Environmental Chemistry Lab
Kim's ECL group
What & Why ECL care about?
Pursue Cutting Edge
Environmental Analytical Chemistry Research
Throughout history, both discovery of new chemicals and understanding about their impact were only possible when if great improvement and advancement of analytical instrumentation & techniques.
As part, we're thriving to develop novel analytical methods for multiple important classes of environmental chemicals aiming more economic, fast and accurate, and comprehensive screening.
Protect Human Health
For Children and Next Generation
Safe and ergonomic modern urban life built on chemicals. Everyday, we're being exposed to ~30,000 chemicals and that put ourselves and future generation into great unknown danger of ranged emerging environmental diseases.
To tackle down the problem and seek better practice to prevent the worst, we're filling the gap of chemical exposure to human in totality with link to source and potential health outcomes.
Keep the Beauty of Mother Nature along with Sustainable Growth
It's been half century since "Silent Spring" stroke our mind and led current environmental regulations and policies over the globe. Ironically, we're facing more than ever challenges of wildlife species diversity, sustainable usage of resources and keeping up environmental quality.
With better understanding on fate of chemicals and applied engineering intervention, we can continue to develop with minimum environmental burden.
Select Publications
"What we found so far and the insight we could get out of these trials"
Environmental transformation & fate of POPs: PBDEs
Elsevier Book Series, COAC, 2020
Mass flow from WWTP (J. Hazard. Mater.,2018)
Without knowing the environmental source and sink, we cannot tell whether the persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemicals like PBDEs are not any longer a threat to human and wildlife.
Baseline studies for new substitute: OPFRs
Wastewater analysis (Environ. Sci. Technol., 2018)
State-wide water monitoring (Environ. Sci. Technol., 2019)
Indoor air & dust monitoring (Environ. Int., 2019)
Regulation on the old problematic chemical make the market to move to new alternative and we need to adapt fast and better be ready to predict for the smart choices for the future change.
Exposure risk via consumer products
Organophosphates & phthalates in nail polish (Environ. Sci. Tech., 2018)
Isothiazolinones in wet wipes and detergents (EER, 2018)
Everything we use can be the source of chemical exposure and which can be diverted by the lifestyle of individuals.
Novel method development for exposome studies
Dried Blood Spots analytical method development (Anal. Chem., 2018)
Deciduous Tooth PFAS analysis (Proceedings, ISEE, 2018)
Non-invasive human bio-monitoring sampling and analysis method is prerequisite for large scale cohort study which can lead realistic and comprehensive capture of impact of chemicals in human health
Toward comprehensive environmental monitoring: Passive sampling technique
SPMD for water monitoring (Sci. Total. Environ., 2014)
Assessing bio-transformation rate (Chemosphere, 2015)
Active spot sampling cannot represent time-integrative trend of chemical occurrence in a wide vast environment. Passive sampling technique can greatly advance current missing coverages of environmental monitoring trials and can facilitate to get holistic and realistic capture of the status of present contamination.
Structure-specific sensing techniques
DNA aptamers for flame retardant (Anal. Chem. Act., 2016)
Paper colorimetric apta-sensor (SABC, 2017)
As seen from the case of PBDEs, PFAS and more, structural similarities can induce similar to stronger toxic impact to receptors but there is limitation to target all chemicals by conventional trace quantitative analytical studies. As a rapid response in case of sudden accidental exposure and chemical leakage, structure-specific group sensing techniques can be tier-0 approach to save time, cost and lead us to make quick but precise decisions to cope with situation.
Chemical exposure impact to endocrine system:
Special focus given to pregnant mother & fetus
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012)
Tetrabromobisphenol A, Hexabromocyclododecanes (Envir. Poll., 2014)
Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (Environ. Res., 2016)
Understanding internal accumulation, distribution of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their relationship with homeostasis can tell lot of things regarding EDCs exposure impact to vulnerable population and show transfer ratio of chemicals from mothers to fetus which can project future generation's unintentional and prenatal exposure to these chemicals.
