Iowa Superfund Research Program: Airborne PCBs: Sources, Exposures, Toxicities, Remediation

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

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Abstract

The Iowa Superfund Research Program (ISRP) is a center of research excellence focused on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs mixtures called Aroclors were added to thousands of products, including construction materials, until their sales were banned more than 40 years ago. Today, people are still exposed to PCBs indoors and in communities surrounding Superfund sites. Recent ISRP research demonstrated that airborne PCBs present an especially urgent problem: Inhalation of airborne PCBs may be the most significant route for human exposure to these important toxic chemicals. The ISRP’s long-term goal is to develop recommendations to prevent and/or limit human exposure to airborne PCBs and to improve the health and well-being of the population. The ISRP renewal will focus on PCBs in air, particularly in schools and those emitted from contaminated soils and water of Superfund sites. We will examine the health impacts of inhaled PCBs, particularly on adolescents, with a focus on neurodevelopmental and metabolic effects. The ISRP will accomplish its long-term goal through the following integrated Specific Aims: 1) Identify community-supported strategies that address concerns about exposure to airborne PCBs and methods for remediation. We will leverage established and developing partnerships with communities to design and conduct research that responds to community concerns about PCB emissions in Vermont schools and Portland Harbor, Oregon. 2) Determine how lower-chlorinated PCBs cause toxicity during adolescence. We will address how PCBs and their metabolites are risk factors for altered neurodevelopment during adolescence and the mechanisms by which these compounds interfere with lipid metabolism. 3) Reduce airborne PCBs in schools. We will design and test novel sampling methods to directly measure and predict emissions of gas-phase PCBs from building materials in school rooms; distinguish primary, secondary, and tertiary sources; and identify cost-effective strategies to remove or reduce airborne PCBs in schools 4) Define concentrations of airborne PCBs in contaminated water, soil, and sediment and identify mechanisms to reduce their emission. In collaboration with communities in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere, we will determine the magnitude of emissions from contaminated waters and soils surrounding a Superfund site and evaluate the short-term emissions of PCBs due to sediment dredging. We will also develop novel materials and methods to reduce emissions of PCBs using molecular mechanisms by which microbial populations, including bacteria and fungi, metabolize these compounds in sediments. 5) Train scientists and attract new scientists to environmental health sciences. We will recruit trainees, build on an existing training program offered through the RETCC, and provide trainees and established scientists with new research skills in data science, chemical analysis, community engagement, and research translation.