Understanding PAH pollution and safer cleanup
Official title: Chemical Mixtures Core
Funded at Oregon State University · NIH-11360192 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are improving tests to find and measure harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment and in people to help guide safer cleanups for nearby communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Corvallis, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2009 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $298,479 |
| NIH project number | 5P42ES016465-17 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360192 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people who live or work near PAH-contaminated or Superfund sites and who can provide environmental samples or biological samples for exposure testing.
✕Less likely to help
People with no known PAH exposure or those seeking immediate medical treatment for PAH-related illness are unlikely to receive direct personal benefit from this research.
What this research studies
If you live near a contaminated site, this work aims to give clearer answers about what chemicals are present and at what levels. The team develops more sensitive lab methods to separate, identify, and measure dozens of PAHs and their breakdown products in soil, water, and biological samples like blood. They track how mixture composition changes after cleanups or natural breakdown and use lab models to learn how those mixtures affect living tissues. All of this helps set safer exposure limits and supports sustainable cleanup strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could provide more accurate exposure testing, clearer safety standards, and better cleanup plans that reduce people's contact with harmful PAHs.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have improved PAH detection in simpler samples, but this project expands methods to handle complex mixtures and hard-to-measure PAH variants.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon State University
Corvallis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Anderson, Kim a. — Oregon State University
- Study coordinator: Anderson, Kim a.
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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.