Much of the work carried out by DTT is in support of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), an interagency partnership of the Food and Drug Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and NIEHS.
Mechanistic Toxicology Branch
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Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. (Retired)
Scientist Emeritus -
Tel 984-287-3803
[email protected] -
P.O. Box 12233Mail Drop C2-04Durham, NC 27709
Research Summary
Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S, retired as Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Now a Special Volunteer to NIEHS, she also conducts research as part of the Mechanistic Toxicology Branch.
The group’s research goals are to investigate the extent of human exposure to man-made chemicals of environmental concern and to investigate the fate and mechanisms of toxicity of these pollutants. The expected outcome of this research is to achieve a better understanding of the risk of exposure to humans and management of this risk for protection of human health.
The objectives of the research are two-fold:
- Determine extent and effects of human exposure to environmental contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals. Current studies include an assessment of chemical exposure in populations in the United States and Vietnam, pharmacokinetic studies in volunteers exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), and assessment of concentrations of POPs and metals in post-mortem brain tissue and ventricular fluid from age-matched persons with and without neurodegenerative diseases. These are collaborative studies conducted with other NIH scientists and outside investigators.
- Provide toxicokinetics data for environmental contaminants in rodent models. This research program is conducted in assigned laboratory space at NIEHS, located in the Research Triangle Park, NC. The studies are designed to characterize absorption, tissue distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of xenobiotics, primarily environmental contaminants, and to investigate their biological effects at the molecular level in rats and mice. Ultimately, these data will be extrapolated to humans for assessment of exposure risk.
Recent Publications
- Landrigan P, Straif K, Birnbaum L, McDiarmid M, Perry M, Forastiere F, Comba P, Bucher J. Irregularities in the IARC Working Group Evaluation of Ramazzini Institute Aspartame Studies. Annals of global health. 2025;91(1):28. [ AbstractLandrigan P, Straif K, Birnbaum L, McDiarmid M, Perry M, Forastiere F, Comba P, Bucher J. Irregularities in the IARC Working Group Evaluation of Ramazzini Institute Aspartame Studies. Annals of global health. 2025 ]
- Hu H, Birnbaum L. Fluoride, Teeth, and Developing Brains: Dental Health in Tension With Environmental Health, Millions Affected. American journal of public health. 2025 Jul;115(7):1022-1024. [ AbstractHu H, Birnbaum L. Fluoride, Teeth, and Developing Brains: Dental Health in Tension With Environmental Health, Millions Affected. American journal of public health. 2025 Jul ]
- Motsinger-Reif A, Balshaw D, Birnbaum L, Cui Y, DellaValle C, Dixon C, Iturriaga E, Jett D, Miller A, Shanmugam V, Temkin S, Kwok R. Advancing Exposomics: From Concept to Practice in Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental health perspectives. 2025 Jun 12 [Epub ahead of print]. [ AbstractMotsinger-Reif A, Balshaw D, Birnbaum L, Cui Y, DellaValle C, Dixon C, Iturriaga E, Jett D, Miller A, Shanmugam V, Temkin S, Kwok R. Advancing Exposomics: From Concept to Practice in Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental health perspectives. 2025 Jun 12 ]
- Emond C, DeVito M, Birnbaum L. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model describing the kinetics of a commercial mixture α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane exposure in mice. Archives of toxicology. 2025 Mar;99(3):1043-1058. [ AbstractEmond C, DeVito M, Birnbaum L. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model describing the kinetics of a commercial mixture α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane exposure in mice. Archives of toxicology. 2025 Mar ]
- Vom Saal F, Antoniou M, Belcher S, Bergman A, Bhandari R, Birnbaum L, Cohen A, Collins T, Demeneix B, Fine A, Flaws J, Gayrard V, Goodson W, Gore A, Heindel J, Hunt P, Iguchi T, Kassotis C, Kortenkamp A, Mesnage R, Muncke J, Myers J, Nadal A, Newbold R, Padmanabhan V, Palanza P, Palma Z, Parmigiani S, Patrick L, Prins G, Rosenfeld C, Skakkebaek N, Sonnenschein C, Soto A, Swan S, Taylor J, Toutain P, von Hippel F, Welshons W, Zalko D, Zoeller R. The Conflict between Regulatory Agencies over the 20,000-Fold Lowering of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Bisphenol A (BPA) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Environmental health perspectives. 2024 Apr;132(4):45001. [ AbstractVom Saal F, Antoniou M, Belcher S, Bergman A, Bhandari R, Birnbaum L, Cohen A, Collins T, Demeneix B, Fine A, Flaws J, Gayrard V, Goodson W, Gore A, Heindel J, Hunt P, Iguchi T, Kassotis C, Kortenkamp A, Mesnage R, Muncke J, Myers J, Nadal A, Newbold R, Padmanabhan V, Palanza P, Palma Z, Parmigiani S, Patrick L, Prins G, Rosenfeld C, Skakkebaek N, Sonnenschein C, Soto A, Swan S, Taylor J, Toutain P, von Hippel F, Welshons W, Zalko D, Zoeller R. The Conflict between Regulatory Agencies over the 20,000-Fold Lowering of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Bisphenol A (BPA) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Environmental health perspectives. 2024 Apr ]