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'''Susan D. Shaw''' (born October 24, 1943 in [[Dallas, Texas]]) is an American [[environmental health|environmental health scientist]], [[explorer]], [[ocean conservation]]ist, and [[author]]. A [[Doctor of Public Health]], she is a [[professor]] in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health at the [[State University of New York at Albany]], and the founder of the Marine Environmental Research Institute. Shaw has worked extensively on issues related to toxic chemical exposure and its impacts on human health and wildlife. In 1983, with landscape photographer [[Ansel Adams]], she published Overexposure, the first book to document the health hazards of photographic chemicals.<ref name="grist">{{cite web|last=Cassie|first=Ron|title=Diving deep: Susan Shaw, ocean crusader and environmental health pioneer|url=http://grist.org/pollution/diving-deep-susan-shaw-ocean-crusader-and-environmental-health-pioneer/}}</ref> Shaw is credited as the first scientist to show that [[brominated flame retardant]] chemicals used in consumer products have contaminated [[marine mammals]] and commercially important fish stocks in the northwest [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Speakers: Susan Shaw: Marine toxicologist|url=http://www.ted.com/speakers/susan_shaw.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|author2=Berger, Michelle L. |author3=Brenner, Diane |author4=Kannan, Kurunthachalam |author5=Lohmann, Nina |author6= Päpke, Olaf |title=Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in the northwest Atlantic marine food web|journal=Science of the Total Environment|date=May 2009|volume=407|issue=10|pages=3323–3329|doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.02.018|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269019|pmid=19269019}}</ref> An outspoken voice on [[ocean pollution]], Shaw is known for diving into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] oil slick following the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion]]<ref name="onearth">{{cite web|last=Gertz|first=Emily|title=Marine Toxicologist Susan Shaw Dives Into Gulf Spill, Talks Dispersants and Food Web Damage|url=http://www.onearth.org/blog/marine-toxicologist-susan-shaw-dives-into-gulf-spill-talks-dispersants-and-food-web-dam|publisher=OnEarth}}</ref> and informing the national debate on the controversial use of chemical [[dispersants]] in offshore oil spills.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schor|first=Elana|title=Oil Spill Dispersants Shifting Ecosystem Impacts in Gulf, Scientists Warn|url=http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/07/30/30greenwire-oil-spill-dispersants-shifting-ecosystem-impac-95608.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="meriresearch">{{cite web|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Consensus Statement: Scientists oppose the use of dispersant chemicals in the Gulf of Mexico|url=http://meriresearch.org/Portals/0/Documents/CONSENSUS%20STATEMENT%20ON%20DISPERSANTS%20IN%20THE%20GULF%20updated%20July%2017.pdf}}</ref>
'''Susan D. Shaw''' (born October 24, 1943 in [[Dallas, Texas]]) is an American [[environmental health|environmental health scientist]], [[explorer]], [[ocean conservation]]ist, and [[author]]. A [[Doctor of Public Health]], she is a [[professor]] in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health at the [[State University of New York at Albany]], and the founder of the Marine Environmental Research Institute. Shaw has worked extensively on issues related to toxic chemical exposure and its impacts on human health and wildlife. In 1983, with landscape photographer [[Ansel Adams]], she published ''Overexposure'', the first book to document the health hazards of photographic chemicals.<ref name="grist">{{cite web|last=Cassie|first=Ron|title=Diving deep: Susan Shaw, ocean crusader and environmental health pioneer|url=http://grist.org/pollution/diving-deep-susan-shaw-ocean-crusader-and-environmental-health-pioneer/}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Susan|title=Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography|year=1983|publisher=Friends of Photography|isbn=0933286376}}</ref> Shaw is credited as the first scientist to show that [[brominated flame retardant]] chemicals used in consumer products have contaminated [[marine mammals]] and commercially important fish stocks in the northwest [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Speakers: Susan Shaw: Marine toxicologist|url=http://www.ted.com/speakers/susan_shaw.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|author2=Berger, Michelle L. |author3=Brenner, Diane |author4=Kannan, Kurunthachalam |author5=Lohmann, Nina |author6= Päpke, Olaf |title=Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in the northwest Atlantic marine food web|journal=Science of the Total Environment|date=May 2009|volume=407|issue=10|pages=3323–3329|doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.02.018|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269019|pmid=19269019}}</ref> She is known for diving into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] oil slick following the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion]] to investigate the impacts of chemical [[dispersants]] used in response to the spill.