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Molecules affecting your health
University studies polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced during combustion
Ben Sundberg
Issue date: 5/7/09 Section: News
Early last month, the department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at OSU began researching the potential health effects of human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
This research is part of a nationwide project known as the Superfund Basic Research Program.
Oregon State University was awarded a four-year grant totaling $12.4 million by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the effects of PAHs.
"The idea is that these programs investigate potential human health effects of chemicals that are found at most superfund sites. So some of these programs study things like arsenic or lead … our focus is going to be PAHs," said professor David Williams, future director of the program in the EMT department.
"It's really a feather in the cap for the university. There are only 14 of these programs across the country and we were competing for this grant with some very fine schools," Williams said.
PAHs are produced during the combustion of many organic materials. The greatest producers of PAHs within range of human contact are fossil fuels, wood and cigarette smoke.
"With the increased energy needs around the world, PAHs are being released more and more into the environment," Williams said.
With the massive industrialization of China and the large amounts of pollutants that drift across the Pacific Ocean to the United States, PAHs look to be an increasing problem here in Oregon and all across the west coast.
There is another source that has drawn the interest of researchers and a group of Oregon Indian tribes. Anna Harding, who works for the Department of Public Health, heads up a team of researchers that is looking into the effects of PAHs that result from smoking and cooking meat.
"The Community Outreach Project is a collaborative venture between those of us at OSU and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation," Harding said.
Harding's team is also looking into the concentration and effects of PAHs that come from the Boardman coal plant and field burning.
"We have designed a project so that we can investigate these particular mediums of exposure, and [we] will be doing that over the four year course of the project. We'll be taking some air samples on the reservation and we'll also be asking some tribal members to attach personal air monitors that they can wear when they are conducting their smoking activities. We'll also be testing some of the smoked foods for PAHs," Harding said.
There are several other projects that are a part of this, including investigations in the Portland Harbor, Mount Bachelor and Okinawa, Japan.
"There are a lot of things that we don't understand about their potential adverse effects on human health," Williams said.
Ben Sundberg, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
This research is part of a nationwide project known as the Superfund Basic Research Program.
Oregon State University was awarded a four-year grant totaling $12.4 million by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the effects of PAHs.
"The idea is that these programs investigate potential human health effects of chemicals that are found at most superfund sites. So some of these programs study things like arsenic or lead … our focus is going to be PAHs," said professor David Williams, future director of the program in the EMT department.
"It's really a feather in the cap for the university. There are only 14 of these programs across the country and we were competing for this grant with some very fine schools," Williams said.
PAHs are produced during the combustion of many organic materials. The greatest producers of PAHs within range of human contact are fossil fuels, wood and cigarette smoke.
"With the increased energy needs around the world, PAHs are being released more and more into the environment," Williams said.
With the massive industrialization of China and the large amounts of pollutants that drift across the Pacific Ocean to the United States, PAHs look to be an increasing problem here in Oregon and all across the west coast.
There is another source that has drawn the interest of researchers and a group of Oregon Indian tribes. Anna Harding, who works for the Department of Public Health, heads up a team of researchers that is looking into the effects of PAHs that result from smoking and cooking meat.
"The Community Outreach Project is a collaborative venture between those of us at OSU and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation," Harding said.
Harding's team is also looking into the concentration and effects of PAHs that come from the Boardman coal plant and field burning.
"We have designed a project so that we can investigate these particular mediums of exposure, and [we] will be doing that over the four year course of the project. We'll be taking some air samples on the reservation and we'll also be asking some tribal members to attach personal air monitors that they can wear when they are conducting their smoking activities. We'll also be testing some of the smoked foods for PAHs," Harding said.
There are several other projects that are a part of this, including investigations in the Portland Harbor, Mount Bachelor and Okinawa, Japan.
"There are a lot of things that we don't understand about their potential adverse effects on human health," Williams said.
Ben Sundberg, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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