discussed innovative strategies for bioremediation the process of using bacteria, fungi, and plants to break down contaminants.
Science Highlights - May 17, 2022
NanoAffix Science, LLC developed a new portable device to detect lead in tap water in real time. The team launched its first commercial device, called NanoAquaSense, at the Water Quality Association’s Annual Convention in early April. Their technology is funded through the NIEHS Small Business and Innovation Research program.
Science Highlights - April 1, 2022
A new filter cartridge that is compatible with Brita pitchers can remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. The Purefast cartridges from CycloPure, Inc., are based on DEXSORB+ technology, which was developed with support from an NIEHS Superfund Research Program small business innovation research grant.