# Duke University Superfund Research Center - Developmental Co-Exposures: Mechanisms, Outcomes, and Remediation

> **NIH NIH P42** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $2,339,292

## Abstract

Abstract
Research conducted within the Duke University’s Superfund Research Center (DUSRC) will study
neurodevelopmental health impacts of early-life co-exposures to PAHs and metals. Metals (particularly Pb) and
PAHs are among the top 10 contaminants identified at both Superfund and Brownfield sites, and they often co-
occur. Therefore, exposure to mixtures of these contaminants is very common. And unfortunately, the
communities that are often more impacted by these exposures are people of color, which can further contribute
to the growing health disparities in the United States. Despite their co-occurrence, evaluations of their risks
typically neglect the impacts of co-exposures. As a result, site management strategies often try to discretize the
multi-contaminant problem, leading to remediation targets that are based on health risks associated with a single
exposure rather than real-world mixtures. Our overarching goal within the DUSRC is to investigate co-exposures
that “replicate the human experience”, as described by NIEHS’s Strategic Plan to advance environmental health
science. More specifically, our Center will study the impacts of multiple contaminant exposures in humans and
ecological models of neurodevelopmental health, elucidate neurotoxic mechanisms that occur from these co-
exposures, and develop remediation and treatment strategies that target the highest risk contaminants without
increasing the risk of other contaminants. This integration is central to evaluating the true risk from exposure to
hazardous substances. The DUSRC directly addresses the program mandates by investigating health effects
and risks and remediation of hazardous substances in an interdisciplinary fashion. Our interdisciplinary team of
toxicologists, exposure scientists, environmental chemists, engineers, epidemiologists, and community based
environmental managers, provide the DUSRC with a unique opportunity to address and examine this complex
problem using a systems approach. In addition to responding to SRP mandates, the DUSRC’s research,
research translation, and community engagement activities are also highly relevant to numerous stakeholders
at the local, regional and federal levels. Our work will provide key data and information needed to address
several problems relevant for the Superfund Research program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10353150
- **Project number:** 2P42ES010356-20
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** HEATHER M STAPLETON
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $2,339,292
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2000-06-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10353150

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10353150, Duke University Superfund Research Center - Developmental Co-Exposures: Mechanisms, Outcomes, and Remediation (2P42ES010356-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10353150. Licensed CC0.

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