Project Summary (2022-2027)

Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is an important determinant of maternal-offspring health, with implications for preterm birth and associated adverse health outcomes. VOCs contaminate shallow soils and groundwater of post-industrial cities at Superfund, residential, commercial, and industrial properties, leading to exposure via vapor intrusion. The Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR) is dedicated to understanding and mitigating this serious environmental health problem. The Chemical Analysis Core (CAC) creates a comprehensive toolbox to quantitate, monitor, and determine the extent of VOC exposure for CLEAR research projects and the Community Engagement Core (CEC).

The CAC supports CLEAR’s mission by providing analytical knowledge, guidance, training and new technologies designed to detect, assess and mitigate the adverse health effects emanating from chronic and low-level exposure to VOCs. The CAC leadership and laboratory personnel work with and within the CLEAR project teams to ensure sensitive, accurate analyses and develop advanced techniques for VOC analysis in novel matrices as required. Specifically, the CAC offers precise, sensitive, low cost, high volume quantification of VOC molecules and their metabolites, which are known or suspected to impact health. Proteomic and adductomic analyses identify markers of environmental exposures as well as the extent of disease. Targeted and untargeted VOC analyses, proteomic, and adductomic workflows, which are available to investigators through partnership with the CAC, is tailored for each of the five CLEAR projects and the CEC. For each, analytical quantification of unique samples and new innovative sample preparation methods are an expected outcome. The CAC integrates small molecule mass spectrometry, proteomic mass spectrometry and high throughput cytokine analysis. These complementary analytical technologies enable the CAC to be integrated into CLEAR research projects and facilitate assessment of the degree of exposure and VOC exposure impacts on human health.