The SRP regularly highlights basic and applied research and activities from the program, spanning multiple disciplines.

Research Briefs

Toxic Breakdown Products Formed During Contaminant Clean-Up

Chemical oxidation is a process commonly used to treat water contaminated with aromatic compounds like benzene. But, unexpected and potentially harmful breakdown products may result from this treatment process, according to a recent study from the University of California, Berkeley SRP Center.

Using Fungi to Clean up Contaminated Soil

Native fungal communities point to a new way of cleaning up contaminated soil. After conducting a study to characterize fungi found in soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), researchers at the Duke University SRP Center discovered a group of fungi that may be promising for remediation.

Clay Layers May Worsen Arsenic Contamination

Layers of clay are widely thought to protect groundwater aquifers from above-ground contaminants. But according to a recent study, these clay layers may play a role in increasing groundwater arsenic contamination. Led by Alexander van Geen, Ph.D., the research team observed increasing concentrations of arsenic over time in deeper wells separated from an arsenic-contaminated aquifer by a thick clay layer, revealing that clay layers rich in organic carbon may enhance arsenic contamination, rather than protect against it.

Environmental Factor Articles

Extramural Paper of the Month: Dragonflies provide insight into mercury pollution, citizen science study finds

A new SRP-funded study found that immature dragonfly larvae can be used to estimate the amount of mercury present in local fish, amphibians, and birds. The study leveraged a national-scale citizen science project that began more than a decade ago.

Virtual workshop explores newest PFAS research

Three NIEHS grant recipients presented their latest research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at a July 31 Federal Information Exchange. The online session - attended by more than 260 researchers with federal funding, federal employees, and state health representatives - was the first in a series of virtual workshops.

Water contamination on tribal lands focus of webinar series

Water contamination on tribal lands was the focus of a recent webinar series, Water in the Native World, funded in part by the NIEHS SRP. The online discussions were an extension of a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, organized by the University of Arizona SRP Center Community Engagement Core.

Ongoing Duwamish River recovery inspires video series, book

The University of Washington (UW) SRP Center is promoting a video series and a book, released July 11, to educate people about the history of the Duwamish River. BJ Cummings of the UW SRP Center Community Engagement Core wrote the book.

K.C. Donnelly Externships awarded to outstanding Superfund trainees

Eleven outstanding trainees in the NIEHS SRP have won K.C. Donnelly Externship Award Supplements. The annual awards allow trainees to work side-by-side with experts at an outside institution to learn new methods and techniques to enrich their research.

National Academies asks experts to explore aging, environment interplay

The interrelationships between exposures and aging were the top concerns of experts at a virtual workshop by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics, held in June. SRP Health Administrator Michelle Heacock, Ph.D., provided opening remarks during the workshop.

Linking exposures to later-life disease - webinars draw hundreds

The challenge of studying the effects of exposures when those effects do not appear for years or even decades was the topic of a SRP Risk e-Learning webinar series . The webinar series drew nearly 2,000 participants.

Progress in Research Webinars

The fall SRP Progress in Research webinar series will highlight promising research from SRP Centers awarded grants in 2020. These awards were made as part of the Multiproject Center Grant (P42) solicitation RFA-ES-18-002. In each session, awardees will describe their research projects, accomplishments, and next steps. The first session will be held on Wednesday, October 21 from 2 - 4 pm ET and will feature researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SRP Center, the Harvard School of Public Health SRP Center, and the University of Arizona SRP Center. More information is also available on the SRP Progress in Research website .