Umme Akhtar
I am interested in studying exposure to air pollution and related health impacts. During my Master’s at the University of Windsor, I worked on urban atmospheric mercury concentration measurement and identification of potential sources of an industrial city of Canada. My Ph.D. work (University of Toronto) focused on the toxicological effects of particulate matter on human lung epithelial cells to identify the physicochemical properties of particulate matter responsible for the effects. I am currently working in a joint occupational exposure study between the Ottawa Fire Service (OFS), Health Canada, and the University of Ottawa. The objective of the study is to characterize firefighters' exposures to toxic chemicals (selected metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) during live fire events. Findings from this study will help modifying/developing protocols to minimize the exposure of contaminants among firefighters.