The Columbia SRP

The Columbia Northern Plains Partnership for the Superfund Research Program (CNP-SRP) investigates the health effects, geochemistry, and remediation of arsenic (As) and uranium (U), with a particular focus on groundwater.

Hazardous metals in drinking water, which are common contaminants near Superfund sites and abandoned uranium mines, play a role in the high burden of heart disease and diabetes affecting rural communities in the US Northern Plains, including tribal communities. We have established the CUNP-SRP to generate new knowledge and advance technology to identify mechanisms and solutions to metal exposures using systems science and local knowledge. CUNP-SRP partnership and activities will lay the groundwork for effective interventions to reduce hazardous drinking water contamination affecting communities in the Northern Plains and near abandoned mines and Superfund sites.

Current Research Projects

• Project 1 - High-resolution models of groundwater metal exposure

• Project 2 - Isotopic tracing of sources and cycling of hazardous metal mixtures

• Project 3 - Health Effects of Metals in Native American Communities: A Longitudinal Multi-omics Study

• Project 4 - Causal Molecular Mechanisms Linking Drinking Water Metal Exposures to Cardiometabolic Disease

• Project 5 - Light-based Approaches for Effective and Sustainable Removal of Arsenic and Uranium from Drinking Water Sources

Past Research Projects 2018- 2022

• Project 1 - Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS)

• Project 2 - Nutritional Influences on Blood As, Arsenic Methylation & Cognitive Function in Children

• Project 3 - Enhanced Remediation at Arsenic-contaminated Sites in the US

• Project 4 - The Resilience of Low-arsenic Aquifers and their Role in Reducing Human Exposure

Past Research Projects 2012-2017

• Project 1 - Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS)

• Project 2 - Consequences of Arsenic and Manganese Exposure on Children’s Health

• Project 3 - Impact of Nutrition on Arsenic-Induced Epigenetic Dysregulation

• Project 4 - Arsenic, Iron, Sulfur & Organic Carbon Speciation, & Their Impact on Groundwater Arsenic

• Project 5 - Application of Enhanced Mitigation Methods for Groundwater As at US Superfund Sites

• Project 6 - Defining the Sustainable Uses of Low-Arsenic Aquifers in Bangladesh

Past Research Projects 2006-2012

• Project 1 - Genotoxic & Cell Signaling Pathways of As in Mammalian Cells

• Project 2 - Health Effects of Arsenic Cohort Study

• Project 3 - Consequences of Arsenic and Manganese Exposure on Childhood Intelligence

• Project 4 - One-carbon Metabolism, Oxidative Stress & Arsenic Toxicity in Bangladesh

• Project 5 - Mobilization of Natural Arsenic & Manganese in Groundwater

• Project 6 - Mobilization of Anthropogenic Arsenic in Groundwater

• Project 7 - Mitigation of Arsenic Mobilization in Groundwater

Past Research Projects 2000-2006

• Project 1 – Bioavailability of Soil Lead and Arsenic in Humans

• Project 2 – Genotoxic Mechanisms of Arsenic in Mammalian Cells

• Project 3 – A Cohort Study of Arsenicosis in Bangladesh

• Project 4 – Environmental Arsenic, Pregnancy and Children’s Health

• Project 5 – Arsenic Mobilization in Bangladesh Groundwater

• Project 6 – Redistribution of Arsenic and Other Contaminants at Sites in New Jersey and Maine

• Project 7 – Remediation of Groundwater for Arsenic and Effluents for Lead

Currently funded by grant P42ES033719 and previously funded by grant P42ES010349 from: