Research Outline

The Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory delves into how environmental factors impact human health, with a particular focus on environmental chemicals and their epidemiological links to health conditions such as allergies, developmental problems, and secondary sex characteristics in both children and residents. My specific research area focused on organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers (PFRs), which are commonly used as flame retardant plasticizers in everyday items like polyurethane foam, electronic devices, textiles, and plastic products. PFRs are not chemically bound to materials used in consumer products, resulting in a slow release into the ambient environment and leading to continuous human exposure. Given the unclear association between PFRs exposure and allergies in school children, our research has centered on exploring the associations between PFRs concentrations and levels of type 2 inflammation biomarkers. These markers serve as objective indicators of asthma and allergies in school children. We found a potential link between PFRs exposure and increased risks of asthma, allergies, and type 2 inflammation. I am currently investigating the association between PFRs exposure and urinary oxidative stress in school children, as well as the mediating effect of the anti-inflammatory protein CC16 in the association between PFRs exposure and allergic disease.