PAHs: New Technologies and Emerging Health Risks

多环芳烃（PAHs）是在超级基金场地和城市环境中再次出现的令人关注的环境污染物，它是在燃烧碳基能源（如柴油、汽油、煤炭、石油）以及烹饪或烟草烟雾中形成的。世界范围内不断增加的能源需求促进了多环芳烃的产生，导致人类接触。这个新的超级基金基础研究项目汇集了一个来自学术机构和国家实验室的多学科团队，他们在多环芳烃和环境健康问题上有多年的经验。研究人员设计了6个创新和令人兴奋的研究项目，探索了多环芳烃的新机制及其对人类健康的影响。项目重点关注1)多环芳烃在皮肤癌和胎盘移植癌中的作用及其预防方法；2)首次建立小鼠和人多环芳烃PBPK模型；3)对多功能模型（斑马鱼）发育的不利影响；4)开发被动采样装置，部署在超级基金站点，在斑马鱼模型中进行测试；5)发展追踪另一种潜在健康威胁——纳米材料的分析方法；6)确定多环芳烃组成和大气沉积（在中国，燃煤电厂和汽车的使用呈爆炸式增长），以及多环芳烃“老化”对运往美国的影响；重点是高度暴露人群（美国的中国人和印第安人）。研究支持核心是统计和生物信息学核心，以及分析化学核心，它们为数据存储、分析和共享以及多环芳烃标准和分析的使用提供了一个连续的关键。通过项目共同使用这些核心可以确保高可靠性和一致性。研究翻译中心（RTC）的工作人员由医学博士、公共卫生硕士指导，他们在公共卫生领域有多年的经验，是研究人员与有暴露问题的人群之间的沟通渠道。与RTC密切相关的社区外展核心具有与关注多环芳烃暴露的部落社区打交道的经验，核心还开发了创造性的场所，以便与公众交流科学成果。最后，行政团队在成功管理NIEHS多研究者资助和获得强有力的机构支持方面有着悠久的历史。这些项目的创新性质、多环芳烃的高度重要性、紧密的整合、共享的资源和方法、为受影响人群提供科学研究的展示能力以及成功管理的悠久历史，为这个新的SBRP提供了我们相信评审者会认为的许多令人兴奋和重要的优势，所采取的方法具有高度的创新性。

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), re-emerging environmental pollutants of concern, found at Superfund sites and urban settings, are formed in the burning of carbon-based energy sources, e.g., diesel, gasoline, coal, petroleum and in cooking or tobacco smoke. Increasing energy needs world-wide contribute to PAH production, resulting in human exposures. This new Superfund Basic Research Program brings together a multi-disciplinary team, from an academic institution and a National Laboratory, with years of experience in PAHs and environmental health issues. The investigators designed 6 Research Projects that are innovative and exciting, and that explore new mechanisms of PAHs and their impact on human health. The Projects focus on 1) PAHs in skin and transplacental cancer and prevention approaches; 2) the construction of the first PAH PBPK model using both mice and humans; 3) adverse effects on development in a versatile model (zebrafish); 4) the development of passive sampling devices, deployed at Superfund sites, testable in the zebrafish model; 5) the development of analytical methods for tracking another emerging potential health threat, nanomaterials, and 6) determining PAH composition and atmospheric deposition (in China, coal-fired energy plants and automobile use is exploding) and the effects of PAHs "aging" in transport to the U.S.; the focus will be on highly exposed populations (Chinese and Native Americans in the U.S.). The Research Support Cores are the Statistics and Bioinformatics Core, and the Analytical Chemistry Core, which provide a continuum critical to success in data storage, analysis and sharing, and use of PAH standards and analysis. Common use of the Cores by Projects ensures high reliability and consistency. Personnel in the Research Translation Core (RTC), directed by an M.D., M.P.H., have years of experience in public health and serve as a conduit between research and populations with exposure concerns. The Community Outreach Core, tied closely to the RTC, has experience with Tribal Communities concerned about PAH exposure, and the Core has developed creative venues for communication of scientific results with the general public. Finally, the administrative team has a long history of successful management of NIEHS multi-investigator grants and acquisition of strong institutional support. The innovative nature of these Projects, the high significance of PAHs, the tight integration, the shared resources and approaches, the demonstrated ability to distill scientific studies to impacted populations and the long history of successful administration provide this new SBRP with what we trust the reviewers will judge to be many exciting and important strengths with high innovation in the approaches taken.