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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard

@sunderlandlab.bsky.social
31 followers 64 following 19 posts

We study how chemicals released by human activity interact with natural ecosystems and affect wildlife and humans. linktr.ee/harvardsunderlandlab

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Reposted by Sunderland Lab @ Harvard
jahred @jahredwithanh.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Did you know that the EPA doesn't define the ultra-short TFA as a PFAS⁉️Same for many fluorinated agrochems: www.eenews.net/articles/you... This is in contrast to the widely accepted definition that scientists use 🧪 We recently found it in treated drinking water at ⬆️ levels (see below)
eenews.net
You’ve probably never heard of this ‘forever chemical.’ Scientists say it’s everywhere.
New attention to trifluoracetic acid, or TFA, underscores the game of whack-a-mole that scientists and communities face with forever chemicals.
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Read about the cool undergraduate senior thesis projects about PFAS that were conducted in our lab! pollutionroundup.substack.com/p/this-senio... pollutionroundup.substack.com/p/where-does...
pollutionroundup.substack.com
This Senior Thesis is Fishing for Answers
Understanding PFAS contamination in Hawaiian fish
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The Trump Administration's repeals of mercury and heavy metal emissions regulations for coal plants pose a threat to public health. hsph.harvard.edu/news/how-eas...
hsph.harvard.edu
How easing regulations on heavy metals air pollution could impact health | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
A recent repeal of federal environmental regulations aimed at limiting the emission of mercury and other heavy metals from power plants could have serious health impacts, according to Harvard Chan Sch...
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Communities near coal plants are at risk for mercury exposure. This recent CNN article cites research from our lab that shows where mercury emitted from power plants goes. www.cnn.com/2026/03/18/c... seas.harvard.edu/news/despite...
cnn.com
When the EPA rolled back mercury regulations, it left this community in the path of pollution | CNN
The EPA rolled back a Biden-era regulation targeting power plants that burn lignite coal and emit significant amounts of toxic mercury. The agency said the high cost wasn’t worth the small gain in saf...
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
The EPA has decided to weaken the limits on mercury pollutions from coal plants. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/c...
nytimes.com
E.P.A. Weakens Limits on Mercury From Coal Plants
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Check out this new paper from Jennifer Sun, a Post-doc in our lab! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Check out Sunderland Lab alumni Bridger Ruyle's paper on PFAS! This work is featured as a highlight of all 2025 PNAS papers. www.pnas.org/post/update/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Check out our interview with two of our lab alumni (@jahredwithanh.bsky.social @who-lab.bsky.social)! seas.harvard.edu/news/2025/12...
seas.harvard.edu
Former Sunderland labmates team up at George Washington
Cindy Hu, Jahred Liddie discuss current research and time at SEAS
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Harvard's Naomi Oreskes led a push to retract a study that originally stated that an herbicide was safe for use after discovering that Monsanto, the herbicide's producer, had played a key role in writing the report. cen.acs.org/research-int...
cen.acs.org
Glyphosate study from 2000 retracted amid corporate-influence concerns
The authors didn’t disclose financial compensation they received from Monsanto for their work on a ghostwritten paper about the herbicide’s safety
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
New study from U of A on the health effects of PFAS on infants: news.arizona.edu/news/new-res... Original paper: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
news.arizona.edu
New research links health impacts related to 'forever chemicals' to billions in economic losses
A University of Arizona study finds that PFAS contamination imposes annual social costs of at least $8 billion.
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Reposted by Sunderland Lab @ Harvard
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them. Their wish has come true. @fastlerner.bsky.social
propublica.org
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Check out this story about our lab's own Olivia Hogan-Lopez! news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu
Harvard student explores the impact of PFAS — Harvard Gazette
The senior is researching the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on humans and the environment.
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
The Trump administration is proposing exemptions for companies regarding PFAS reporting: thehill.com/policy/energ...
thehill.com
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Read about the Trump administration's clearance of a PFAS-containing pesticide: www.newsweek.com/epa-proposin...
newsweek.com
EPA proposing new pesticide on crops raises alarm
The EPA proposed approving another pesticide containing forever chemicals for crops such as canola, corn, soybeans, and wheat.
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Check out this study about the effectiveness of the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act Arsenic Rule on Arsenic occurrence in drinking water. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Impacts of the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act Arsenic Rule on Arsenic Occurrence †