<ref name="onearth">{{cite web|last=Gertz|first=Emily|title=Marine Toxicologist Susan Shaw Dives Into Gulf Spill, Talks Dispersants and Food Web Damage|url=http://www.onearth.org/blog/marine-toxicologist-susan-shaw-dives-into-gulf-spill-talks-dispersants-and-food-web-dam|publisher=OnEarth}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Schor|first=Elana|title=Oil Spill Dispersants Shifting Ecosystem Impacts in Gulf, Scientists Warn|url=http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/07/30/30greenwire-oil-spill-dispersants-shifting-ecosystem-impac-95608.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="meriresearch">{{cite web|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Consensus Statement: Scientists oppose the use of dispersant chemicals in the Gulf of Mexico|url=http://meriresearch.org/Portals/0/Documents/CONSENSUS%20STATEMENT%20ON%20DISPERSANTS%20IN%20THE%20GULF%20updated%20July%2017.pdf}}</ref><ref name="nytimes">{{cite web|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Swimming Through the Spill|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/30shaw.html}}</ref>


== Education and career ==
== Education and early career ==
Shaw received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the [[University of Texas]] in 1967 with a major in [[Plan II]], an interdisciplinary honors program modeled after the [[Harvard Society of Fellows]] Program.<ref>{{cite web|title=Plan II Honors Program Description|url=http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/plan2/about/}}</ref> Selected for the UT-Chilean Exchange Program in 1964, she spent a year in Chile as a [[Fulbright Scholar]]. She earned an MFA degree in Film from [[Columbia University]] in 1970, and a doctorate in Public Health/Environmental Health Sciences ([[Dr.P.H.]]) from Columbia University’s School of Public Health in 1999.
Shaw received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the [[University of Texas]] in 1967 with a major in [[Plan II]], an interdisciplinary honors program modeled after the [[Harvard Society of Fellows]] Program.<ref>{{cite web|title=Plan II Honors Program Description|url=http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/plan2/about/}}</ref> Selected for the UT-Chilean Exchange Program in 1964, she spent a year in Chile as a [[Fulbright Scholar]]. She earned an MFA degree in Film from [[Columbia University]] in 1970, and a doctorate in Public Health/Environmental Health Sciences ([[Dr.P.H.]]) from Columbia University’s School of Public Health in 1999.


Because of her dual background in film and [[environmental toxicology]], in 1980, Shaw was contacted by Ansel Adams, who commissioned her to write Overexposure, published in 1983 as the first book to document the health hazards of photographic chemicals used in the [[darkroom]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Susan|title=Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography|year=1983|publisher=Friends of Photography|isbn=0933286376}}</ref> A second edition of the book was published in 1991.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography|year=1991|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|location=United States|isbn=0960711864|edition=2|author2=Monona Rossol }}</ref>
In 1980, Ansel Adams commissioned her to write ''Overexposure'', published in 1983 as the first book to document the health hazards of photographic chemicals used in the [[darkroom]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Susan|title=Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography|year=1983|publisher=Friends of Photography|isbn=0933286376}}</ref> A second edition of the book was published in 1991.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography|year=1991|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|location=United States|isbn=0960711864|edition=2|author2=Monona Rossol }}</ref>

Shaw founded the Marine Environmental Research Institute in [[Blue Hill, Maine]] in 1990 following the deaths of 20,000 [[harbor seals]] inhabiting polluted waters of [[northwestern Europe]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Rivlin|first=Michael A.|title=Northern Exposure|url=http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/01fal/seals.asp|newspaper=OnEarth Magazine|date=Fall 2001}}</ref> This wildlife “signal” event was followed by other mass die-offs of marine mammals in polluted marine regions.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shaw|first=Susan|title=Marine life under siege|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/Images/PDFs/Marine%20life%20under%20siege.pdf|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 24, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Raloff|first=Janet|title=Something's Fishy|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/7-2-1994ScienceNewsSomethingsFishy.pdf|newspaper=Science News|date=July 2, 1994}}</ref>
