ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE AND EFFECT OF POLLUTANTS
SEAN RICHARDS, PH.D.
Research being conducted in my laboratory is focusing on the effects of pharmaceuticals on various aquatic organisms. This is an emerging issue in the environment. As the human population increases, so does the amount of direct and indirect consumption and excretion of pharmaceuticals, both in veterinary and medical application. The effects of this continual loading in the aquatic community are unknown. The goal of my laboratory is to determine the compounds that may be the most harmful to aquatic organisms so that actions may be taken to protect the environment, if necessary.
Another research focus is that of Chattanooga Creek, which runs through the city of Chattanooga. This surface water was used as a dumping ground for many of the industries in the Alton Park region of Chattanooga. Many people live a round the creek and are exposed to toxicants from the Chattanooga Creek. My laboratory is examining the types of compounds present and the potential for effects in humans. I am determining this via High Pressure Liquid Chromatography and by measuring biomarkers of exposure in small mammals inhabiting the floodplains of Chattanooga Creek. These data are then used to estimate likelihood of exposure and effects through probabilistic risk assessments.
Sample Grants/Projects
PAH/Metal Exposure and Effects Assessment in Chattanooga. Source: National Institute of Health.
Brownfield Interface Between Superfund Contaminants and Environmental Health Risks. Source: National Institute of Health.
Mammalian Molecular Responses to Ambient PAH Exposure. Source: National Institute of Health.
Environmental PAC Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease. Sub-grant of Brownfield Interface Between Superfund Contaminants and Environmental Health Risks. Source: National Institute of Health.
The Merck-AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Symposium II. Source: Merck-AAAS.
Acquisition of a LC-MS-MS for Research in Biology, Environmental Science, and Chemistry at UT Chattanooga. Source: National Science Foundation.
Sample Publications
S. Richards, et al. 2004 Effects of Pharmaceuticals on Aquatic Ecosystems. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 23:1035-1042.
M. Lam, et al. 2004. The aquatic persistence of eight pharmaceuticals in outdoor microcosms monitored by HPLC-UV and LC-MS-MS using electrospray ionization. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 23: 1431-1440.
S. Richards 2005. Developmental Toxicity of Thirteen Pharmaceuticals to Xenopus laevis. Aquatic Toxicology. In review, submission date March 2005.
B. Brooks and S. Richards. 2003. Aquatic Ecotoxicology of Fluoxetine. Toxicol Letters. 142:169-183.
S. Richards, and R. Kendall. 2003. Physical Effects of Chlorpyrifos on Two Developmental Stages of Xenopus laevis. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 66: 75-91.
S. Richards, and R. Kendall. 2002. Behavioral Effects of Chlorpyrifos on Two Developmental Stages of Xenopus laevis. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21: 1826-1835.
