# Disaster Research Response (DR2) Core

> **NIH NIH P42** · TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $88,843

## Abstract

Disaster Research Response (DR2) Core ABSTRACT
The overall theme of the Texas A&M University Superfund Research Center is to develop, apply, and translate
a comprehensive set of tools and models that will aid in mitigating the human health consequences of exposure
to hazardous mixtures during environmental emergency-related contamination events. In the past funding period
(since 2017), the Center responded to a number of disasters to collect samples and respond to concerns from
community partners, non-governmental organizations, and local and state agencies. Activities included sampling
of water, sediment, and soils in response to Hurricane Harvey (2017), Hurricane Florence (2018), and the large-
scale industrial fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) facility (2019). Sampling was conducted to
establish both spatial and temporal dimensions of the extent of re-distribution of hazardous substances in the
environment that may impact human health. While several of the Texas A&M University Superfund Research
Center’s projects and cores have contributed to these efforts and provided sampling supplies, field personnel,
training, and quality assurance/control (QA/QC) documentation, we now propose to establish a dedicated service
core for these activities. Therefore, this new DR2 Core will support the Center, and the rigor and reproducibility
of its DR2 activities, by ensuring the Center’s ability to respond to disasters through creation of a centralized
resource to support DR2 infrastructure, methods, supplies, and training. The central hypothesis of the DR2 Core
is that the rigor and reproducibility of DR2 activities will be ensured and the Center’s ability to respond to future
disasters with translational research will be improved by creating a centralized resource and infrastructure to
support disaster research response encompassing environmental assessment capabilities that can be rapidly
deployed anywhere. The DR2 Core responds to Superfund mandate (3), the development of methods and
technologies to detect hazardous substances in the environment, and will focus on four specific Aims. First, the
DR2 Core will maintain sampling supplies, field and laboratory equipment, and instrumentation required for
collection of environmental samples during and after disasters. Second, the DR2 Core will coordinate collection,
processing, and storage of environmental samples. Third, this Core will facilitate DR2 activities by the projects
and cores and integrate with NIH DR2 programs. Finally, the DR2 Core will ensure that Center personnel can
conduct fieldwork safely and properly for baseline sampling and in response to disasters. Overall, the efforts of
the DR2 Core will specifically enhance interactions among Center projects and other cores, increasing their
impact by ensuring alignment of measured/human/test system exposures from real-life environmental samples
and increasing the translation of basic science in decision making, translation, and com...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10874518
- **Project number:** 5P42ES027704-08
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas Joseph McDonald
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $88,843
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-20 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10874518

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10874518, Disaster Research Response (DR2) Core (5P42ES027704-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10874518. Licensed CC0.

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