Environmental Toxicology

Environmental toxicology is a laboratory-based research group, led by Professor Frank Kelly and Dr Ian Mudway. The research we undertake is directed towards understanding the mechanisms by which air pollution impacts on human respiratory health. Work to date has focused on gaseous pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide, as well as, particulate matter, either collected directly from ambient air of from vehicle exhaust.

Research

Current work, investigating the capacity of ambient particulates to drive damaging oxidation reactions in the lung has been supported by numerous funding agencies including the Medical Research Council, the European Union, The US Health Effects Institute, Transport for London and DEFRA. Our Objectives

• To identify those characteristics of particulate pollution that are responsible for their detrimental health effects.
• To quantify the impact of traffic management schemes on the toxicity of ambient PM.
• To identify why certain individuals, and groups of subjects (asthmatics, people with smoking related disease) appear especially sensitive to air pollution.

Projects:

Assessing the Impact of Non-exhaust Emissions from Traffic on the Asthmatic Airway (IONA)

Investigating the impact of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone on children’s respiratory health

Component-Specific Air Pollutant Drivers of Disease risk in early to midlife: a pathway approach (DREaM) 

Measurements for mitigating adverse health effects from atmospheric particulate pollutants 

Hazard Identification Platform to Define the Health Impacts associated with Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollutant Exposures, through the Application of Mechanistic Toxicity