Current Projects

Current Research Projects

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in Canadian homes.
Congqiao Yang

As a part of the Ontario Environment and Health Study, a case control study of breast cancer patients, we conducted a household exposure study focusing on brominated and organophosphate flame retardants (BFRs and OPEs) and phthalate esters (PAEs) in Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ottawa homes. Our goal is to better understand and quantify exposure by: 1) measuring concentrations of selected BFRs, OPEs, and PAEs indoors; 2) elucidating indoor emissions and fate; and 3) in combination with questionnaire responses, identify products as sources of BFRs, OPEs, and PAEs.

Collaborators:
Health Canada (Ottawa)
Cancer Care Ontario (Toronto)

Home set-up

In-home assessment

Taking hand wipe samples

Investigation of exposure to flame retardants among electronic waste recycling workers
Linh Nguyen

Collecting dust from an e-waste facility in Toronto

This project is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Labour to address this knowledge gap on occupational exposure and work-related health by undertaking a detailed exposure assessment in the e-waste recycling industry.
This study aims to characterize the inhalation and skin exposure of electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workers to “old” flame retardant chemicals (polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs) and two groups of “newer” replacement flame retardant chemicals, namely halogenated and phosphorus flame retardant chemicals (HFRs and PFRs, respectively). It is important to note that PBDEs are a type of HFR. This study seeks to answer two research questions:

What levels of exposure do e-waste recycling workers have to flame retardants (PBDEs and replacement flame retardants) through skin and airborne exposure?
Can we measure flame retardant exposure in the workplace using novel lightweight passive samplers?

To the best of our knowledge this project will be the first study to provide a detailed flame retardant exposure assessment for Canadian workers in an e-waste recycling facility. This information is critical for identifying areas for improved primary prevention, including the development of exposure reduction strategies.

Collaborators:
Prof. Victoria H. Arrandale (Occupational Cancer Research Centre - University of Toronto)
Dr. Marta Venier (Indiana University)
Dr. Lisa E. Melymuk (RECETOX)
Dr. Liisa M. Jantunen (Environment Canada - Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments)

Occupational exposure in Ontario nail salons
Linh Nguyen
This project is funded by by the Ontario Ministry of Labour to better understand a range of occupational exposures in Ontario nail salons, including chemicals, ergonomics and psychosocial stress. This is achieved through the collection of air measurements, skin wipe samples and observations in Ontario nail salons. Workers who agree to participate also complete a questionnaire about psychosocial stressors and ergonomic hazards in their workplace. Results will lead to a better understanding of occupational exposures that impact nail salon technicians including any specific exposures that may require targeted prevention effort. This work also helps to increase awareness of hazardous exposures among nail salon owners and workers.

Collaborators:
Prof. Victoria H. Arrandale (Occupational Cancer Research Centre - University of Toronto)
Prof. D. Linn Holness (St. Michaels Hospital, University of Toronto)
Prof. Tracy Kirkham (Dalla Lana School of Public Health - University of Toronto)
Queen West – Central Toronto Community Health Centres (QW-CTCHC)
National Networks for Environment and Women’s Health (NNEWH)
Healthy Nail Salon Network (HNSN)

Developing passive air samplers for SVOCs indoors
Joseph Okeme

In contrast to active air samplers, passive air samplers (PAS) are cheap, produce no noise, and require no power and minimal skill from the user. This project aims to develop PASs for measuring indoor SVOCs. Here, we:

Calibrate different types of stationary PASs including polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), styrene divinylbenzene copolymer (XAD) and polyurethane based PASs.
Collaborators:
Drs. Mahiba Shoeib, Liisa M. Jantunen, Atousa Abdollahi (Environment Canada)
Dr. Jiping Zhu (Health Canada)
Prof. Jana Klánová, Dr. Foppe Smedes (RECETOX)
Characterize PDMS as a personal PAS, part of a collaborative public health project between the University of Toronto, University of Utrecht and Chinese University in Hong Kong.
Collaborators:
Profs. Greg Evans, Jeff Brook, Paul Demers, Arthur Chan (University of Toronto)
Dr. Michelle North (Queen's University)
Profs. Roel Vermeulen, Jelle Vlaanderen, Lutzen Portengen, Anke Huss, Gerard Hoek (University of Utrecht)
Shelly Tse, XianQiang Lao, Kin-Fai Ho, Feng Wang (Chinese University of Hong Kong).
Measure and estimate PAS-air partition coefficients and uptake capacities of PDMS and PUF.
Collaborators:
Dr. Liisa Jantunen (Environment Canada - Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments)
Prof. J. Mark Parnis, Dr. Eva Webster (Trent University)

