Category Archives: PROTECT Research

Pregnant women and their fetuses represent susceptible populations to environmental contaminants. Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) among pregnant women may contribute to adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth. This study assessed longitudinal urinary PAH metabolite concentrations over two time points in pregnancy cohorts in Boston (N = 200) and Puerto Rico (N = […]

Phthalates are widely used in many consumer products; DEHP is the most frequently used plasticizer in the market. Their extensive use results in spatially-widespread sources that are difficult to identify. Their presence in groundwater is related to land use patterns and is influenced by hydrogeologic characteristics. Phthalate contamination is important to evaluate in eogenetic karst […]

All aquifers contain a “matrix” – the solid component through which the water flows – but karst aquifers also contain sediments that can move dynamically between mobile (readily transported) and stationary (stored) pools. Both pools of sediments can influence contaminant mobility and storage as well as hinder or enhance remediation efforts. PROTECT Researchers & Trainees […]

A recent study conducted by PROTECT’s Project 5 developed a cost-effective and simple approach to improving the electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is crucial for the treatment of contaminated groundwater. The study, published by Electrochimica Acta, evaluated Rates of H2O2 electrogeneration by reduction of anodic O2 at RVC foam cathodes in batch and flow-through […]

Dr. Deborah Watkins, a researcher for both PROTECT’s Project 1 and CRECE’s Project 3, has been awarded a grant by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study the impacts Hurricane Maria has had on pregnant women, pregnancy outcomes, and early child development in Puerto Rico. Specifically, Watkins aims to study environmental exposures […]

We are pleased to welcome several new team members: Bente Hyldegaard and Paula Guedes, who will be working in the PROTECT lab as visiting scholars, and Sarah Corley, who will be working with our centers as a Public Health Specialist. Read on to learn more about each of these talented individuals. Bente Højlund Hyldegaard is a […]

On September 7th, 2017, Karst Groundwater Contamination and Public Health published a study by former ROUTES Scholar Savannah Gregor, former PROTECT Trainee Noushin Fallahpour, PROTECT Associate Research Scientist Ljiljana Rajic, and PROTECT Co-Director Akram Alshawabkeh on a pilot scale study of electrochemical remediation of contaminated groundwater. This publication, which is titled “Electrochemical Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater: Pilot Scale Study” is Gregor’s first as […]

From June 1st through 4th, 2017, PROTECT Project 5 team members Dr. Dorothy Vesper, Dr. Lily Rajic, Kimberly Hetrick, and Emily Bausher visited karst caves in Monroe County, West Virginia. For this trip, the team had goals of collecting and characterizing sediment samples as well as investigating the potential impacts of suspended sediments on electrochemical […]

On June 12th, 2017, the International Journal of Electrochemical Science published a study by  former ROUTES Scholars David Berroa, Savannah Gregor, and Sarah Elbakri on  nitrate removal from aqueous solution via electrochemical processes as well as the feasibility of these processes to minimize the production of ammonia during the nitrate reduction. Nitrates are commonly found […]

A November publication released by Environmental Research and authored by Project 1 trainee Amira Aker and multiple researchers revealed interesting findings on the relation contaminants such as phenols and parabens have on hormone changes during pregnancy. Researchers twice measured phenol/paraben biomarkers of 106 child-bearing participants during their pregnancies. Exposures to certain contaminants were found to be associated […]

PROTECT researcher and University of Michigan professor Rita Loch-Caruso is part of a team at the University of Michigan that has earned $1.4 million in support from the Preventing Preterm Birth Initiative, part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges in Global Health, to study a leading cause of premature birth. For more […]

PROTECT Project 1 researcher John Meeker was recognized for his paper discussing findings that sperm may be harmed by bisphenol A (BPA), showing that urinary concentrations of the chemical may be related to decreased sperm quality and concentration. This study was one of the first of its kind; the researchers are continuing this line of […]