Research by scientists in Europe and North America has shown that sublethal concentrations of PBDEs cause liver and neurodevelopmental toxicity and adversely affect thyroid hormone levels in test animals such as fish, rats and mice.
In light of growing concerns, the European Union banned the use of penta- and octa-BDEs in 2004. No federal regulatory action has yet been taken to ban or restrict their use in Canada or the United States, but several states, including California and Maine, have issued statewide bans and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency reached a voluntary agreement with the sole domestic manufacturer of the penta- and octa-mixtures to cease their production at the end of 2004.
Providing policymakers with the information they need to make accurate risk assessments and prudent decisions about the future use of PBDEs is vital, Stapleton says. Having access to the resources and colleagues needed to meet that challenge is one of the main reasons she jumped at the chance to join the Nicholas School faculty.
“The great thing about the Nicholas School is that it has such incredible diversity,” she says. “You have ecologists, toxicologists, policy experts and others working side by side. Great science is often the result of great collaborations. This is definitely a place where that can happen.”
Stapleton's expertise is in Fate and biotransformation of organic contaminants in aquatic systems, focusing on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).
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