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Research

Superfund Basic Research Program

A UNC Chapel Hill researcher extracts DNA from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) degraders isolated from soils exposed to PAH.

As charged by its enacting legislation, the primary mission of the SBRP is to support research and outreach activities to address the broad, complex health and environmental issues that arise from the multimedia nature of hazardous waste sites. More specifically, the enacting legislation mandates that the SBRP fund research focused to develop:

  • Methods and technologies to detect hazardous substances in the environment.
  • Advanced techniques for the detection, assessment, and evaluation of the effect on human health of hazardous substances.
  • Methods to assess the risks to human health presented by hazardous substances.
  • Basic biological, chemical, and physical methods to reduce the amount and toxicity of hazardous substances.

As part of a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary Program, the work supported under each funded grant links biomedical research with related engineering, hydrogeological and ecological research. This holistic approach helps to better understand and address the environmentally complex nature of hazardous waste sites, integrating various academic disciplines such as molecular biology, geology, epidemiology, and toxicology.

The research categories listed on this page provide further insight into specific research funded by the SBRP.



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USA.gov Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health
This page URL: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sbrp/research/index.cfm
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Last Reviewed: August 01, 2008