Superfund at Duke

Superfund at Duke Research, education, and outreach center focused on understanding and communicating the effects of toxins on human and environmental health.

Our goal is to better understand how toxic chemicals may affect the environment and human health. More specifically, our focus is on how exposure to chemicals early in life may impact development and lead to health issues later on in life. We look at how pesticides, flame retardants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and nano-compounds impact brain development, behavior, thyroid function, and more.

Congratulations to MEM Students Beatrix Liu and Scout Yokley! Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke Master's studen...
04/29/2026

Congratulations to MEM Students Beatrix Liu and Scout Yokley!

Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke Master's students Liu and Yokley successfully completed the oral presentation for their Master’s Project entitled Identifying and Communicating Health Risks from Subsistence Fish Consumption along the Lower Cape Fear River.

In partnership with the Superfund at Duke Community Engagement Core (CEC) and the CEC-facilitated Subsistence Fish Consumption Working Group (Cape Fear River Watch, NC Coastal Federation, and the Center for Human Health and the Environment at NCSU), the students provided recommendations on how to revise and strengthen the “Stop, Check, Enjoy!” social marketing campaign and provide better communication to the community about PFAS in fish.

Celebrating our Trainees!Duke Superfund Trainee Dr. Javier Huayta (Meyer Lab) was awarded three honors at the Society of...
04/24/2026

Celebrating our Trainees!

Duke Superfund Trainee Dr. Javier Huayta (Meyer Lab) was awarded three honors at the Society of Toxicology 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA:

Gabriel L. Plaa Education Award;

Sheldon D. Murphy Postdoctoral Endowment Award; and

Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists Postdoctoral Travel Award.

Trainee Dr. Emily Green (Jayasundara Lab) successfully defended her dissertation entitled Host–Microbiome Interactions as Modulators of Embryogenesis and Developmental Toxicity in Teleost Fish: Implications for Evolved Chemical Resistance on Feb 12, 2026 . Committee members included DUSRC faculty Dr. Nishad Jayasundara, Dr. Richard Di Giulio, Dr. Joel Meyer, and Dr. Claudia Gunsch. Dr. Green was also awarded the 2026 Forever Duke Student Leadership Award through Duke Alumni Engagement and Development. The award celebrates students who are serving the Durham and Duke community.

04/17/2026

So proud of our investigators and their work with the Museum of Life and Science.

04/24/2024
04/24/2024

🎣 Last weekend, we had 219 attendees and amost 30 volunteers at our 4th Annual Yacunne (fish) Camp. Over half of the funding was put back into the tribal community and 70 families from our tribal communities attended the event.

🧮 Checkout our graphic! Numbers and Data are important. So awesome that Togetherness was the top experience of everyone who attended.

Waccamaw Siouan Tribe
Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio
John ManiQ Media / Videography & Photography
North Carolina AISES Professional Chapter(NC AISES)
National Park Foundation
Moores Creek National Battlefield
Superfund at Duke
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

03/08/2024

Join us tomorrow, March 7, for the next seminar in our main spring series!

Taylor Hoxie, PhD candidate, Duke University, will present “Assessing Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Indoor and Ambient Environment Utilizing Silicone Wristbands” on Thursday, March 7, 12:00-1:15 pm Eastern. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large class of compounds that have been produced since the 1940s. They are commonly used for their water, grease, and stain-repellent properties and as such have widespread use. Due to their use patterns and persistence, human exposure to PFASs is ubiquitous. Research on exposure to PFASs has mostly focused on exposure via contaminated drinking water and food. However, PFASs exposure is not limited to dietary sources. Consumer products and building materials can also serve as sources of PFASs in the indoor and ambient environment. In addition, some occupational exposures, such as firefighting, are thought to lead to elevated exposure to PFASs. First, we will show how silicone wristbands have been successfully implemented as personal passive samplers to evaluate ambient exposure to volatile and non-volatile PFASs. Second, we will investigate PFASs levels in paired samples of indoor air, dust, wristbands, and blood from a midwestern community to determine if wristbands can predict blood levels better than measures of air or dust. Lastly, we will use silicone wristbands to explore PFASs exposure in a NC Firefighter cohort and assess potential exposure associated with the use of firefighter turnout gear and fire calls. Overall, this research demonstrates that silicone wristbands can provide PFASs exposure measurements on an individual level which can aid in the evaluation of ambient PFASs exposure sources and behaviors that influence exposure.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
12:00-1:15 pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall
Visit the seminar page to learn more & to get a link to the livestream!
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/seminars-symposia/spring-2024-seminar-series/march-7-2024-assessing-exposure-to-per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-in-the-indoor-and-ambient-environment-utilizing-silicone-wristbands/

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Durham, NC
27708

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