2024 ULRI Annual Research Symposium Proceedings

Overview:

The purpose of the annual ULRI Research Symposium is to accelerate discovery by facilitating collaboration among leaders from various organizations and fields in support of ULRI’s mission. For 2024, the symposium theme revolved around “Protecting Human Health and Safety in the Modern World.” Scientific and policy experts explored key topics like human exposure to consumer chemicals and disease relationships, wildfires and their chronic health impacts on communities, climate change and resiliency measures for guarding health and well-being, and new sustainable approaches for protecting health and the environment. The goal of the symposium was to share the latest science on these important societal topics and bridge pathways forward for the protection of public health.

Preface:

The following proceedings provide a summary of technical information exchanged during the on-site 2024 Annual Research Symposium, “Protecting Human Health and Safety in the Modern World,” hosted by UL Research Institutes (ULRI) in Atlanta, Georgia, September 30 – October 2. This summary is not intended to provide a complete transcription of each speaker’s presentation or participant’s specific comments. Speakers may be contacted directly for details of their presentations and subject matter expertise. These proceedings are provided to share summaries of the presentations among all stakeholders. We hope this exchange of information will enable more collaborative discussions, research, innovation, informed policy advancement, and science-based initiatives around protecting human health.

Acknowledgments:

With gratitude, we acknowledge the speakers of the 2024 Annual Research Symposium, “Protecting Human Health and Safety in the Modern World,” for their engaging, passionate, and professional commitment. We also acknowledge the general participants who attended the symposium and contributed with their knowledge and interests as key stakeholders in this open and engaging dialogue.

Morning October 1, 2024: Human Health and Environmental Pollution Panel Discussion

Moderators:

• Christa Wright, PhD, Chemical Insights Research Institute (CIRI)/ULRI
• Judy Jeevarajan, PhD, Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI)/ULRI

Panelists:

• Christopher (Chris) P Weis, PhD, Weis Toxicology, LLC
• Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, PhD, Duke University
• Michael Caudle, PhD, Emory University
• Doug Walker, PhD, Emory University

Morning, October 1, 2024: Research Session Track #1 – Health Impacts of Environmental Pollution

Facilitator: Qian Zhang, PhD, CIRI/ULRI

Presenters:

• Roby Greenwald, PhD, Georgia State University – Black Carbon and PM2.5 Personal Exposure Compared to Institutional Settings: Preliminary Results from the Air Pollution Exposure in Child Care Settings (APECCS) Study
• Jonna Hynynen, PhD, Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) – Exploring the Environmental Impact of Lithium [Li]-Ion Battery Fires: Gas, Particulates, and Extinguishing Water Contaminations
• Ethell Vereen Jr., PhD, MSEH, Morehouse College – Man, Microbes, and a Metropolitan Watershed
• Mike Bergin, PhD, Duke University – Improving Global Air Quality: Combining Sensors, Satellites, and Data Analytics

Morning, October 1, 2024: Research Session Track #2 – Impact of Consumer Products on Environmental Pollution

Facilitator: Vinay Premnath, MS, ESRI/ULRI

Presenters:

• Maureen Meister, PhD, RD, CIRI/ULRI – ENDS-Induced Heavy Metal Exposure and Oxidative Injury is Mediated by Vaping Behavior
• Weikang Li, PhD, ExPost – Addressing the Safety Concerns of Spent Lithium-ion Batteries from Electrochemical and Chemical Perspectives
• Xin Hu, PhD, Emory University – Demystifying Safety and Quality: Plant-Derived vs. Synthetic CBD in Personal Care Products
• Josh Lamb, PhD, Sandia National Laboratories – Environmental Impact of Li-Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Incidents Compared to Other Fires

Afternoon, October 1, 2024: Resiliency for Health and Well-Being Panel Discussion

Moderators:

• Holley Henderson, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Fellow, Fitwel Ambassador, WELL AP, CIRI/ULRI, H2 Ecodesign
• Jill Crisman, PhD, Digital Safety Research Institute (DSRI)/ULRI

Panelists:

• Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh
• Adele Houghton, FAIA, DrPH, LEED Accredited Professional (AP), Biositu/Harvard University
• Honorable Brendan Owens, U.S. DOD
• Matt Trowbridge, MD, MPH, University of Virginia School of Medicine

Afternoon, October 1, 2024: Research Session Track #1 – Impacts of Disasters and Extreme Weather

Facilitator: Betsy Gast, MA, LEED AP, CIRI/ULRI, Cantilever Instruction + Design

Presenters:

• Alex Azan, MD, New York University – Evaluating the Impact of Cool Roofs on Pediatric Heat-Related Health Outcomes in NYC
• Karema Seliem, USGBC – Current Trends in Resilience and Health for Buildings and Communities
• Andrew Whelton, PhD, Purdue University – Mitigation of Wildfire Damage to Drinking Water Systems
• Zach Calhoun, PhD Candidate, Duke University – Matching Heat Maps to Health Outcomes: Urban Heat Stress and Opportunities to Intervene

