| Program Summary |
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| Kentucky EPA EPSCoR focuses on environmental and biomedical biomarkers research throughout the Commonwealth. Its Strategic Improvement Program (SIP) and Science and Engineering Environ-mental Research (SEER) strengthens the health of the Common-wealth's human population and natural areas. The SIP organizes international, national and local symposia on biomarkers, provides environmental science and engineering training for underserved and under-represented students, and integrates university-based research with environ-mental initiatives within Kentucky's governmental agencies. The SEER's program examines human and environmental health issues related to natural and man-made events. |
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| Kentucky EPA EPSCoR
supports SEER projects at the University of Louisville and Murray State University. |
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| SEER at the University of Louisville develops blood tests to assess exposure to particular chemicals that may cause cancer with significant exposure. The selected chemicals of interest are chloroprene, which is raw materials for synthetic rubber production, and two products of incomplete combustion, specifically benzopyrene and fluoranthene. In the body, these chemicals convert to metabolites that react adversely with genetic material and other important biological structures. If successful, the blood tests defining chemical reactivity with hemoglobin would provide a basis for future public health studies of toxic materials in air. |
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| SEER at Murray State University concentrates on understanding the developmental stability of amphibians as a biomarker for environmental chemical and environ-mental stresses. Because a global decline in the population of amphibians may be an indicator of environmental degradation that ultimately affects human population, it examines ecological issues impacting health of species relative to predictive models. A major thrust is to correlate amphibian developmental stability with environment contaminant levels that accumulate in body tissues. |
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| To assist the Kentucky EPA EPSCoR Program and to assess growth and maturation of the SEER projects, national and local scientific symposia are sponsored within the Commonwealth. They provide critical exposure of scientific findings and research coordination, and offer programmatic review of initiatives supported by Kentucky EPA EPSCoR. The Kentucky Environ-mental Quality Commission, the Kentucky Department of Public Health, and the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet provide additional coordination and support. |
