Environmental Health Sciences Center

06/29/2024

Oregon Public Broadcasting recently ran a story about the Environmental Protection Agency considering listing the old JH Baxter & Sons wood treatment facility in Eugene, OR as a Superfund site. If successful, being listed as a Superfund site would make federal money available for soil and water cleanup.

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/06/environmental-agency-baxter-plant-superfund-site/

You can also read more about our ongoing research around the facility in collaboration with community groups and government agencies.

https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/our-research/research-highlights/west-eugene-air-quality-collaboration

Regional Environmental Protection Agency officials say they’re working to get the old J.H. Baxter wood treatment plant in Eugene possibly approved for extensive clean-up on the federal government's tab.

05/23/2024

Our director Jamie DeWitt was recently featured on an episode of the Outside podcast, discussing PFAS in the outdoor clothing industry, their potential effects on our health, and the EPA's new drinking water regulations for them.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚 𝘌𝘗𝘈 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘤𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘍𝘈𝘚, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰-𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘍𝘈𝘚 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴."

https://www.outsideonline.com/podcast/pfas-forever-chemicals/

Last month the EPA set the first ever limits on PFAS in drinking water.

https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas

“Forever Chemicals” keep mud out of your boots and make rain jackets waterproof, but they’re about to be illegal

05/09/2024

🥕🥦 Gardeners, wildfire season is just around the corner.

To help you, we assisted OSU Extension in developing these infographics that explain how to handle your homegrown produce during wildfire smoke and which foods can protect your lungs and heart. Boost your resilience with a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and essential nutrients, while ensuring your garden remains a source of healthy and delicious produce!

🥬 Food to Fight Wildfires
https://ow.ly/N64550RAKxB

🍓 5 Steps to Healthy Produce During Wildfire Smoke
https://ow.ly/ivbJ50RAKxz



Looking for more information about protecting your health during wildfires? OSU Extension has much more on their website.

https://ow.ly/UG6350RAKxA

04/10/2024

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗲𝘀!

We're happy to announce four new pilot projects for 2024. See this year's awardees and their funded projects on our website:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/pilot-projects/awards

The Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research offers pilot project grants to support new and innovative research in environmental health.

04/05/2024

Please join us in congratulating Drs. Mermer and Garcia-Jaramillo, who received funding from the Agricultural Research Foundation. Learn more about our members and how we support them on our website.

https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/

03/15/2024

In early 2020, the Community Engagement Core, led by Dr. Diana Rohlman, initiated a collaborative research project with Beyond Toxics, represented by Executive Director Lisa Arkin. Their partnership aimed to address environmental health concerns in West Eugene, Oregon, focusing on a community impacted by industrial emissions. The collaboration between agencies, academia, and community is unprecedented, and a landmark example of how collaboration can lead to meaningful environmental health assessments and interventions.

Read the story on our website:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/west-eugene-air-quality

OSU Environmental Health Sciences Center 1011 ALS Building, Corvallis, OR 97331 | 541-737-3608 EHSC is funded by NIEHS grant ES030287 (An Institute of NIH)

02/01/2024

🎬 Join us in exploring the world of environmental health! Our new video sheds light on the importance of understanding and addressing environmental factors that affect our health. Whether it's the air we breathe or the water we drink, our surroundings play a crucial role in shaping our health outcomes. Check out the video to learn more!

These are the videos we've created at the Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research, some in collaboration with the Superfund Research Center, about environmental health science and the specific research we participate in.

12/12/2023

📣 We are now accepting applications for 2024 Pilot Projects! 📣
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/pilot

Key information:

*The deadline for applications is January 31, 2024.

*Proposals must have a Center member as the PI or co-PI. Applicants are welcome to apply for membership during the application process.
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/becoming-center-member

*Each project can request up to $30,000 maximum, with an additional $10,000 if the project utilizes Core services provided by the Center.

The Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research offers pilot project grants to support new and innovative research in environmental health.

12/01/2023

Created in partnership with a group of Indigenous and Ally educators, our visual model intertwines traditional plants with environmental knowledge.
https://ow.ly/BXka50QcEaf

11/22/2023

🌊Check out the collaboration between Manuel Garcia-Jaramillo and Portland Harbor Community Coalition. They conducted a non-target chemical analysis, exploring emerging contaminants with pilot project funding. 👉

https://ow.ly/qbxy50Q8yAO

11/13/2023

We teamed up with Makerere University School of Public Health in Kampala Uganda to learn about occupational exposures in the transportation industry. Fuel station attendants, taxi drivers, and commercial motorcycle riders wore silicone wristbands. Our publication is freely available!

There are concerns over traffic-related air pollution in Uganda's capital, Kampala. Individuals in the transportation sector are hypothesized to be at greater risk for exposure to volatile organic compounds, given their proximity to vehicle exhaust. Silicone wristbands are a wearable technology that...

