How combined metal and PFAS exposures affect stress and heart disease risk
Official title: The Impact of Combined Exposure to Metals and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Stress, Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Mortality
Funded at North Carolina Agri & Tech St Univ · NIH-11133073 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether exposure to metals (like lead, cadmium, mercury) together with PFAS chemicals is tied to higher chronic stress and greater heart disease risk and death in people and communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | North Carolina Agri & Tech St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Greensboro, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $141,624 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM149473-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11133073 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who live in communities with known metal or PFAS contamination or who have blood tests and health records that can be linked to neighborhood data would be the best fit.
✕Less likely to help
People without measurable exposure or biomarker data, without linked health records, or living outside the included areas are unlikely to directly benefit from participating.
What this research studies
From your perspective, this work connects your chemical exposure levels (lead, cadmium, mercury, PFOS, PFOA) with measures of chronic stress and neighborhood stress. Researchers will use blood or serum measures and biomarkers of allostatic load plus census-tract data to estimate community stress. They will link those exposure and stress measures to heart disease risk and mortality using health records and statistical models that consider combined exposures. The goal is to find specific exposure patterns and neighborhoods that may need targeted action.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help target interventions or policies to reduce harmful combined exposures and lower stress and heart disease in affected communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked individual metals and PFAS to heart disease, but studying their combined effects along with community stress is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
North Carolina Agri & Tech St Univ
Greensboro, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Obeng-Gyasi, Emmanuel — North Carolina Agri & Tech St Univ
- Study coordinator: Obeng-Gyasi, Emmanuel
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how genetic changes in blood cells relate to heart disease in people with HIV
A study will look at how age-related blood cell mutations and large chromosomal changes might contribute to heart disease risk in people living with HIV.
-
Food allergy antibodies linked to heart disease risk in adults
Many adults have antibodies to foods without symptoms, and this study asks whether those antibodies are linked to higher risk of heart disease and related conditions.
-
Mindfulness training to lower cardiovascular risk for moms and babies during pregnancy
A mindfulness program is being tested during pregnancy to help prevent high blood pressure and heart problems for mothers and their babies.
-
Integrating clinical pharmacists into HIV care to reduce cardiovascular disease in people with HIV
A pharmacist-led program in HIV care aims to prevent and manage heart disease risks like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol in people living with HIV.
-
Integrating heart care into HIV services in Botswana using statins
This project tests a simple, scalable approach to help people with HIV in Botswana start and stay on statin therapy to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
-
A heart-healthy program for aging HIV patients using therapy pets to help blood pressure
A study tests whether using the human-animal bond from dog ownership can help older adults living with HIV control their blood pressure and improve heart health.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.