This study provides the first retrospective analysis of the causal impacts of the 2001 US Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Arsenic Rule on arsenic (As) occurrence in public drinking water systems. Using publicly available SDWA compliance data, we employ a difference-in-differences strategy that compares As concentrations before and after the promulgation of the rule for treatment relative to control water systems, defining treatment based on whether a water system had ever sampled As concentrations above the rule’s 10 μg per liter (μg/L) threshold before the Rule was published. We find that annual mean As concentrations in treatment systems fell by almost 5 μg/L (p < 0.01) after 2001 relative to control systems, representing a decrease of about 38% compared to pretreatment levels. In light of the Rule’s projected net costs at the time it was promulgated, assessment of the Rule’s realized impacts using actual measured As concentrations from a nationwide sample is an important first step in retrospective benefit–cost analysis.
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Check out the work of one of our Harvard undergraduates who is researching climate change and coastal erosion in Louisiana! seas.harvard.edu/news/2025/10...
seas.harvard.edu
Summer on the Coast
Environmental engineering student spends summer researching climate resiliency in Louisiana
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Reposted by Sunderland Lab @ Harvard
KFF Health News @kffhealthnews.org · 21/10/2025
Several GOP lawmakers and leaders in the Trump administration are convinced that planes’ contrails are a legitimate public health concern, even though scientists have sought to discredit “chemtrail” claims. @hannahnorman.bsky.social explains ⤵️ youtube.com/shorts/Mn84Z...
youtube.com
RFK Jr.'s 'Chemtrails' Probe Shows the Power Conspiracy Theories Have to Shape Health Policy
YouTube video by KFF Health News
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
DOD is delaying the cleanup of PFAS at over 100 military bases. This decision is especially concerning for nearby communities who already face severe health impacts. www.newsweek.com/warnings-iss...
newsweek.com
Warnings issued over contamination caused by US military bases
The Department of Defense has recently delayed the cleanup of PFAS chemicals at more than 100 military bases.
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
PFAS is making its way up the food chain. High levels have been detected in birds near U.S. military bases. www.newsweek.com/birds-us-mil...
newsweek.com
Birds near US military bases have higher levels of PFAS, study finds.
One expert told Newsweek that while the findings are "not surprising," the scope and scale of these chemicals is "concerning."
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Reposted by Sunderland Lab @ Harvard
Sharon Lerner @fastlerner.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Pingree referred to the delay in publishing the report as part of “a growing pattern of interference with the Agency’s scientific work” www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
propublica.org
House Rep Demands Answers About Delayed EPA Report on PFNA, a Toxic Forever Chemical
In a letter to EPA Chief Lee Zeldin, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, cited a recent ProPublica story that quoted government scientists saying a yet-to-be-released report on the toxicity of PFNA was rea...
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Reposted by Sunderland Lab @ Harvard
Unbiased Science @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Without federal coordination, we risk returning to a patchwork system where your baby’s health protection depends on your ZIP code. Where conditions get added to screening panels based on lobbying power rather than scientific evidence.
open.substack.com
Did You Know Newborn Screening Lost Its Federal Oversight?
The small test that’s saved thousands of newborn lives faces an uncertain future
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
We're collecting and analyzing data that will help families make safe and smart choices about seafood consumption. Thank you to the Harvard Data Science Initiative for sharing our research on the nutrients and contaminants in seafood around the world! www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCxi...
youtube.com
Seafood, Nutrition, and Risk Under Climate Change (Elsie Sunderland with Christopher Golden)
YouTube video by Harvard Data Science Initiative
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Check out this documentary about PFAS pollution and the people fighting for environmental justice. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPTk...
youtube.com
We’re all contaminated: The story of the Forever Chemicals | People & Power Documentary
YouTube video by Al Jazeera English
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Reposted by Sunderland Lab @ Harvard
Sharon Lerner @fastlerner.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
publichealthwatch.org/2025/10/09/t...
publichealthwatch.org
A Community Burdened by Chemical Waste Is Demanding Cancer Data. Texas Health Officials Won’t Give It to Them. - Public Health Watch
Last year, state epidemiologists studied an industrialized region east of Houston. They reported finding high rates of cancer, but refused to release key geographic details — a decision some experts s...
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Sunderland Lab @ Harvard @sunderlandlab.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Read more about the celebrity chef opposition to this important PFAS ban here: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/c...
nytimes.com
California Wants to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Pans. These Chefs Say Don’t Do It.
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