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

Joseph Okeme
Ph.D. Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences. University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON. 2017
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.

Jennifer K. Adams
Ph.D. Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK. 2017
M.Sc. Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. 2009
B.Sc. (Hons.) Specialization in Environmental Science, University of Western Ontario, London, ON. 2007

My research aims to identify and assess the impact of anthropogenic and natural stressors on freshwater ecosystems. A primary component of my research involves the use of biological and chemical remains within lake sediments to determine the potential for ecological stressors, and assess ecological responses to disturbances. To date my research has focused on environmental change in freshwater systems in the circumpolar Arctic and subarctic. My research aims to address three broad questions:

What are potential sources and transportation pathways of contaminants to northern aquatic ecosystems?
How might recent climate change and human disturbance impact the source and transportation of contaminants (e.g. microplastics, trace metals, organic contaminants) through northern aquatic systems?
How sensitive are ecological systems to perturbations, both natural and anthropogenic, particularly in multi-stressor environments?

For more information and complete publications list, click here.

Ph.D. Candidates & Students

Yuchao Wan
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.

Tim Rodgers
Ph.D. Student. Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
B.A.Sc. (Hons.) Environmental Engineering, Co-op Program; Water Resources Option. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON. 2016

My research is in investigating the emissions and fate of persistent mobile organic compounds using multimedia fugacity modelling. 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.

Samantha (Sam) Athey
Ph.D. Student. Department of Earth Sciences. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
M.Sc. Marine Science. University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA. 2018.
B.Sc. (Hons.) Marine Biology. University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA. 2016.

My principal research interests revolve around microplastic debris as a vector for toxic compounds in marine and freshwater environments. I'm currently studying microfiber and chemical loss from clothing in the context of Great Lake ecosystems. Learn more about microfiber pollution and my research through my blog: the Microfiber Pollution Project.

Jacob Kvasnicka
Ph.D. Student. Department of Earth Sciences. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
M.S. Environmental Health Sciences. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
B.S. Environmental Science. Wheaton College, IL, USA.

The goal of my research is to contribute toward a better understanding of the environmental risks and impacts of chemicals in consumer products. My primary interests are in modeling indoor chemical emissions, fate, and exposures. I am particularly interested in evaluating the role of textiles as sources of chemical exposure.

Master's Students

Rachelle Robitaille
M.A.Sc. Candidate. Department of Earth Sciences. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
B.Sc. (Hons.) Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON. 2017

My research aims to better understand semi-volatile organic compound (SVOC) emissions from Alberta’s oil sands tailings ponds (OSTP). To accomplish this, I will be investigating SVOCs present in several OSTPs and determining the air-water partition coefficient (Henry’s Law constants) of targeted compounds. This research can help future efforts to model atmospheric emissions and fate of SVOCs from oil-producing locations.