2026 Pilot Project Awards: New Research Investigating How Everyday Environmental Exposures Shape Human Health
Naphthalene Vapor and Epigenetic Mechanisms
The Researchers
- Laura Van Winkle, PhD, Principal Investigator
- Hong Ji, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
- Keith Bein, PhD Co-Principal Investigator
The Project
Naphthalene is a chemical found in wildfire smoke, cigarette smoke, and fuel exhaust. It's also the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in city air. PAHs are a class of chemicals linked to cancer, with certain occupations like firefighters, roofers, and asphalt workers typically working in high-exposure environments. Our research team is testing exposure levels that someone working in a high-naphthalene environment might encounter, based on OSHA's workplace exposure limit of 10 ppm.
Studies in mice have shown that naphthalene exposure is associated with lung tumors, raising concerns about whether it could do the same in humans. But it's been hard to prove this in people, since almost everyone is exposed to some naphthalene, and mice process the chemical differently than humans do.
Our research team has found that naphthalene and its breakdown products build up in the lungs and can attach to DNA (forming what's called a "DNA adduct") after just short-term exposure in mice. While that's a warning sign, what worries us more is what long-term, low-level exposure might be quietly doing to the body over time.
We already have a study underway testing chronic naphthalene exposure in mice at levels similar to what an exposed worker might breathe in. But right now, we don't have funding to look at one important piece of the puzzle: epigenetics — meaning, whether this exposure is changing how genes get turned on or off, without changing the DNA sequence itself.
We know DNA adducts can interfere with the cell's normal machinery for controlling gene activity. But no one has ever directly studied whether long-term naphthalene exposure changes these gene-control patterns (called DNA methylation).
This pilot project would be the first step into an entirely new area of research — examining how naphthalene exposure reshapes the epigenome. The results could help us understand not just how naphthalene may contribute to disease, but also how the lung might adapt or even protect itself against this kind of chemical exposure.
Does Chronic Low-dose Antibiotic Exposure Cause Metabolic Changes?
The Researchers
- Gail Bornhorst, PhD, Principal Investigator
- Ameer Taha, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
The Project
Metabolic disorders are on the rise and are a serious public health challenge. At the same time, there is widespread use of antibiotics in animal and seafood production. As a result, there are antibiotics in food and water at low concentrations. This means that it is very likely that most people have chronic, low-dose exposure to a mixture of antibiotics through the food supply. These antibiotics may change the microbial population in the gut, which could be a cause of metabolic disorders.
This project will investigate the impact of chronic, low-dose exposure to a mixture of antibiotics on metabolic changes in male and female rats. We will examine changes in bodyweight, glucose tolerance, and other metabolic parameters while rats are consuming either a low-fat or a high-fat diet with low doses of antibiotics over a 6-monthperiod. We expect to see increases in bodyweight and metabolic impairments faster and more dramatically in rats consuming a high-fat diet with antibiotics compared to those without antibiotics. This information will help us understand the risks of low-dose antibiotic consumption and if any negative effects can be managed by changing the diet
Environmental Influences on ADHD Symptoms: An Exposomic Study Using the NIH ECHO Cohort
The Researcher
- Catrina Calub, PhD, Principal Investigator
The Project
ADHD is one of the most common childhood mental health conditions and can affect school performance, relationships, health, and long-term well-being. Although genetics play an important role, children’s environments may also shape ADHD symptoms. For example, air pollution, traffic noise, and limited access to greenspace may affect attention, behavior, and development. However, many studies look at only one environmental factor at a time, making it difficult to know which exposures matter most.
This project will use existing national data from the NIH-funded Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program to study how multiple environmental exposures relate to ADHD symptoms in youth. The project will examine air pollution, noise pollution, and greenspace while also accounting for child, family, and neighborhood characteristics. This approach will help identify which environmental factors may increase risk or support resilience.
The project will also include community engagement. Youth and community partners, including ADHD-serving organizations, will help interpret findings and identify priorities for future research. This is important because data alone may not fully capture the lived experiences of families and communities.
Findings from this project may help identify environmental factors that can be targeted through prevention, intervention, or policy efforts. Ultimately, this work aims to support healthier environments and better mental health outcomes for youth with ADHD.