Shaw founded the Marine Environmental Research Institute in [[Blue Hill, Maine]] in 1990 following the deaths of 20,000 [[harbor seals]] inhabiting polluted waters of [[northwestern Europe]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Rivlin|first=Michael A.|title=Northern Exposure|url=http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/01fal/seals.asp|newspaper=OnEarth Magazine|date=Fall 2001}}</ref> This wildlife “signal” event was followed by other mass die-offs of marine mammals in polluted marine regions.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shaw|first=Susan|title=Marine life under siege|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/Images/PDFs/Marine%20life%20under%20siege.pdf|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 24, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Raloff|first=Janet|title=Something's Fishy|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/7-2-1994ScienceNewsSomethingsFishy.pdf|newspaper=Science News|date=July 2, 1994}}</ref>
Advancing understanding of the impacts of toxic chemicals on marine mammal health became the focus of Shaw’s doctoral thesis and the Institute’s research focus over the next two decades.<ref>{{cite news|last=Quimby|first=Beth|title=Adventurous scientist to receive national honors|url=http://www.pressherald.com/news/adventurous-scientist-to-receive-national-honors_2011-05-15.html?pagenum=full|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|date=May 15, 2011}}</ref> In 2000, she established the Center for Marine Studies on the Maine coast to expand the research and operations along the northwest Atlantic. Through scientific research, education, and advocacy on toxic chemicals, the Institute’s mission is to protect the ocean environment and human health in three priority areas: [[halogenated]] flame retardants and other [[persistent organic pollutants]] (POPs), chemical dispersants used in oil spills, and [[plastic pollution]].
Advancing understanding of the impacts of toxic chemicals on marine mammal health became the Institute’s research focus over the next two decades.<ref>{{cite news|last=Quimby|first=Beth|title=Adventurous scientist to receive national honors|url=http://www.pressherald.com/news/adventurous-scientist-to-receive-national-honors_2011-05-15.html?pagenum=full|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|date=May 15, 2011}}</ref> The Institute’s mission is to protect the environment and people from the effects of harmful exposure in three priority areas: [[halogenated]] flame retardants and other [[persistent organic pollutants]] (POPs), chemical dispersants used in oil spills, and [[plastic pollution]].


== Accomplishments ==
== Research ==
For three decades, Shaw’s work has focused on the health effects of environmental chemical exposure in marine wildlife and humans.
For the past two decades, Shaw has worked extensively on [[marine conservation]] and pollution issues. In 2000, she began the Marine Environmental Research Institute’s long-term research focused on marine [[sentinel species]] to characterize the extent of contamination of the northwest Atlantic [[marine ecosystem]] from Maine to [[New York]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Toxic Pollution in Casco Bay: Sources and Impacts|year=2007|author=Casco Bay Estuary Partnership|chapter=How are seals, as top predators, impacted by toxic contaminants in Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine?}}</ref> Shaw found that as top [[predator]]s, marine mammals are important sentinels because they accumulate high levels of POPs through the [[food chain]] over a long lifetime.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gertz|first=Emily|title=Tackling a Hidden Threat to Marine Mammals|url=http://ensia.com/articles/tackling-a-hidden-threat-to-marine-mammals/|newspaper=Ensia|date=February 26, 2013}}</ref>
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Funded by the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA), this region-wide effort has produced a unique, large body of data on a wide range of [[persistent organic pollutants]] and toxic metals in marine mammals and fish and placed the region in a global perspective.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|author2=Kurunthachalam Kannan |title=Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in marine ecosystems of the American continents: foresight from current knowledge|journal=Reviews on Environmental Health|date=July–Sept 2009|volume=24|issue=3|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19891120|doi=10.1515/REVEH.2009.24.3.157|pmid=19891120}}</ref> Shaw’s work has shown that the body burdens of toxic chemicals such as [[polychlorinated biphenyls]] (PCBs) in northwest Atlantic harbor seals are among the highest in the world.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mack|first=Sharon Kiley|title=More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/08/news/down-east/more-man-made-contaminants-discovered-in-maine’s-harbor-seals/?ref=search|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=September 8, 2011}}</ref>
