University of Southern Maine

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Nation's Scientists to Visit USM, Discuss Effects of Chromium on Human Health

August 12 , 2005

At a time when Maine suffers from substantial public health issues related to exposure to environmental contaminants, more than 50 scientists from around the country will gather at the University of Southern Maine to discuss the latest research on chromium and its effects on humans. The "Workshop on Chromium and Human Health" will be held Thursday, August 18 through Friday, August 19 in USM's Joel and Linda Abromson Community Education Center, Portland.

Sponsored by USM's Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (MCTEH), the conference is the first of its kind focusing on this hard metal often found in stainless steel, other alloys, and dyes or paints.

"In Maine, there is a high frequency of lung cancer--in many cases caused by significantly high levels of chromium in the air," says John Wise, USM associate professor of biosciences and applied medical sciences and principal investigator for the Wise Environmental and Genetic Toxicology Laboratory. "The goal of the event is to convene all of the major investigators of chromium as a cause of disease or treatment to discuss major findings, next steps, and broad collaborations."

The conference will provide a venue for researchers to discuss current and emerging research such as, "The Genotoxicity of Chromium" and "Repair of Chromate-Induced DNA Damage," and to develop recommendations for future research.

MCTEH contributes to national and statewide efforts to study environmental contaminants and reduce their effects by promoting interactions among scientists, regulators, and commercial enterprise working on environmental problems that may affect human health. Center investigators are trained in diverse disciplines including epidemiology, virology, immunology, physiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, environmental science, psychology and bioethics, among others.

Wise and his team of researchers focus on toxicology of metals and particulates, marine toxicology, and molecular epidemiology, using state-of-the-art molecular and toxicological techniques to investigate the impact of metals and particulates on humans.

Editor's Note: For more information on the "Workshop on Chromium and Human Health" visit http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcteh.

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