>> High Resolution Breath Monitoring of VOC Mixtures

The objective of this pilot research project is to improve breath monitoring instrumentation and to demonstrate its application to VOC mixtures in occupational settings

>> Ohio Hg Monitoring and Receptor Modeling Study.

Goal: To establish an enhanced monitoring and research field site located in areas affected by emissions from coal-fired utilities in eastern Ohio; to identify current chemical, elemental, and isotopic characteristics in the collected samples that distinguish the contribution of anthropogenic emissions from major source types, and local versus regional transport; to examine the structure and dynamics.. >> more

>> Ohio Mercury Monitoring and Receptor Modeling Study

The focus of this cooperative agreement is to establish an enhanced field monitoring site in eastern Ohio for investigating the impact of coal combustion on the chemistry, transport and deposition of mercury. Speciated atmospheric mercury and deposition data will be used for receptor modeling efforts to quantify the impacts of coal combustion at the site in the Ohio River Valley. The UMAQL has extensive.. >> more

>> South Florida Atmospheric Mercury Monitoring Study (SoFAMMS)

Investigating the relative contribution of anthropogenic mercury emissions in Southeast Florida to the mercury burden in the Florida Everglades.

>> Atmospheric Mercury Species Deposited in Michigan: Source Identification and Loading Determination.

Goal: To address the recommendations to States by USEPA regarding Mercury Reduction Programs, including: 1) identification of the potential air emission sources or source categories contributing to local and regional atmospheric mercury deposition, as well as, 2) the support of long-term atmospheric mercury monitoring networks, in Michigan.

>> Prospective cohort study of chlorpyrifos manufacturing workers.

Prospective cohort study of chlorpyrifos manufacturing workers examining effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems, involving biological monitoring of urinary trichloropyridinol, serum cholinesterase, and PON genetic polymorphisms

>> A MEMS Micro Gas Chromatograph

The determination of complex mixtures of toxic gases and vapors remains a challenging analytical problem of critical importance in human exposure assessments, industrial emission monitoring, biomedical surveillance and diagnosis, and homeland security. To address this problem, we are developing a wireless MEMS micro-GC (uGC) that includes a sample inlet with particulate filter, passive calibration-vapor.. >> more

>> Arsenic and Bladder Cancer Research in Southeastern Michigan

The health risks associated with long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking are still not well understood. Our research deals with the effects of arseninc exposure at elevated (in MIchigan) and high (Nadia Province, West Bengal, India) levels. The primary goal of the Michigan is to assess the effects of exposure to elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water as a risk factor in the development of.. >> more

>> Breath Biomarker Determinations with a Portable Gas Chromatograph

This project is aimed at adapting a high-performance prototype portable gas chromatograph (GC) to the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled human breath. The instrument incorporates a detector consisting of an integrated array of chemiresistors (CR) coated with functionalized nanoparticles that respond differentially to sorbed vapors to produce a response pattern that aids in vapor.. >> more

>> Characterization and Validation of a Human Gestational Membrane Transwell Culture System

The main objective is to characterize human gestational membrane cell and tissue culture systems for the study of toxicant-stimulated inflammatory responses.

>> Fundamental Studies Impact the Design and Performance of a Multi-Stage Micro-Preconcentrator

Most anticipated applications of micro-analytical systems to environmental monitoring require detection of target compounds in the parts-per-billion or parts-per-trillion concentration range. Since detector technologies are not sensitive enough to achieve limits of detection in this range, it is necessary to employ a preconcentration step prior to separation and detection. The microfabricated adsorbent.. >> more

>> Metal Mixtures and Children's Health -- Tar Creek Superfund Site

In June of 2004, we established a new Center for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. Our Center addresses the concerns of a community living in the Tar Creek Superfund site of Oklahoma - an area highly contaminated by metals (lead, cadmium, iron, manganese,.. >> more

>> Multi-Transducer Arrays Enhance Determinations of Vapor Mixtures

In most applications of microfabricated sensor arrays to multi-vapor analysis, the devices employed operate on the same transduction principle. It stands to reason that arrays incorporating sensors that operate on different transduction principles should enhance response diversity by probing different aspects of the vapor-interface interaction and, thereby, improve vapor discrimination. This study.. >> more

>> Rapid Determination of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Markers at Parts-Per-Trillion Levels

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a complex mixture of compounds collectively classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogenic substance. The complexity of ETS and the presence of confounding sources of some ETS constituents in many environments have impeded accurate exposure assessments and have led to efforts to find surrogate measures of ETS contamination levels... >> more

>> Representative Publications

>> Understanding Exposure to Volatile Organic Air Toxics

This research characterizes the distributions and determinants of air pollutant exposures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in representative urban populations along an urban/industrial gradient, and investigates microenvironments and other factors affecting exposures