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In 2007, Shaw was credited as the first scientist to show that brominated flame retardant chemicals used in household and consumer products have contaminated top marine predator species (marine mammals and fish) in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fraser|first=Doug|title=Mysterious seal deaths linked to chems|url=http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071015/NEWS/710150327|newspaper=Cape Cod Times|date=October 15, 2007}}</ref> This information helped support toxics policy reform at the state level in Maine, as Shaw’s 2007 finding of the [[neurotoxic]] flame retardant [[Deca-BDE]] in seal tissues influenced the [[Maine Legislature]]’s decision to ban Deca from household products as of 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mack|first=Sharon Kiley|title=More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/08/news/down-east/more-man-made-contaminants-discovered-in-maine’s-harbor-seals/?ref=search|date=September 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=An Act to Clarify Maine's Phaseout of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers|url=http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_124th/chappdfs/PUBLIC610.pdf|publisher=124th Maine State Legislature}}</ref> In 2008, Shaw received a Citation of Recognition from the 123rd Maine Legislature and the [[Gulf of Maine]] Visionary Award for her work on toxic chemical contaminants in marine mammals and fish in the Gulf of Maine.<ref name="meriresearch_a">{{cite news|last=Rappaport|first=Stephen|title=MERI Founder and Director Susan Shaw Wins Gulf of Maine Visionary Award|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/Documents/EA%20Waterfront%20Visionary%20Award%20article%206%2014%2007.pdf|newspaper=Ellsworth American|date=June 14, 2007}}</ref>
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In 2010, Shaw was the lead author on a pivotal review paper on halogenated flame retardants that would have national policy implications.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Arlene Blum, Roland Weber, Kurunthachalam Kannan, David Rich, Donald Lucas, Catherine P. Koshland, Dina Dobraca, Sarah Hanson and Linda S. Birnbaum|title=Halogenated flame retardants: do the fire safety benefits justify the risks?|journal=Reviews on Environmental Health|date=Oct–Dec 2010|volume=25|issue=4|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21268442|doi=10.1515/REVEH.2010.25.4.261|pmid=21268442}}</ref> Co-authored by Dr. Linda Birnbaum, the current director of the [[National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences]] (NIEHS), the paper challenged the efficacy of these chemicals in preventing fire deaths and presented substantial scientific evidence of the harmful health effects, including [[cancers]], of exposure to halogenated flame retardants in consumer products. This paper laid the groundwork for the San Antonio Statement, citing the need for regulatory action on these chemicals worldwide and signed by more than 300 scientists from 30 countries.<ref>{{cite journal|last=DiGangi|first=Joseph|author2=Arlene Blum |author3=Åke Bergman |author4=Cynthia A. de Wit |author5=Donald Lucas |author6=David Mortimer |author7=Arnold Schecter |author8=Martin Scheringer |author9=Susan D. Shaw |author10=Thomas F. Webster |title=San Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|date=December 2010|volume=118|issue=12|doi=10.1289/ehp.1003089|pmc=3002202|pages=A516–A518|pmid=21123135}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Walsh|first=Bryan|title=Flame Retardants in Everyday Products May Be a Health Hazard, Scientists Say|url=http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/28/chemical-safety-scientists-come-out-against-chemical-flame-retardants-in-ordinary-products/|newspaper=Time Magazine|date=October 28, 2010}}</ref> The paper and the statement were, in turn, the basis for the [[Chicago Tribune]]’s 2012 award-winning exposé of the [[chemical industry]]’s deceptive campaign to market harmful flame retardant chemicals to the American public.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune watchdog: Playing with fire|url=http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html|newspaper=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>
