NIEHS SRP P42 Research Center

Northeastern University – University of Puerto RicoUniversity of Georgia – University of Michigan West Virginia University – Cornell University –

Silent Spring Institute – EarthSoft Inc.

2020 Trainee OrientationSeptember 21, 2020

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Akram Alshawabkeh

David Kaeli

Carmen Vélez Vega

Justin Manjourides

Gredia Huerta-Montanez

Emily Zimmerman

Thomas SheahanPhil Brown

Rita Loch-Caruso

April GuCornell

Jennifer Dy

Kelly Bakulski

José Cordero

Bhramar MukherjeeJohn Meeker Ingrid Padilla

Northeastern

Michigan

Phil Larese-Casanova

A Team Effort UGA

Dorothy Vesper West Virginia University

University of Puerto Rico

Julia Brody Silent Spring

Deb WatkinsZaira Rosario

Pabon

Damian HelblingCornell

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• One of the highest preterm birth rates in the U.S. (~20% in 2008)

• 50% higher infant mortality rate than non-Hispanic whites.

• Puerto Rican infants were twice as likely to die from causes related to low birthweight than non-Hispanic white infants.

Environmental Health challenges in Puerto Rico

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Preterm Birth Rate in Puerto Rico

2008 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report

Card

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Contamination in Puerto Rico

• 200+ Hazardous Waste Sites

• 18 Sites listed on the National Priority List (NPL)

• Many sites include unlined landfills above aquifer in karst geologic formations

• Aquifer is primarily limestone with highly permeable karst aquifers from which most of the wells draw water

662012 Field Trip, PR

Karst

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PROTECT SRP Center

Established in 2010 to study of exposure to Superfund chemicals (chlorinated solvents and phthalates) and their potential contribution to preterm birth, focusing on Puerto Rico with dynamic contamination exposurepathways through aquifers in karst regions.

88

Cohort Characteristics

39.430.4

18.611.5

0 10 20 30 40

18-2425-2930-3435-41

17.5

33

38.9

0 10 20 30 40

GED OR LESS

SOME COLLEGE

BACHELORS OR HIGHER

60.1

39.9

0 20 40 60

EMPLOYED

NOT EMPLOYED

27.131.4

2615.5

0 10 20 30

<10K10K - <30K30K - <50K

≥50K

85.5

13.2

1.3

0 45 90

NEVER

EVER

CURRENT

90.1

5.1

4.8

0 45 90

NEVER

EVER

CURRENT

52.9

39.8

7.3

0 20 40 60

NEVER

PREVIOUSLY

CURRENTLY

40.7

37.9

21.4

0 10 20 30 40

0

1

2-5

52.6

33.1

14.3

0 20 40 60

0-25

25.1-29.9

30-51

Education

EmploymentETS

Smoking

Income Alcohol Use

Number of children

Pre-pregnancy BMI

Established a pregnancy Cohort

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Sources and detections of CVOCs and phthalates in the study area –dotted red line shows the approximate path of Hurricane Maria.

What we observed

• Presence of mixtures of contaminants in most sites• Preterm birth rate decreased yet still high• In addition to low SES, difficult economic and health

services, community is devastated by natural disasters

• Hurricanes Irma and Maria increased psychosocial stress levels and economic challenges -&- impacted Superfund sites

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Renewal Theme and plans

• Employ a data-driven approach to study and reduce the impact of exposure to mixtures of suspect chemicals from Superfund sites in karst regions on APOs in PR.

• Target chemicals: will be expanded to include metals, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in addition to chlorinated solvents and phthalates.

• Mechanisms: Focus on oxidative stress as an underlying biological pathway by which contaminant exposure can lead to APOs.

• Data Driven: New statistical methods and data mining, machine learning, and visualization tools will be developed to allow PROTECT researchers to analyze our datasets.

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Renewal Theme and plans

• Employ a data-driven approach to study and reduce the impact of exposure to mixtures of suspect chemicals from Superfund sites in karst regions on APOs in PR.

