NIEHS Superfund Research Program - Research Brief Podcasts

Scientists funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program discovered that exposure to benzene during pregnancy, even at low levels, may alter how a child's immune system develops. The research team, led by Gil Mor, Tracie Baker, and Jennifer Straughen, of the Wayne State University SRP Center, compared genetic responses across human placental tissue, pregnant mice, and developing zebrafish. They discovered that prenatal benzene exposure triggers a series of immune reactions, causing immune cells to deploy harsh chemical defenses in the placenta even when no infection is present.

Scientists funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program, or SRP, discovered that, as PCBs are metabolized in the body, they trigger unique neurobehavioral and structural abnormalities. The study was led by Nicole Breese, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Iowa SRP Center. Breese received a K.C. Donnelly Externship from SRP to travel to the Oregon State University SRP Center to learn how to use a zebrafish screening platform to complete this work.

Scientists funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) developed a new strategy to effectively break down stubborn chemicals in water. Researchers at the Yale University SRP Center, led by Jaehong Kim, Ph.D., used advanced engineering approaches to create a stable and reusable material that targets specific pollutants.

A study in mice funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) reported that juvenile mice may be more susceptible to the damaging effects of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) exposure than adult mice. Experiments that artificially increased cell growth and division also show that susceptibility may be driven by cell division during exposure.

A new study may help improve cleanup strategies for groundwater and sediment contaminated with persistent chlorinated organic pollutants. Funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program, researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County used modeling tools to better understand and optimize their cleanup technology that combines pollutant-degrading bacteria with an activated carbon sorbent, called bioaugmented sorbents.

People with higher lead exposure before birth may have lower cognitive function in late adulthood, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center. This finding was most significant for women exposed to lead during the second trimester.

Researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program developed a new biocatalyst technology to clean up chlorinated hydrocarbons, or CHCs, a large class of persistent groundwater pollutants.

SRP Researchers developed an advanced cell culture model that better represents the human lung.

SRP Researchers uncovered how underground conditions influence the success of chemical oxidation-based groundwater cleanup.

Uranium exposure leaves a fingerprint in the body that could help identify kidney damage before it becomes irreversible, according to an NIEHS SRP-funded study in mice.

Scientists funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program developed a novel material that enhances the ability of plants to remove PFAS from soil and water.

Dioxin-like compounds can alter how white blood cells develop and do so in ways that current risk assessment methods fail to predict, according to a study from the Michigan State University Superfund Research Program Center.

Researchers partially funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) designed a scaled-up electrochemical system that combines electricity with the mineral pyrite, a mineral commonly found in the environment, to continuously remove organic and heavy metal contaminants from groundwater for a year. The study was led by Akram Alshawabkeh, Ph.D., from the Northeastern University SRP Center, and Kitae Baek, Ph.D., from Jeonbuk National University in Korea.

Exposure to inorganic arsenic before conception can trigger changes in gene activity that are passed down to offspring and increase their risk of developing diabetes, according to a study in mice funded by an NIEHS individual research grant and by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program. These changes, known as epigenetic changes, alter how genes work without changing the genes themselves. In this study, the researchers looked at a type of change called CpG methylation.