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| Researchers to investigate microscopic particles that cause health problems A team of professors from the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has received a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to perform research in the area of nanoscale science. Barry Dellinger, Erwin Poliakoff, Robin McCarley, Randall Hall and Judy Wornat have been awarded a prestigious NSF grant from the competitive Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) program. Their proposal, "Combustion-Generated Nanoparticles: The Role of Transition Metals in Nanoparticle and Pollutant Formation," will focus on how nanoparticles are produced in combustion processes and the chemical reactions that they promote in the environment. Nanoparticles, sometimes referred to as ultrafine particles, are particles with diameters less than one micron, 10 times smaller than a human blood cell. It is estimated that more than 650,000 people die prematurely in the United States each year due to exposure to airborne fine particles. Based on some estimates, this is greater than the effects of smoking cigarettes. These particles can initiate lung diseases such as asthma, as well as heart disease and cancer. The LSU research team will be the first to focus on the complex composition and reactivity of combustion-generated nanoparticles. Barry Dellinger, Patrick F. Taylor Chair of Environmental Chemistry, will lead the effort. Robin McCarley, professor in the Department of Chemistry, will synthesize special nanoparticles for study and Erwin Poliakoff, Roy Paul Daniels Professor in Chemistry, will characterize the particles using the equipment at LSU's Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices facility. Judy Wornat, Robert Hughes Harvey professor and Gordon A. and Mary Cain professor of chemical engineering, will study formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and chemistry professor Randall Hall will model the properties of the particles using LSU's SuperMike supercomputer. According to Dellinger, this wide range of expertise is required for the interdisciplinary program, and, in the case of the LSU team, the breadth of experience among the researchers helped them secure the large grant award. The NIRT program supports "fundamental research and promotes synergistic science and engineering research in the emerging area of nanoscale science and technology." It is one of the most sought-after sources of peer-reviewed federal funding for fundamental scientific research, Dellinger explained, pointing out that last year's grants in the NIRT program funded fewer than eight percent of the grant applications. "This is an exciting opportunity for the investigators, the Environmental Cooperative and LSU. The grant allows us to combine our expertise to study nanomaterials, how they may impact the environment and define a new field of scientific study, 'environmental nanoparticles,'" said Dellinger, the principal investigator for the grant and director of LSU's Intercollege Environmental Cooperative. "It is a critical first step in our longer-term goal of studying the health impacts of combustion-generated nanoparticles. This is an important opportunity for the state of Louisiana to conduct research on a topic that significantly effects our environment and resulting quality of life." In addition to the more obvious impact on air quality, Dellinger said, these particles effect the state's coastal environment via "transport to water and uptake by aquatic organisms." "We have already begun work with the departments of biological sciences and environmental studies, the School of Veterinary Medicine and the LSU Health Sciences Center to study the human health impacts of these particles," he said, adding that the team has submitted a $7.5 million grant proposal to the NSF and a $17 million grant proposal to National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The additional funding would go to support the research into the health impact of the particles. "If successful, and with the support of LSU and the state of Louisiana, LSU can firmly establish itself as the world leader in this emerging and highly visible field of environmental research," Dellinger said. -30- |
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