11/08/2023

Congratulations and Thank You, Emily Ho!
2023 Research Champion & Interim Director of our Center for the past 2 years.
Emily will continue her leadership as Director of TRSC and Deputy Director.

Emily Ho, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, studies how the science of food and nutrition helps people live longer, better.

https://ow.ly/h8nw50Q5gnP

In her research, Emily Ho seeks to understand the mechanisms by which nutrients affect the initiation and/or progression of chronic diseases such as cancer.E...

10/05/2023

🔥NIEHS Hot Paper!
Oregon State researchers uncovered the ability of Rhodococcus bacteria — microorganisms with bioremediative properties — to remove contaminants from drinking water under different environmental conditions.

https://ow.ly/ihvl50PTeQk

08/18/2023

Welcome to Dr. Jamie DeWitt, named Director of the Environmental Health Sciences Center! 🎉

With a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Neural Science, she brings more than 20 years of experience in leading innovative research in environmental toxicology and human health.

Dr. Dewitt comes to OSU from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, join us in giving her a warm welcome! 🙌

More about DeWitt: https://beav.es/ThQ

Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University

08/08/2023

Join us in Portland, Oregon for the 2023 PANWAT meeting. https://ow.ly/5hNs50Pv235

Includes a mentoring event for students and early career scientists and an OMSI Science Communication Workshop.

07/07/2023

📣New Paper. Review of the Zebrafish as a Model to Investigate per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity

https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfad051

06/01/2023

📣New Paper. Advances in PAH mixture toxicology enabled by zebrafish. Recent work in zebrafish has made it clear that while PAHs belong to the same chemical class, their modes of action can be divergent.

( ): http://ow.ly/nGrt50OlXBe

05/23/2023

Join us for the next EHS seminar with guest speaker Dr. Robyn Tanguay, University Distinguished Professor in the Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University, Director of OSU Superfund Research Program and Director of the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory (Tanguay Lab).
📢"Outside the Tank to Unravel and Predict Chemical Activity Mechanisms"
📅6/1
⏰11 AM ET
📍CTR 124 or virtual
🔗https://tinyurl.com/j79rfsz6

05/17/2023

May is and wildfire season has arrived. We created a resource for pregnant individuals with our project partner Klamath County Public Health.
English: https://beav.es/iXm
Español: https://beav.es/ie5

04/14/2023

registration has opened for our virtual Research Workshop July 13-14! Columbia Public Health & Missouri Breaks Research Industries Inc. teach community-driven methods & Indigenous ways of knowing and their application to Indigenous Environmental Health Research studies. In collaboration with the Superfund programs from Columbia, MIT, Oregon State, the University of Arizona, and the University of New Mexico.Fellowships & early bird rate: http://ow.ly/Wmkv50NIJyq

04/06/2023

Congratulations to our Center Director, Emily Ho, one of the 2023 OSU Distinguished Professor recipients. This is the highest academic honor the university bestows on faculty.
http://ow.ly/n0wk50NBICZ

03/28/2023

Learn what OSU's Environmental Health Sciences Center has been up to. 11 new publications, 2 awards, NIEHS Paper of the Year, Pilot Projects updates, and more.
http://ow.ly/KR6u50Nt3Hs

02/28/2023

Congratulations to Lisa Truong- 2023 JOINN Biomere Outstanding Young Toxicologist!
American Association of Chinese in Toxicology (AACT)

02/03/2023

Congratulations to Robyn Tanguay on her Toxicologist Mentoring Award from the Society of Toxicology (SOT)!

http://ow.ly/AWzc50MHeWE

01/26/2023

We were pleased to welcome Bobbie Conner for our OSU Sense of Place seminar, in collaboration with the Indigenous Education Institute. Bobbie is the director of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). You can watch her seminar here: http://ow.ly/VEm450MqNCz. Thank you OSU SRP trainee Sydelle Harrison for organizing!

01/17/2023

Out of nearly 3,300 NIEHS-funded publications, institute leaders selected 32 for the Papers of the Year. Our research following Hurricane Harvey was selected, learn more!
http://ow.ly/3wMv50MsQBE

Hurricane Harvey was associated with flood-related damage to chemical plants and oil refineries, and the flooding of hazardous waste sites, including 13 Superfund sites. As clean-up efforts began, concerns were raised regarding the human health impact of possible increased chemical exposure resultin...

12/19/2022

Check out our latest publication! Silicone passive sampling was used to identify novel dermal chemical exposures of firefighters and assess Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
http://ow.ly/5ClG50M4mRH

11/23/2022

We partnered with , , and on a StoryMap.


http://ow.ly/OJ7750KaJlU

11/11/2022

Excited to announce our Inaugural session of the Sense of Place seminar series taking on November 17th, 12 pm PST on Zoom featuring: Roberta (Bobbie) Conner
Director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute. To register: http://ow.ly/NlwT50LAcfz