The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has given a $10 million grant to researchers at the University of Philadelphia’s Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at the Perelman School of Medicine. The grant, which has created the Penn Superfund Research and Training Program Center, will fund four years of asbestos and mesothelioma studies. The goal is to gain a better understanding of how the disease spreads.
Researchers intend to focus mainly on studying the Ambler Superfund site – one of numerous geographic locations around the country that was previously used as a hazardous waste site. The community of Ambler, Pennsylvania, is still dealing with the aftermath of a now-closed asbestos factory that emitted contaminants into the environment. As a result, the residents of the area have an increased risk of asbestos exposure, as well as an increased likelihood of contracting an asbestos-related disease, such as mesothelioma.
The grant will feature several branches, enabling researchers to study different aspects of asbestos: there will be a sociological study; remediation of asbestos particles into non-toxic mineral form; a study to better understand the dispersal of asbestos particles in bodies of water; and an exploration into the genetics of mesothelioma susceptibility. The genetics study, being done by the biomedical branch of the grant, will also develop a blood test for early diagnosis.
The hope is that the findings of the Ambler studies will translate to other Superfund sites, providing additional tools for dealing with the toxic fiber and the diseases it manifests.