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University of New Mexico
METALS
Superfund Center
Metal Exposure and Toxicity Assessment on Tribal Lands in the Southwest
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Welcome to our February 2021 Newsletter! |
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METALS Center Director Receives
Society of Toxicology Award
UNM METALS director, Dr. Johnnye Lewis, is the recipient of the 2021 Society of Toxicology Public Communications Award for her work with tribal communities in the Southwest.
Dr. Lewis, who has worked over several decades with underserved populations, received the award for her major contributions to broadening awareness of environmental health issues, especially regarding uranium mining, in tribal populations.
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UNM METALS
Environmental Health Journal Club
This biweekly, journal club provides a forum for interdisciplinary trainees to present and discuss the contemporary scientific literature relevant to the UNM METALS Center. The journal club supports biomedical students understanding of the key concepts in environmental engineering, ecology and geology, and the mineralogy and engineering students understanding of biomedical disciplines including toxicology. The articles chosen are themselves multidisciplinary, so the presenting trainee often has to reach out to other students or faculty to better understand, interpret, and communicate the material.
All UNM METALS trainees and researchers (and UNM in general) are welcome to attend and participate!
In Spring 2021, the Journal Club is directed by trainee Marsha Bitsui (mbitsui@salud.unm.edu) and METALS RETCC Director, Dr. Matt Campen.
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UNM METALS Research Cited in
This report, released by the Navajo Native American Research Centers for Heath (NARCH) Partnership between Diné College and Northern Arizona University, Navajo Nation Department of Health, and Arizona Department of Health, highlights recent findings from the University of New Mexico METALS Superfund Center showing
mining waste material contains nanoparticles that can readily move through air and be inhaled (Avasarala, 2019)
and can migrate into deep and surface water sources, and be taken up into plants (Gonzalez Estrella, & El Hayek, 2020).
These finding suggest a wide potential for exposure through different routes. Read the article at: https://www.aastec.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MaternalChildHealth.V7.HiRez_.Sept_.30.20.pdf
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Upcoming Presentations
Lightening talks at NIEHS Microbiome Workshop
February 23, 2021
"Impact of Environmental Exposures on the Microbiome and Human Health"
Scott Burchiel, Ph.D.
Eliseo Castillo, Ph.D.
NIH-EPA Environmental Health Disparities Webinar Series
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/events/ehd/022221/index.cfm
Yan Lin, Ph.D.
February 22, 2021
A GIS-based Environmental Mapping of Potential Abandoned Uranium Mine Contamination on the Navajo Nation, USA
Joe Hoover, Ph.D. and Sheldwin Yazzie, Ph.D.
March 22, 2021
Radon Knowledge and Testing Among Pueblo Communities in Northern New Mexico
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Geology of Mount Taylor Area |
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The New Mexico Geological Society's "The Geology of the Mount Taylor Area Special Publication 14" online volume features the research of UNM METALS Dr. Eliane El Hayek
The Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine, Grants Uranium District: Changes in perspectives from production to superfund site. McLemore V. et al.
The publication covers topics,ranging from geologic studies and mining history to the effects of mining on populations and the environment today.
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Thomas De Pree, Ph.D., is an Academic Science Education and Research Training (ASERT) postdoctoral fellow, and a METALS SRP Center trainee.
In Fall 2020, Dr. De Pree taught a course at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology that introduced undergraduate STEM students to the basic Superfund sciences, technology, and policy applied in remediating abandoned uranium mines in the Southwest. The course focused on the legacy of uranium mining on Indigenous lands to convey key concepts in “environmental health vulnerability” and “environmental injustice.”
His recently published essay about the course, “Afterlife of Atomic America,” includes an exhibition of students’ work and opens a discussion about the future of Superfund research and education:
Dr. De Pree currently co-instructs “Environmental Regulations” at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI). With the METALS Community Engagement Core, he is designing case studies to examine the application of environmental policies on METALS community partners.
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METALS trainee, Marsha Bitsui, a student in the UNM Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, works in the laboratory of Dr. Mathew Campen. She is a member of the Navajo Nation.
Prior to UNM, Ms. Bitsui worked at Northern Arizona University (NAU) the quantifying the uptake and accumulation of heavy metals in soil, plants, water, particulates, and sheep from the Navajo Nation. She came to UNM to expand on her work at NAU by learning the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of environmental metals inside the human body.
Ms. Bitsui's UNM METALS research involves modeling the penetration of metals into the environment and how metals impact human disease prevalence in the southwestern US. She is evaluating metal accumulation and distribution in wild deer mice and developing a geospatial map of these biological monitors to show the extent of contamination from abandoned mine sites.
Aside from taking classes and working on projects, she coordinates the UNM METALS Environmental Health Journal Club.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Congratulations to METALS Center CEC community liaison, Sarah Henio-Adeky, on her graduation from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts.
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PUBLICATIONS
Rodriguez-Freire, L., DeVore, C.L., El Hayek, E., Berti, D., Ali, A.M.S., Pacheco, J.S.L., Blake, J.M., Spilde, M.N., Brearley, A.J., Artyushkova, K. and Cerrato, J.M., 2021. Emerging investigator series: entrapment of uranium–phosphorus nanocrystals inside root cells of Tamarix plants from a mine waste site. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.
Medina S., Zhou X., Lauer F.T, Zhang H., Liu K.J., Lewis J., Burchiel S.W.(2020) Modulation of PARP Activity by Monomethylarsonous (MMA+3) Acid and Uranium in Mouse Thymus, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 115362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2020.115362
Zhou X., Xue B., Medina S., Burchiel S.W., Liu, K.J. Uranium directly interacts with the DNA Repair Protein 1 Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase 1, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 115360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2020.115360
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NIH/NIEHS P42 ES025589 (UNM METALS) This material was developed in part under cited research awards to the University of New Mexico. It has not been formally reviewed by the funding agencies. The views expressed are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the agencies. The funders do not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this presentation. |
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