Pollution exposure

To study the effects of pollution on human health, we develop new methods for the detection of biomarkers of exposure to air pollution. This includes the development and optimization of mass spectrometry-based methods for the analysis of pollution biomarkers alongside the chemical characterization of atmospheric pollution itself. Methods are being designed to explore the compounds in exhaled breath which can be applied to studies in environmental metabolomics as well as biomarker discovery for disease diagnosis. 

Our studies of new methods of human biomarker detection involve non-invasive sampling techniques to characterise the components of exhaled breath aerosols and gases indicative of oxidative stress. In parallel, we have expanded the species we can detect in environmental samples to determine the chemical composition of air masses and characterize air pollution.