Current

Current Group Members

Post-Doctorate Fellows

Congqiao (Bella) Yang
Ph.D. School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, 2014.
M.Sc. College of Life & Environmental Science. Minzu University of China, Beijing, China. 2010.
B.Sc. College of Life & Environmental Science. Minzu University of China, Beijing, China. 2007.

Bella has gained experiences with working on the following research projects: 1) brominated flame Retardants (BFRs) in outdoor environment and their relative human exposure in source area in China; 2) Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and BFRs in water (2008-12) and radiometrically dated sediment cores (1950-2012/3) from English Lakes. Congqiao Yang is currently undertaking research into several selected semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the indoor environment. It is a collaborative project funded by Health Canada (Ottawa), and Cancer Care Ontario (Toronto). The project focus on monitoring indoor levels of SVOCs in different environmental media, electronic products, and hand wipes. Potential influencing factors that could have an effect on the indoor behaviors of SVOCs are also monitored..

Selected publications:
Yang C., Harrad S., Abdalah MA., Desborough J., Rose NL., Turner SD., Davidson T., Goldsmith B., 2014.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in English freshwater lakes, 2008-2012. Chemosphere 110, 41-7.
Jin J., Wang Y., Yang C., Hu J., Liu W., Cui J., Tang X., 2009. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the serum and breast
milk of the resident population from production area, China. Environ Int. 35, 1048-52

Click here to see full publication list

Ph.D. Candidates & Students

Joseph Okeme - Expected Graduation 2017
Ph.D. Candidate. Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences. University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON.
M.Sc. Instrumental Analytical Sciences (Environmental Analysis). Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. 2010.
B.Sc. Environmental Management & Toxicology. Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Abeokuta, Nigeria. 2004.

My research aims to develop a passive air sampling device to measure indoor concentrations of a wide range of semi-volatile organic compounds. It also aims to provide measured data for vapour pressures and octanol-air partition coefficients for novel flame retardants.

Publications:
Saini, A., Okeme, J.O., Goosey, E., Diamond, M.L. (2015). Calibration of two passive air samplers for monitoring
   phthalates and brominated flame-retardants in indoor air. Chemosphere 137: 166-173
Okeme, J. O., Parnis, J. M., Poole, J., Diamond, M. L., & Jantunen, L. M. (2016). Polydimethylsiloxane-air partition
   ratios for semi-volatile organic compounds by GC-based measurement and COSMO-RS estimation: Rapid
   measurements and accurate modelling. Chemosphere, 156, 204–211.
Okeme, J. O., Saini, A., Yang, C., Zhu, J., Smedes, F., Klanova, J., & Diamond, M. L. (2016). Calibration of
   polydimethylsiloxane and XAD-pocket passive air samplers (PAS) for measuring gas- and particle-phase SVOCs
   Indoors. Atmospheric Environment, 143, 202–208.
Saini, A., Okeme, J.O., Parnis, J.M., McQueen, R.H., Diamond, M.L., 2016. Characterizing the accumulation of semi-
volatile organic compounds to fabrics in indoor environments. Indoor Air. In press.

Yuchao Wan - Expected Graduation Spring 2016
Ph.D. Candidate. Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
M.Sc. Environmental Sciences & Technology. Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK. 2014.
B.Sc. Environmental Sciences. Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. 2012.

I have a compelling interest in measuring toxic persistent chemicals in our environment as well as developing predictive models to determine a process level understanding of their fate and behaviour. Currently my research focuses on assessing levels of selected semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from indoor environments.

Linh Viet Nguyen
Ph.D. Student. Environmental Sciences. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
M.Sc. Water and Environmental Management. University of Brighton, Brighton, UK. 2013.
B.Sc. Analytical Chemistry with Business. University of Brighton, Brighton, UK. 2012.

My research interests are the development of environmental remediation techniques, air sampling techniques, and analytical and environmental chemistry. Currently, I am investigating the exposure of flame retardants among electronic waste recycling workers. The board interest is towards the exposure of flame retardants in the occupational health field.

Publications:
Nguyen, L.V, Busquets, R., Ray, S. & Cundy, A.B. 2017. Graphene oxide-based degradation of metaldehyde:
Effective oxidation through a modiﬁed Fenton’s process. Chemical Engineering Journal 307: 159-167.

Yaw Adjei-Kyereme
Ph.D. Student. Department of Earth Sciences. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
MPhil. Nuclear and Environmental Protection. University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. 2010.
B.Sc. Chemistry. University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. 2007.

My research interest includes developing multimedia models to study the sources and fate of environmental contaminants, development of improved techniques for remediation, and prevention of environmental contamination. My current research focuses on the role of clothing in semi-volatile organic compound (SVOC) dynamics indoors.

Masters Students

Tim Rodgers
M.ASc. (in progress). Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
B.ASc. (Hons.) Environmental Engineering, Co-op Program - Water Resources. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON. 2016

My thesis research is in developing a multimedia fugacity model of storm water bioretention cells (BCs). This project is part of an NSERC strategic grant led by Dr. Elodie Passeport, with Dr. Jennifer Drake and Dr. Miriam Diamond. The project aims to demystify the inner working of storm water BCs, looking at the hydrological, chemical, and physical processes that determine the performance of BCs in order to better predict their behaviour and to optimize their design.