Roger Tipton
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC·Earth & Environmental Science
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are "forever chemicals" that barely break down and build up in soil, water and living things. They have been found far from their sources, including in the Arctic.
- Fields
Earth & Environmental Science
Chemistry
- Topics
per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
forever chemicals
Arctic Ocean
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Dec 2026
What they work on
- Measure PFAS concentrations, including the newest generation of these compounds, in Arctic Ocean seawater from the surface to 3,000 meters, using samples collected on an icebreaker transect from Alaska to Norway.
- Assess the roles of atmospheric and ocean transport in spreading PFAS across the Arctic by comparing measured distribution patterns with results from a geochemical model.
- Compare PFAS contamination across water, ice and Arctic animal life, and build predictive models of future PFAS accumulation to begin assessing risk to Arctic communities.
More about the research
PFAS exposure is linked to liver damage, immune and thyroid disruption, cancers and developmental problems. Arctic communities that rely on subsistence diets are especially exposed. Cold temperatures, ice cover and long-distance transport through the atmosphere make the Arctic a place where these chemicals accumulate and persist. Knowing how much PFAS is there, where it comes from and how it moves is needed for sound management decisions.
Why it matters
Arctic communities that depend on subsistence diets are especially exposed to PFAS, which are linked to liver damage, immune disruption and cancers. Mapping PFAS in Arctic waters and ice and modeling its spread could inform risk assessments, conservation efforts and policy decisions that protect these communities and Arctic wildlife.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Timothy Schroeder
Bennington College, VT·Earth & Environmental Science
Characterize how PFAS ("forever chemicals") spread from contamination sources through groundwater, surface water, soils, vegetation and wildlife at Vermont field research sites.
Anna Pollack
George Mason University, VA·Public Health & Epidemiology
Test whether higher levels of PFASs, POPs and their mixtures in healthy uterine (eutopic endometrial) tissue are associated with new endometriosis diagnoses among 495 women in the ENDO Study operative cohort.
Lin Li
Tennessee State University, TN·Earth & Environmental Science
Measure how the replacement PFAS F-53B and GenX sorb to, desorb from and degrade in soils, to understand their persistence and mobility.
The school
University of North Carolina at Charlotte: 9 labs on PI Pages, $95M a year on research, 196 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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