Community Engaged Foundation Air Quality Surveillance Within the Four Corners
The Researchers
- Jonathan Credo, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
- Anthony Wexler, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
- Jani C. Ingram, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator (Northern Arizona University)
- Tommy Rock, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator (Northern Arizona University)
The Project
Air quality has long been recognized as a significant modifiable risk factor for numerous health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disorders, and cancer. Arguably, the foundation for addressing air quality is having an objective scale for air quality and an understanding of the primary regional and local components that are affecting air quality. The Four Corners region of the American Southwest, lacks regular air monitoring despite being home to the largest contiguous Native American nation in the United States (the Navajo Nation), home to approximately 300,000 - 400,000 residents, and a popular outdoor recreation vacation region for both American and international tourists.
In collaboration with community partners, this project will deploy novel and commercially available low-cost qualitative air monitors to provide dynamic, continuous baseline air quality information regarding particulate matter and select hazardous airborne pollutants.
This work also provides the opportunity for the community to be involved in the work, including project design and implementation, and augmentation of existing curricula for high school-aged students.
This work will provide baseline objective air quality information that is currently non-existent for some Four Corners’ communities and shed light on the influence of environmental factors on chronic diseases. This work has large implications for the promotion of public health in the region, especially for children and elderly populations.
Are low-levelhormone residues in beef safe?
The Researchers
- Russell Hovey, PhD, Principal Investigator
- Josephine Trott, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
- Benjamin Moeller, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
The Project
The average American eats about 25 kg (55 lbs) of beef every year. In a recent study testing retail beef samples, our research team unexpectedly detected traces of a synthetic hormone called melengestrol acetate, or MGA, in some samples. MGA is a lab-made version of progesterone that's fed to female cattle in feedlots to help them gain weight faster. Unlike many other livestock drugs, there's no required waiting period between when cattle stop receiving MGA and when they're slaughtered for meat.
Even more surprising was that we found that MGA is sometimes being fed to male cattle — a use that falls outside its approved labeling — and that it turned up in some beef marketed as "organic" or "hormone-free."
Very few studies have looked at what happens when people are exposed to MGA over a long period of time. This matters because hormones like MGA often have their effects after low-dose exposure for a long period. Our findings raise two concerns: first, whether current US beef supply testing is adequately accounting for this residue, and second, whether MGA absorbed from beef could affect women's fertility or raise their risk of certain cancers.
Our goal is to find out what happens following long-term exposure to low doses of MGA, using a mouse model designed to mirror realistic human exposure levels from eating beef. We'll be looking at effects on reproductive cycles, ovarian function, and changes in breast/mammary tissue development, studied down to the level of the individual cells' genetic activity. The results will help fill a major gap in scientific understanding, which could directly inform future regulations on MGA's use as a growth-promoting drug in cattle.
The Impact of Wildfire Smoke Exposure on the Development of Valley Fever
The Researchers
- Lisa Miller, PhD, Principal Investigator
- Satya Dandekar, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
- Timothy Carroll, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
The Project
Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease people catch by breathing in tiny fungal spores stirred up from the soil. The fungus usually infects the lungs, but it can spread to other parts of the body. Cases have been climbing in parts of California where air quality is poor, raising the question of whether air pollution, especially smoke and fine particles from wildfires, makes people more likely to get sick with Valley fever, or make their illness worse.
There are early clues for an association between Valley fever and wildfire smoke; researchers recently found that three separate wildfires in the San Joaquin Valley were each followed by a jump in Valley fever cases. These were commonalities in all of the fires examined, including that they were large, burned grass and brush, took place near sizable communities, and that Valley fever was already spreading there beforehand. A wildfire's effect may therefore depend heavily on local conditions.
Scientists know air quality can influence other lung infections, but very little research has looked at Valley fever specifically. This project aims to fill that gap by testing whether wildfire-related pollution changes how the body and the fungus interact. Because studying this directly in people is difficult, the project will use a well-established laboratory mouse model and carefully controlled wood smoke as a surrogate for wildfire smoke. The presence of the fungal organism that causes Valley fever in the lungs and elsewhere, how the immune system responds, and what the affected tissues look like will be measured.
Overall, this project will determine whether poor air quality weakens the body's defenses against this fungus and will help clarify whether wildfires are a real driver of rising Valley fever risk. Findings from this project help guide public health advice in the regions where the disease is common.
