Publications by authors named "Brendan F O'Leary"

Article Synopsis
  • - The prevalence of brownfields with unknown chemical contaminants necessitates quick and cost-effective exposure reduction methods, especially in industrial cities like Detroit where harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly found.
  • - Phytoscreening, which analyzes plant tissues to detect belowground contamination, offers a promising alternative to traditional methods that involve screening soil and groundwater, yet few studies have directly compared these approaches.
  • - Research comparing concentrations of six VOCs in plant tissues and conventional media at two Detroit brownfield sites found that plants often showed similar or higher VOC levels, particularly in leaves and roots, suggesting phytoscreening could be a reliable method for detecting contamination.
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Article Synopsis
  • * A study involving 64 participants analyzed the relationship between BTEX exposure and DNA methylation during the second trimester, finding 46 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) significantly associated with BTEX exposure.
  • * Most of the identified DMRs showed decreased methylation levels as BTEX exposure increased, with notable biological pathways affected, including those related to brain signaling and taste perception, indicating BTEX's potential effects on pregnant women's health.
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Urban neighborhoods with locations of environmental contamination, known as brownfields, impact entire neighborhoods, but corrective environmental remedial action on brownfields is often tracked on an individual property basis, neglecting the larger neighborhood-level impact. This study addresses this impact by examining spatial differences between brownfields with unmitigated environmental concerns (open site) and sites that are considered fully mitigated or closed in urban neighborhoods (closed site) on the US census tract scale in Wayne County, MI. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's leaking underground storage tank (LUST) database provided brownfield information for Wayne County.

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With urban air quality being a pressing public health concern, community members are becoming increasingly engaged in determining the links between air quality and human health. Although new measurement tools such as low-cost sensors make local data more accessible, a better understanding of gaps in regional datasets is needed to develop effective metropolitan-scale solutions. Using scoping review methodology, we compiled 214 published journal articles and grey literature reports of air quality data from the Detroit, Michigan area from 1952 through 2020.

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Air pollution is associated with preterm birth (PTB), potentially via inflammation. We recently showed the mixture benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) is associated with PTB. We examined if ambient BTEX exposure is associated with mid-pregnancy inflammation in a sample of 140 African-American women residing in Detroit, Michigan.

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a group of aromatic or chlorinated organic chemicals commonly found in manufactured products that have high vapor pressure, and thus vaporize readily at room temperature. While airshed VOCs are well studied and have provided insights into public health issues, we suggest that belowground VOCs and the related vapor intrusion process could be equally or even more relevant to public health. The persistence, movement, remediation, and human health implications of subsurface VOCs in urban landscapes remain relatively understudied despite evidence of widespread contamination.

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Detroit, Michigan, currently has the highest preterm birth (PTB) rate of large cities in the United States. Disproportionate exposure to ambient air pollutants, including particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM), PM ≤ 10 μm (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) may contribute to PTB.

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