Measuring physical and chemical properties of SVOCs
Joseph Okeme

The physical and chemical properties such as vapour pressure (VP) and octanol-air partition coefficient (KOA) of SVOCs influence how they behave in the environment. VP and KOA values are key input parameters used in models to predict the environmental behaviour of SVOCs. However, measured data of VPs and KOAs are limited. The project focuses on measuring VPs and KOAs for selected SVOCs, to fill this gap.
Collaborators
Dr. Liisa Jantunen (Environment Canada - Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments)

INTERFLAB
Yuchao Wan

Dust sieving

INTERFLAB is an international inter-laboratory study on novel halogenated flame retardants, which is to assess the accuracy and precision of analyzing novel halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) among different laboratories in the context of household dust . Phase 1 involved the analysis of 6 unknown test mixtures for 24 HFRs and was completed in June 2014. Thirteen academic/government laboratories participated, and results were made available to participants in the form of a final report in October 2014. Phase 2 aims to judge differences/improvements in the analysis of the HFRs that were included in Phase 1, and to evaluate laboratory performance and inter-laboratory variability at different stages of household dust analysis. Phase 2 will include academic, government, private and commercial laboratories.

Collaborators:
Dr. Lisa E. Melymuk (RECETOX)
Dr. Aman Saini (University of Toronto - Diamond Environmental Research Group)

Kingston Cohort
Yuchao Wan

This project is about the epigenetic markers of allergy development. It aims to develop the potential relationship between asthma and selected SVOCs (PAH and phthalates).

Collaborators:
Dr. Michelle North (Queen's University)

Role of clothing in exposure to SVOCs in indoor environment
Aman Saini

Deployment of fabric samples - March 2015

Fabrics have an assortment of uses in daily life such as the clothes we wear, upholstery we sit on or the duvets we snuggle in. Depending on their source of origin such as natural or man-made, fabrics differ in their physical as well as chemical properties. From anecdotal evidence, we know that fabric absorbs odours from the surrounding environment and can release them even after the removal of the source. Depending upon physical and chemical properties of fabrics, sorption of chemicals to a natural fabric can be different from a synthetic fabric. Thus, it stands to a rationale that semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) such as flame retardants and plasticizers that are found in high levels in indoor environment, will also partition to clothing according to the physical-chemical properties of the SVOCs as well as fabric.  To test this hypothesis, I am characterising the sorption behaviour of SVOCs to natural and synthetic fabrics in controlled conditions and ambient indoor environment. Also, the chemicals that have sorbed onto fabric/clothing can release in laundry water while washing, especially ones that are hydrophilic in nature such as organophosphate esters, and then reach outdoor aquatic environment though waste water. We (Clara Thaysen & I) will also determine if the whole sorbed mass of chemicals is lost through washing or if some of the sorbed chemicals survive washing and stay on our clothing, thus potentially serving as a source of exposure.

Collaborators:
Liisa Jantunen (Environment Canada - Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments),
Rachel McQueen (University of Alberta)

Related Publications:
SAINI A, C THAYSEN, L JAUNTNEN, RH MCQUEEN, ML DIAMOND. 2016. From clothing to laundry water: Investigating the fate of phthalates, brominated flame retardants
   and organophosphate esters. Environ Sci Technol DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b02038
SAINI A, C RAUERT, MJ SIMPSON, S HARRAD, ML DIAMOND. 2016. Characterizing the sorption of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) to cotton and polyester fabrics
   under controlled conditions. Sci Total Environ 563-564: 99-107. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2016.04.029

Developing a multi-media fugacity model of bioretention cells (BCs)
Tim Rodgers

Schematic Diagram of a storm water bioretention cell (BC) (Zhang et al., 2015 Ecol. Eng. 87)

Storm water management is an often under-appreciated method to mitigate some of the environmental impact of urban areas on surrounding ecosystems. Some of the more obvious impacts of stormwater runoff are related to the volume and episodic nature of water flows. However, stormwater runoff is also an important vehicle by which pollutants enter the natural environment.
This project, with Professor Elodie Passeport, Professor Miriam Diamond and Professor Jennifer Drake, aims to develop innovative, low-cost solutions for effectively managing stormwater quantity and quality concerns. The project will use a combination of integrated field studies, laboratory experiments, stable isotope analysis, and modelling to improve BC effectiveness. Improving BCs is one way to enhance Canadian stormwater quality, reducing the ecosystem stress caused by contaminants in stormwater, and improving the condition of Canada’s urban or urban-adjacent ecosystems. The long term goals of the project are to improve urban stormwater management practices and better prepare us for coping with extreme climate events.
Development of a mathematical model of BC behaviour will provide synthesis of the data and knowledge collected in the course of this project, provide a tool for decision-makers to enable better stormwater management practices and optimize the design of stormwater BCs.

Collaborators:
Professor Elodie Passeport (Department of Civil Engineering - University of Toronto)
Professor Jennifer Drake (Department of Civil Engineering - University of Toronto)