Metals Core

Overview

Under the leadership of Dr. Robert Wright MD MPH, a Pediatrician and Environmental Epidemiologist, the Metals Core brings together faculty to address the health effects of metals across the lifespan. In addition, the Metals Core has expanded its goals to include not only metal toxicity but also susceptibility to metals. This is a critical concept to lifespan epidemiology, as age itself likely alters susceptibility to metals. The primary public health goals of our program are to address the health effects of toxicants and the etiology of complex diseases and disorders. Our program is structured in a manner that allows us to address both the initial logical question of "Is a metal toxic and if so, at what dose?" And perhaps the more critical question "What factors increase or decrease that toxicity?" The first question can be viewed as an initial stage of research development, the second as the integration of metal exposure into the field of complex disease epidemiology. While much of our work is on genetic susceptibility to metals, we also recognize that social context and nutrition are also important susceptibility factors. We have encouraged research to address these issues as well. The work conducted by core members is primarily on non-cancer endpoints with a particular emphasis on neurologic phenotypes. Our faculty members have developed research which has been critical to defining public health policy around metals. Core faculty have led initiatives on the study of the both the benefits and risk of fish consumption, the role of the social environment in modifying chemical toxicity in humans, the role of nutritional supplements in mitigating the toxicity of metals, as well as initiatives looking at epigenetic marks as biomarkers of metal exposure.