Afternoon, October 1, 2024: Research Session Track #2 – Addressing Health and Well-Being

Facilitator: Sean McGregor, PhD, DSRI/ULRI

Presenters:

• Francisco Iacobelli, PhD, MSCS, Loyola University, Chicago – Purposeful AI Design for Low-Literacy Latinas
• Abel Kho, MD, MS, FACMI, Northwestern University – Data Privacy as an Enabler of Health Insights
• Nick Judd, PhD, DSRI/ULRI – Measuring Hazards in Health-Related Applications of Large Language Models
• Kenneth Holstein, PhD, Carnegie-Mellon University – Designing for Complementarity in AI-Augmented Work

Morning, October 2, 2024: 2024 Symposium Keynote Address

• Joel Tickner, ScD, University of Massachusetts-Lowell/Change Chemistry From Assessing Problems to Scaling Solutions: Preventing Toxic Chemical Risks Through Safer Chemicals and Materials

Morning, October 2, 2024: Sustainable Advances in Materials and Technologies Panel Discussion

Moderators:

• Cristi Bell Huff, PhD, CIRI/ULRI
• Stuart Miller, PhD, Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI)/ULRI

Panelists:

• William Paddock, MBA, WAP Sustainability
• Dawn Haynie, PhD, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)/Georgia State University
• Heather McKenney, MPH, ChemFORWARD
• David Carlson, PhD, Duke University

Morning, October 2, 2024: Research Session Track #1 – Advances in Materials

Facilitator: Debra Harris, PhD, Baylor University/RAD Consultants

Presenters:

• Lance Davis, FAIA, LEED Fellow, MSU Fellow, Federal Employee – The Federal Government Advances Material Decarbonization and Equity
• Scott Steady, UL Solutions – Environmental Product Declarations and Product Carbon Footprint Verification: Tools for Selecting Lower Impact Materials
• Sam Jackson, PhD, HudsonAlpha – Advanced Biobased Materials for a Low Carbon Future
• Patrick Chepaitis, MS, CIRI/ULRI – Climate Change and Indoor Material Emissions

Morning, October 2, 2024: Research Session Track #2 – Advances in Pollution Management

Facilitator: David Kalafut, CIRI/ULRI

Presenters:

• Richard (Rick) Neitzel, PhD, CIH, FAIHA, University of Michigan – Informal Electronic Waste Recycling Exposures and Impacts
• Timur Islamoglu, PhD, MDRI/ULRI – Porous Material Development towards Atmospheric Water Harvesting
• Konstantinos (Kostas) Goulas, PhD, Oregon State University – Hydrodechlorination of Polyvinyl Chloride to Value-Added Hydrocarbon Waxes
• Beth Koigi, MA, Majik Water – Majik Water: Using Technology to Solve Global Challenges

Afternoon, October 2, 2024: Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires Panel Discussion

Moderators:

• Mark Wilson, MSPH, PhD, CIH, CIRI/ULRI
• Steve Kerber, PhD, Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI)/ULRI

Panelists:

• Olorunfemi (Femi) Adetona, PhD, Ohio State University
• Ilona Jaspers, PhD, University of North Carolina
• Kenny Fent, PhD, CIH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Diana Hamer, PhD, National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI)

Afternoon, October 2, 2024: Research Session Track #1 – Community Impacts and Risk Management

Facilitator: Birgitte Messerschmidt, MSc, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Presenters:

• Timothy Nurkiewicz, PhD, West Virginia University – Characterization of WUI Fire Emissions Created in a Novel Combustion Generator
• Rawad Saleh, PhD, University of Georgia – Linking Smoke to Fire: The Effect of Burn Conditions in Wildland Fires on Smoke Production and Atmospheric Processing
• Cynthia Choo, PhD, CIRI/ULRI – Field to Lab: Assessing Direct and Indirect Emissions from Wildland-Urban Interface Fires
• Debra Harris, PhD, Baylor University/RAD Consultants – Practical Strategies to Deploy Before, During, and After WUI Fires

Afternoon, October 2, 2024: Research Session Track #2 – Impacts on Community and Firefighter Health

Facilitator: Gavin Horn, PhD, FSRI/ULRI

Presenters:

• Alexandra Noël, PhD, Louisiana State University – Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Pulmonary Health
• Zhanghua Chen, PhD, University of Southern California – The Effects of Using HEPA Purifiers on Indoor Air Pollution and Cardiometabolic Health
• CDR Catherine Beaucham, PhD, CIH, RS/REHS, DAAS, NIOSH – Biomonitoring of Firefighters: Application During the 2023 Maui Wildfires
• Nicholas Dow, MS, FSRI/ULRI – Pilot Study on Fire Effluent Condensate from Full-Scale Residential Fires