Our research also aims to determine the impact of advanced anaerobic digestion systems in reducing antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes, and endocrine disrupting chemicals found in animal manure.įate and Plant Uptake of Pharmaceuticals from Urine-Based Fertilizers Used in Agriculture Due to the potential ecological and human health risks associated with these manure-borne chemicals we are investigating the factors affecting their mobility and persistence in soil. Constant exposure to low levels of antibiotics can lead to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in the environment, while presence of estrogens in surface runoff can cause endocrine disruption in fish in the receiving streams.

Residues of antibiotics and natural estrogens excreted by animals enter the environment via cropland application of manure that is used as fertilizer. We have combined HRMS with in silico approaches for the identification of PBDE metabolites, previously unidentified antibiotics and transformation products, and unknown Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biological and environmental samples.Įnvironmental Fate and Biodegradation of Veterinary Antibiotics and Estrogens

We have applied NTA in metabolomics studies to facilitate the understanding of the effects of chemical perturbations on exposed organisms, such as plants and animals, without focusing on a particular biochemical pathway. Our group has been developing efficient NTA workflows for various applications ranging from the discovery of unknown contaminants in the environment to global profiling of metabolite composition (metabolomics) in affected organisms. Non-target Analysis of Emerging Contaminants in the EnvironmentĪ rapidly growing approach in environmental analysis and toxicology research involves the use of non-target analysis (NTA) with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), where data on accurate masses of molecular and fragment ions are collected without a priori information on the chemicals being analyzed to increase detection coverage. Development of effective sample preparation techniques such as solid-phase extraction (SPE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) are critical in obtaining reliable and accurate results. We use modern instruments such as LC/MS/MS, CZE, ICP/MS and GC/MS/MS, in combination with bioassays as tools to study many important environmental processes. Some of the questions we intend to answer are: (1) how fast and by what means do these chemicals degrade?, (2) what are the major breakdown products of these compounds in the environment?, (3) how do environmental conditions affect the persistence and mobility of these contaminants? and (4) are these compounds of significant ecotoxicological concern?Īnalytical Chemistry plays a key role in our investigations to answer several fundamental questions in environmental chemistry. Our research involves the development and applications of conventional and innovative analytical techniques to study the environmental fate and transport of emerging contaminants.

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