Plastic pollution is a global problem, which is particularly evident in South Florida, where plastics and toxicants associated with plastics contaminate the environment, food, water, and even sand beaches.
One of such groups of pollutants is phthalates, which are pervasive, bioaccumulative, and toxic both to human health and the environment. In Miami-Dade County and in South Florida, there are numerous contaminated and Superfund sites that contain these toxicants, including the Homestead Air Force Base (HAFB) Superfund site. These sites are typically located in coastal areas and overlap with flood zones that are expected to expand with rising sea levels due to climate change, making them prone to flooding. Indeed, the HAFB Superfund site is the lowest lying of all the Superfund sites in the US and can be flooded by only approximately three feet of water, creating threat of contaminating the surrounding communities and agricultural areas.
The impact of phthalates on reproductive health is largely unknown and has never been studied in a comprehensive way. This gap of knowledge constitutes critical urgency in the face of ever increasing environmental threats.
Our Central Theme
The Central Theme of the UM-SRP is the implementation of interdisciplinary, community health-oriented, and technology development-driven research in order to effectively reduce community exposure to phthalates and provide effective prevention and intervention solutions to improve human and environmental health.
Our Mission
The Mission of the UM-SRP is to reduce the hazardous impact of phthalates on the health of exposed communities and the environment. Specifically, we aim to: (1) reduce the impact of phthalates in the environments that pose a hazard to the health of exposed communities. (2) Focus on the health impact of phthalates which are present and stored in Superfund sites in Florida. (3) Detect and remediate phthalates in the environment by employing green sustainable technologies. (4) Develop novel strategies of community engagement to raise public awareness, help reduce exposure, and prevent disease through community participatory activities. (5) Train new generations of environmental scientists and leaders. (6) Communicate the findings to Stakeholders and policy makers in order to impact regulations on plastic pollution and phthalates.
Phthalates as the Chemicals of Interest of the UM-SRP
Plastics are a major environmental pollutant. Indeed, approximately 90% of plastic materials are not recycled, but rather discarded into landfills, and this happens frequently after only a single use. Chemically, plastics are very diverse materials. While all plastic materials share the long polymer backbone, different chemicals can be added to plastics to change their physical characteristics. One major group of components commonly added to plastics as plasticizers is phthalates. Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid and Superfund chemicals listed on the ATSDR 2022 Substance Priority List. Specifically, di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is number 59 on the list; di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), number #77; butyl methyl phthalate (BMP), number 98; and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), number #207. Phthalates, like other chemicals added during plastic production, are not chemically bound to the polymer backbone. Therefore, they easily leach into the surrounding environment during plastic degradation. Phthalates are present in high concentration in numerous Superfund sites, including the HAFB Superfund site. However, their contamination is not limited to Superfund sites. Because of their widespread use in plastics, phthalates are commonly present in humans and are ubiquitously contaminating the environment, including South Florida. For example, they have been found in the waters of Biscayne Bay and drinking water in South Florida. Population studies from NHANES revealed phthalates and their metabolites in more than 75% subjects sampled nationally. Food is the major source of exposure to phthalates in humans as they are present in water, alcohol, oils, dairy products, meat, and edible plants. This route of exposure is important for the HAFB Superfund site, which is surrounded by farmlands and runoff of toxicants from this site into the environment can contaminate numerous food products, which are grown in the area. In fact, Homestead is the major agricultural center in South Florida.
In Summary
Plastic pollution and contamination with phthalates are common environmental problems; therefore, findings generated by the UM-SRP will be applicable to the entire Nation and globally.