Trystan Smythe
I am in my second year of graduate studies, pursuing a Doctorate degree in Chemistry with specialization in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, and am working under Dr. Robert Letcher at the National Wildlife Research Centre (NWRC) at Carleton University. My project focuses on the environmental stability of the highly brominated flame retardant tetradecabromo-1,4- diphenoxy benzene (TeDB-DiPhOBz), and its linkage to potential
degradation by-products (i.e. lower brominated and/or methoxylated diphenoxy benzenes) that have been measured in herring gulls from the Laurentian Great Lakes. My work involves the development and validation of novel quantitative LC-/GC- MS based methods for these compounds, investigation of gull tissue distribution, and the use of in vitro biotransformation assays to examine the structure-dependent kinetics of the phase I and II metabolism of the observed degradation by-products.