Dr. Betterton Presents at NIEHS – ATSDR Seminar in Atlanta, GA

Oct. 27, 2016

University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) investigator, Dr. Eric Betterton visited the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) on September 27, 2016. He was the 24th speaker in the ongoing SRP/ATSDR Seminar & Networking series. The goal of these events is for ATSDR and NCEH staff to meet SRP investigators so they can hear about their most recent research and share their own research needs. This makes it easier for NCEH/ATSDR staff to reach out to investigators for advice in the future.

Betterton presented a seminar entitled, "Arsenic and Lead in Size-Resolved Aerosol Contaminants Associated with Copper Smelting Emissions", to a live audience (about 45 scientists) and a web audience (about 20 scientists who were either telecommuting, located in Regional offices, or State partners). Over lunch, he informally chatted with staff from ATSDR's Division of Community Health Investigations and NCEH's Division of Laboratory Sciences, Inorganic and Radiation Analytical Toxicology Branch (http://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/).

During the afternoon, Betterton met with small groups of NCEH/ATSDR scientists to discuss environmental fate and transport issues at two UA SRP study sites: the Iron King Mine and Dewey Humboldt Superfund Site and the ASARCO Hayden Smelter. He also spoke with these groups more generally about issues related to uranium mining in the West, environmental epidemiology, and climate change. NCEH/ATSDR scientists look forward to interacting with him and other UA SRP scientists in the future. Betterton said of his visit: “This was much more than just a seminar. The ability to meet with scientific staff from the Inorganic Radiation Toxicology Branch, the Division of Community Health Investigations, the Emergency Response Branch, the Environmental Epidemiology Branch, and the Climate Change Program, amongst others, was an eye-opener."