Superfund Research Program Hub

The OSU SRP – DOSE partnership in 2011 in front of a traditional smoking tipi includes SRP trainees Andres Cardenas and Oleksii Motorykin, and CEC Co-leaders Dr. Barbara Harper and Stuart Harris.

The Department of Science and Engineering (DOSE) of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is a partner with our Superfund Research Program (SRP) Community Engagement Core (Core E).

In June 2014, DOSE recruited nine Tribal members to help with a study that would measure how people metabolize and eliminate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can attach to food when it is smoked.

PAHs are produced by burning wood and other materials. Salmon, a first food, is important to the subsistence of Native Americans living in the Pacific Northwest. The salmon run in spring and fall. Smoking salmon is one of the traditional ways to preserve this seasonally abundant food and make it available year round.

The study team first conducted a community educational forum for study volunteers that described the purpose of the study and get informed consent. Each participant was asked to refrain from eating any foods containing PAHs for two days. Then they were asked to eat a small serving of traditionally smoked salmon. After eating the salmon they provided urine samples to help researchers understand how the PAH residues produced during smoking events are processed by the body.

SRP Trainee Oleksii Motorykin (Project 5) is involved in this study and is working with CORE E and DOSE Scientists to interpret the data.

The Community Engagement Core has a wealth of resources shared on the web site related to working with Tribes. Be sure to check it out!

THE POLLUTION INSIDE US

Toxicologists examine the chemicals of modern life.

By: Peg Herring, Oregon’s Agricultural Progress

Original Article

Forty years ago, chemical pollution was the stuff that spewed from tailpipes, smokestacks, and sewers. Rivers burned, fish died, and forests withered under acid rain until Congress passed strict laws to curb the flood of manmade chemicals pouring into our waterways and atmosphere.

However, 40 years ago there was little consideration of the chemicals that we were pouring into our bodies. The chemicals we use to sanitize our hands, package our foods, and keep our beds from going up in flames have seeped into our bodies in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago. Today, we are marinating in antibacterials, hormone disruptors, and flame retardants.

Man-made and naturally occurring chemicals pervade modern life. Here are a few that have been linked to human health problems.

“There are more than 80,000 man-made chemicals in existence today, and an estimated 2,000 new chemicals are introduced each year,” said Craig Marcus, a toxicologist at Oregon State University. “We encounter thousands of them every day, in food, kitchenware, furniture, household cleaners, and personal care products. And very few of them have been adequately tested for safety.” Continue reading →

A field trip for 28 local 5th graders from Hoover Elementary School was held at the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory (SARL) on May 12, 2014. SARL, directed by Dr. Robert Tanguay, is a large state- of- the -art zebrafish facility used greatly for OSU SRP Project 3 – Systems Approach to Define Toxicity of Complex PAH Mixtures.

Robert Tanguay and Carrie Barton present about zebrafish research to 5th graders.

The SARL personnel, along with SRP Trainees and other grad students and postdocs, wanted the students to get hands-on experience and enjoy science. Specifically the students learned all the unique features of zebrafish and how they are used in scientific research.

In 2012, curriculum was developed for visiting classes. Students break up into five groups and rotate through various stations.

1) Tour of the Land of Zebrafish / Zebrafish Life Stage: Learn about how small the fish are and how rapid they develop.

2) Glow in the Dark Zebrafish: Learn about the different tools used in research.

3) The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Sort out dead and alive embryo, and determine the age of zebrafish.

4) Toxicity Screening: Learn how to get embryos into wells, view plates under the microscope, and identify normal and not normal fish.

5) Fish Are Like Us: Identify similarities between fish and humans.

Feedback from kids:

“This is so awesome!”

“Best field trip ever!”

“Cool!”

More information about zebrafish

Why are zebrafish used in research? (EHSC web site)
From Zebrafish to You: A story and podcast interview with Robert Tanguay (Terra Magazine, July 2013)
How Tiny Fish Could Reveal Effects of Chemical Exposure (Yale360)
Follow Dr. Tanguay and solve the mystery of the disappearing fish. And How Does A Microarray Work? (Unsolved Mysteries of Human Health Web Site)

Diana Rohlman, CEC Program Coordinator, presented at the Contemporary Northwest Tribal Health Conference. The conference was hosted at the World Trade Center in Portland, Oregon on March 28-29, 2014.

View Presentation

Evolution of a Robust Tribal-University Research Partnership to Investigate Tribal Exposures and Build Scientific Capacity

The Northwest Portland Area Indian Board posted all of the Conference Presentations.

The overall theme of the conference was around community-driven or community-based participatory research to advance the area of health research within Tribal communities.There were some fantastic ‘big-data’ presentations by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) looking at intake and outtake data from federally funded clinics. ~Diana Rohlman, Presenter, Contemporary Northwest Tribal Health Conference

Shared Highlights

The Community Engagement Core (CEC) takes OSU SRP Center expertise on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and applies it to the needs of community partners.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has been a key partner for CEC.

CTUIR is located in Eastern Oregon, so one of the limitations to overcome is distance. One reason the partnership has thrived is because the CTUIR has scientific capacity and resources, which is unique amongst Tribal nations. Both partners are bringing scientific expertise to the table.

Graduate students gain knowledge and experience with Tribes by participating in the CEC research projects.

Five Key Features of the OSU SRP Tribal-University Partnership

Utilizes Community-based Participatory Research
Builds scientific and cultural capacity between CTUIR and OSU researchers
Utilizes data sharing agreements to protect Tribal rights
Develops culturally appropriate risk reduction strategies with CTUIR
Disseminates knowledge through journals, newsletters and community meetings to provide Tribal perspectives on research practices. (See the OSU SRP web site for extensive resources that include collaborative publications and presentations.)

Cory Gerlach hanging out with the zebrafish at the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory (SARL)

Cory Gerlach is an undergraduate student in the Tanguay lab and will be graduating this spring with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Bioresource Research. Besides winning awards, Cory has transformed his career with valuable research experience gained over the last two years.

In 2013, Cory won the best undergraduate research presentation at the PANWAT meeting in Seattle. The title of his PANWAT poster was “Mono-substituted isopropylated triaryl phosphate, a major component of flame retardant mixture Firemaster 550, is an AHR agonist that exhibits AHR-independent cardiac toxicity”.

In 2014, Cory won the best undergraduate poster presentation at the OSU EMT Research Day, and he received a Pfizer SOT Undergraduate Student Travel Award for the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in Phoenix, AZ to present his recent findings.

Reflection of Experience by Cory Gerlach

My experience in the Tanguay lab has completely changed my career path.
Before I began my undergraduate research, I thought I would get a masters
in public policy or shift my focus from science to policy or law in some
graduate program. However, in the Tanguay lab I discovered my passion for
bench research, found that I was good at it, and learned that these basic
discoveries are crucial in order to affect policy and therefore improve
public health. Having Dr. Tanguay as a mentor has also helped me to keep
in mind the big picture of my research, and he has taught me that there is
always room for innovation and improvements to how we answer big research
questions. Continue reading →

Stories, Events, News, and Highlights

Study Conducted with Tribe on Smoked Salmon Metabolism

OSU Toxicology Research Highlighted

5th Graders Experience All Aspects of Zebrafish Research

Feedback from kids:

More information about zebrafish

Community-based Tribal Exposure Research Shared at the Contemporary NW Tribal Health Conference

Cory Gerlach Investigates the Mechanism of Toxicity for Flame Retardant Using Zebrafish

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