Esearch in the Griffith Lab is focused on understanding the chemical processes that control the fate of estrogen hormones in aquatic environments using a variety of analytical techniques, including high performance liquid chromatography, UV-visible spectroscopy, degradation kinetics experiments, tandem mass spectrometry, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The results of our work will be used to predict environmental concentrations of estrogens, anticipate problem areas, and mitigate the associated risk to aquatic organisms and human health. Current projects include:
Characterizing and modeling estrogen distributions in wastewater treatment plant effluent and river water.
Determining halogenated estrogen degradation rates and mechanisms, and identifying novel transformation products.
Determining estrogen biodegradation rates in Willamette River water at environmentally relevant (ng/L) concentrations.
