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There is an increasing concern regarding the environmental release of hazardous organic pollutants and subsequent exposure to ecosystems and humans. Due to their intrinsic chemical properties, organic pollutants can be persistent in the environment, subjected to long range transport by air and water, bioaccumulate in wildlife and humans and finally cause adverse health effects. Many of these chemicals are or have been used in industry and in products and their release and fate in the environment must be closely monitored. Some of the compounds that we study include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), polychlorinated alkanes (PCAs), halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), pharmaceuticals and transformation products. These pollutants are usually present in the samples at very low levels (typically in the range of parts-per-million to parts-per-trillion). We develop and improve methods to increase the sensitivity and selectivity for the analysis of small organic molecules. Instruments that we commonly use include advanced mass spectrometry coupled with gas- or liquid chromatography. Analysis is performed on different environmental compartments such as air, water, soil and biota to provide a holistic view on the multimedia distribution and fate of these compounds.

We also study how the built environment affects the human exposure of organic pollutants, particularly the indoor environment in which humans spend most of our time. Advanced statistical analysis and environmental models are also employed to further gain novel insights into the environmental fate and risks of organic pollutants.

Research interests:

• Chemical analysis of small organic compounds

• High resolution mass spectrometry

• Suspect and non-target screening of organic pollutants

• Environmental distribution and fate of organic pollutants

• New emerging risk chemicals (NERCs)

• Data science using R