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In May 2010, a month after the explosion of the [[Deepwater Horizon oil rig]] in the Gulf of Mexico, Shaw was asked to investigate the impact of the chemical dispersant [[Corexit]] used to contain the oil spill, and she was the first marine scientist to dive into the oil slick.<ref name="audubonmagazine">{{cite news|last=Leibach|first=Julie|title=Is the Gulf Getting Better? A Marine Toxicologist Weighs In|url=http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/conservation/marine-toxicologist-weighs-health-gulf|newspaper=Audubon Magazine|date=April 20, 2012}}</ref> She informed the national debate on the dangers of chemical dispersant use, maintaining that the dispersant oil mixture was more toxic to wildlife and human health than the oil alone because of the increased exposure to [[hydrocarbons]] and the synergistic toxicity of Corexit and oil components.<ref name="meriresearch" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Levitt|first=Tom|title=Toxic dispersants in Gulf oil spill creating hidden marine crisis|url=http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/583740/toxic_dispersants_in_gulf_oil_spill_creating_hidden_marine_crisis.html|newspaper=The Ecologist|date=September 6, 2010|author2=Nicole Edmison}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Susan Shaw measures the BP oil disaster's long-term impact|url=http://www.wgbh.org/includes/playerPop.cfm?featureid=37356|newspaper=WGBH - Greater Boston}}</ref> Shaw was appointed to the 14-member Strategic Sciences Working Group, convened by the [[US Department of the Interior]], to assess the consequences of the oil spill and make policy recommendations to federal agencies.<ref>{{cite web|title=DOI Strategic Sciences Working Group|url=http://www.strategicsciencesworkinggroup.com/omeka-1.2.1/archive/files/press-packet-final_91bb6aa0af.pdf}}</ref> She delivered a memo in September 2010 stating there is no safe level of exposure to [[carcinogens|cancer-causing compounds]] in oil, and warned that the use of Corexit dispersants, in combination with [[crude oil]], would result in a legacy of long-term damage to wildlife and human health in the Gulf region.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Science Insight: It's Not About Dose|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/ScienceInsightforweb.pdf}}</ref> Shaw subsequently launched Gulf EcoTox, an independent investigation into the effects of oil and chemical dispersants in the [[food web]].<ref name="bangordailynews">{{cite news|last=Hewitt|first=Rich|title=Deep Water Horizon oil still affects Gulf Coast environment, residents|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/04/13/news/hancock/deep-water-horizon-oil-still-affects-gulf-coast-environment-residents/|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=April 13, 2011}}</ref> The study is ongoing.


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In 2000, the Marine Environmental Research Institute began its long-term research focused on marine [[sentinel species]] to characterize the extent of contamination of the northwest Atlantic [[marine ecosystem]] from Maine to [[New York]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Toxic Pollution in Casco Bay: Sources and Impacts|year=2007|author=Casco Bay Estuary Partnership|chapter=How are seals, as top predators, impacted by toxic contaminants in Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine?}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Gertz|first=Emily|title=Tackling a Hidden Threat to Marine Mammals|url=http://ensia.com/articles/tackling-a-hidden-threat-to-marine-mammals/|newspaper=Ensia|date=February 26, 2013}}</ref> Funded by the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA), this region-wide effort has produced a large body of data on a wide range of [[persistent organic pollutants]], including flame retardants, in marine mammals and fish that has placed the region in a global perspective.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|author2=Kurunthachalam Kannan |title=Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in marine ecosystems of the American continents: foresight from current knowledge|journal=Reviews on Environmental Health|date=July–Sept 2009|volume=24|issue=3|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19891120|doi=10.1515/REVEH.2009.24.3.157|pmid=19891120}}</ref> This work has shown that levels of toxic chemicals, such as [[polychlorinated biphenyls]] (PCBs), in northwest Atlantic harbor seals are among the highest in the world.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mack|first=Sharon Kiley|title=More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/08/news/down-east/more-man-made-contaminants-discovered-in-maine’s-harbor-seals/?ref=search|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=September 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Michelle L. Berger; Liesbeth Weijs; Olaf Päpke and Adrian Covaci|title=Polychlorinated biphenyls still pose significant health risks to northwest Atlantic harbor seals|journal=Science of the Total Environment|date=August 15, 2014|volume=490|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896971400669X|doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.011</ref>