• Extreme weather: Investigate the impacts of extreme weather events on contaminant transport and exposure,

• Remediation: Develop new water treatment technologies will be developed for portable and robust water treatment systems.

• Community: PROTECT will employ innovative approaches to engage and educate the community, involve study participants, report-back data, and communicate with stakeholders.

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Northeastern University; University of Puerto Rico; University of Georgia; University of Michigan; West Virginia University, Cornell, Silent Spring Institute, EarthSoft Inc.

Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats

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Approach

PROTECT Components• 4 Projects

• Project 1: Biomarker Epidemiology of Exposure to Mixtures, Oxidative Stress, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Puerto Rico. (Led by John Meeker.)

• Project 2: Toxicant-Stimulated Disruption of Gestational Tissues with Implications for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. (Led by Rita Loch-Caruso.)

• Project 3: Effect of Extreme Weather on Potential Exposure of Contaminant Mixtures in Karst Water Systems. (Led by Ingrid Padilla.)

• Project 4: Portable, self-cleaning advanced electro-oxidation systems for distributed and point-of-use water treatment. (Led by Akram Alshawabkeh.)

• 2 Research Support Cores • Human Subjects and Sampling (HSSC) (Led by José Cordero)• Data Management and Analysis (DMAC). (Led by David Kaeli)

• Community Engagement Core (CEC) (co-Led by Phil Brown, Carmen Velez Vega.)

• Research Experience and Training Coordination Core (RETCC) (Led by Thomas Sheahan.)

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Chemicals of interest

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Chemical Group (# reflects ATSDR 2017 Hazardous Substances rank) or their metabolites

Justification (varies depending on the specific chemical)

Mode of Action (chemical dependent)

Phthalates (e.g., DBP #58, DEHP #77) exposure in the U.S. is ubiquitous

Elevated in PROTECT subjects’ urine compared to NHANES[17, 18]; Detected in groundwater[19]; Detected in PR tap water TA2

Oxidative stress [20-22]; DNA stress[20, 23]; Inflammation[24]

PAHs #9 (e.g., Pyrene, Naphthalene, Phenanthrene)

Elevated in PROTECT subjects’ urine compared to NHANES [25]; Detected at 5 Superfund Sites in PR

Oxidative stress[26, 27]; Inflammation[27, 28]

Pesticides (e.g. Dieldrin #18, Aldrin #25, Diuron #254, DEET, Atrazine)

Detected in study subjects[29] (no NHANES data for comparison); Detected in PR ground water NTA, Detected in PR tap water TA Detected at 3 Superfund Sites in PR

Oxidative stress[30-32]; DNA stress[30, 33, 34]; Inflammation[32, 35, 36]

CVOCs (e.g., VC #4, chloroform #11, TCE #16, PCE #33)

Detected in PR ground water[37]; Detected in PR tap water[37] ; Detected at 10 Superfund Sites in PR

Oxidative stress[38-40]; DNA stress[38, 40, 41]

Metals (e.g., Arsenic #1, Lead #2, Cadmium #7)

Elevated in PROTECT subjects compared to NHANES; Detected in PR ground water NTA; Detected in PR tap water TA ; Detected at 11 Superfund Sites in PR

Oxidative stress[42-44]; DNA stress[42-44]

TA – Targeted Analysis; and NTA – Non-Targeted Analysis by PROTECT in collaboration with other projects

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PROTECT will broaden its scope, employing a data-driven approach to study and reduce the impact of exposure to mixtures of suspect chemicals from Superfund sites in karst regions on APOs in Puerto Rico.

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Acknowledgment

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191919

Northeastern University, University of Puerto Rico, University of Georgia, University of Michigan, West Virginia University, Cornell University, Silent Spring Institute, EarthSoft Inc.

2016, Durham, NC

2019, Seattle, WA

2009 meeting, Rincón, Puerto Rico