In the months after the oil spill started, Shaw delivered two [[TEDx]] talks discussing the increased toxicity to marine life and human health as a result of the mixture of oil and Corexit.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Oil Spill's Toxic Trade-off|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tedtalks/susan-shaw-the-oil-spills_b_660792.html|publisher=Huffington Post | date=July 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=TEDxMidAtlantic 2010 - Susan Shaw - Six Months After Oil Spill, Where Are We?|url=http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxMidAtlantic-2010-Susan-Sh-2|publisher=TED}}</ref> Shaw predicted the decimation of [[deep-water coral]], species known to be sensitive to the Corexit-oil mixture, and the deaths of [[dolphins]] from unavoidable [[inhalation]] of the mixture as they surfaced to breathe,<ref name="onearth" /><ref name="smartplanet">{{cite news|last=Sherwood|first=Christina Hernandez|title=Q&A: Susan Shaw, marine toxicologist|url=http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/pure-genius/q-a-susan-shaw-marine-toxicologist/7897?tag=content;siu-container|newspaper=SmartPlanet|date=March 21, 2012}}</ref> both outcomes which occurred.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gulf Oil Spill: Coral Death 'Definitively' Linked To BP Spill|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/26/gulf-oil-spill-coral-death_n_1380712.html?ref=green&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009|newspaper=AP/Huffington Post | first=James|last=Gerken|date=March 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McConnaughey|first=Janet|title=Gulf Of Mexico Dolphin Deaths Point To Continued Effects Of BP Oil Spill, Group Alleges|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/gulf-of-mexico-dolphin-deaths-bp_n_3001408.html|newspaper=AP/Huffington Post|date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> She appeared in [[documentary films]] on the oil spill, including [[Animal Planet]]’s ''Black Tide: Voices of the Gulf'' and Green Planet’s [[The Big Fix (2012 Film)|The Big Fix]].<ref name="grist" />

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In 2007, Shaw was credited as the first scientist to show that brominated flame retardant chemicals used in household and consumer products have contaminated marine mammals and fish in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fraser|first=Doug|title=Mysterious seal deaths linked to chems|url=http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071015/NEWS/710150327|newspaper=Cape Cod Times|date=October 15, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Michelle L. Berger, Diane Brenner, David O. Carpenter, Lin Tao, Chia-Swee Hong and Kurunthachalam Kannan|title=Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in farmed and wild salmon marketed in the Northeastern United States|journal=Chemosphere|date=April 2008|volume=71|issue=8|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653508000684|doi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.01.030</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Diane Brenner, Michelle L. Berger, Fu Fang, Chia-Swee Hong, Rudolf Addink and David Hilker|title=Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in harbor seals from the northwest Atlantic|journal=Chemosphere|date=December 2008|volume=73|issue=11|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653508011223|doi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.09.016</ref> This information helped support toxics policy reform in the state of Maine when the Legislature banned [[Deca-BDE]] from household products as of 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mack|first=Sharon Kiley|title=More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/08/news/down-east/more-man-made-contaminants-discovered-in-maine’s-harbor-seals/?ref=search|date=September 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=An Act to Clarify Maine's Phaseout of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers|url=http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_124th/chappdfs/PUBLIC610.pdf|publisher=124th Maine State Legislature}}</ref>

That same year, Shaw was lead author on a review paper on halogenated flame retardants, titled ''Halogenated Flame Retardants: Do the Fire Safety Benefits Justify the Risks?'', which challenged the efficacy of these chemicals in preventing fire deaths. It presented a large body of scientific evidence of the negative health effects, including cancer, that are associated with exposure to halogenated flame retardants in consumer products.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Arlene Blum, Roland Weber, Kurunthachalam Kannan, David Rich, Donald Lucas, Catherine P. Koshland, Dina Dobraca, Sarah Hanson and Linda S. Birnbaum|title=Halogenated flame retardants: do the fire safety benefits justify the risks?|journal=Reviews on Environmental Health|date=Oct–Dec 2010|volume=25|issue=4|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21268442|doi=10.1515/REVEH.2010.25.4.261|pmid=21268442}}</ref>

⚫
The paper had national policy implications, laying the groundwork for the San Antonio Statement, which cited the need for regulatory action on halogenated flame retardant chemicals worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal|last=DiGangi|first=Joseph|author2=Arlene Blum |author3=Åke Bergman |author4=Cynthia A. de Wit |author5=Donald Lucas |author6=David Mortimer |author7=Arnold Schecter |author8=Martin Scheringer |author9=Susan D. Shaw |author10=Thomas F. Webster |title=San Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|date=December 2010|volume=118|issue=12|doi=10.1289/ehp.1003089|pmc=3002202|pages=A516–A518|pmid=21123135}}</ref> It was signed by more than 300 scientists from 30 countries.<ref>{{cite news|last=Walsh|first=Bryan|title=Flame Retardants in Everyday Products May Be a Health Hazard, Scientists Say|url=http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/28/chemical-safety-scientists-come-out-against-chemical-flame-retardants-in-ordinary-products/|newspaper=Time Magazine|date=October 28, 2010}}</ref> Shaw's paper and the statement were, in turn, the basis for the [[Chicago Tribune]]’s 2012 exposé of the [[chemical industry]]’s campaign to market harmful flame retardant chemicals to the American public.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune watchdog: Playing with fire|url=http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html|newspaper=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

== BP Oil Spill ==

⚫
In May 2010, a month after the explosion of the [[Deepwater Horizon oil rig]] in the Gulf of Mexico, Shaw dove into the oil slick to investigate the impact of the chemical dispersant [[Corexit]], which was being used to contain the oil spill. Her findings informed the national debate on the dangers of chemical dispersant use.<ref name="audubonmagazine">{{cite news|last=Leibach|first=Julie|title=Is the Gulf Getting Better? A Marine Toxicologist Weighs In|url=http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/conservation/marine-toxicologist-weighs-health-gulf|newspaper=Audubon Magazine|date=April 20, 2012}}</ref> She maintained that the dispersant-oil mixture was more toxic to wildlife and human health than the oil alone, because of the increased exposure to [[hydrocarbons]] in the water column, and the synergistic toxicity of Corexit and oil components combined.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schor|first=Elana|title=Oil Spill Dispersants Shifting Ecosystem Impacts in Gulf, Scientists Warn|url=http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/07/30/30greenwire-oil-spill-dispersants-shifting-ecosystem-impac-95608.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="meriresearch" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Levitt|first=Tom|title=Toxic dispersants in Gulf oil spill creating hidden marine crisis|url=http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/583740/toxic_dispersants_in_gulf_oil_spill_creating_hidden_marine_crisis.html|newspaper=The Ecologist|date=September 6, 2010|author2=Nicole Edmison}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Susan Shaw measures the BP oil disaster's long-term impact|url=http://www.wgbh.org/includes/playerPop.cfm?featureid=37356|newspaper=WGBH - Greater Boston}}</ref>

Shaw was appointed to the Strategic Sciences Working Group (SSWG), convened by the [[US Department of the Interior]], to assess the consequences of the oil spill and make policy recommendations to federal agencies.<ref>{{cite web|title=DOI Strategic Sciences Working Group|url=http://www.strategicsciencesworkinggroup.com/omeka-1.2.1/archive/files/press-packet-final_91bb6aa0af.pdf}}</ref> In September 2010, she drafted a scientific memo titled “It’s Not About Dose” on behalf of the SSWG stating there is no safe level of exposure to cancer-causing hydrocarbons in oil.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=Science Insight: It's Not About Dose|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/ScienceInsightforweb.pdf}}</ref> The memo warned that the use of Corexit dispersants, in combination with [[crude oil]], would result in long-term damage to wildlife and human health in the Gulf region.<ref name="smartplanet">{{cite news|last=Sherwood|first=Christina Hernandez|title=Q&A: Susan Shaw, marine toxicologist|url=http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/pure-genius/q-a-susan-shaw-marine-toxicologist/7897?tag=content;siu-container|newspaper=SmartPlanet|date=March 21, 2012}}</ref> The Marine Environmental Research Institute subsequently launched Gulf EcoTox, an independent investigation into the effects of oil and chemical dispersants in the [[food web]].<ref name="bangordailynews">{{cite news|last=Hewitt|first=Rich|title=Deep Water Horizon oil still affects Gulf Coast environment, residents|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/04/13/news/hancock/deep-water-horizon-oil-still-affects-gulf-coast-environment-residents/|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=April 13, 2011}}</ref>

Shaw predicted the decimation of [[deep-water coral]], species known to be sensitive to the Corexit-oil mixture, and the deaths of [[dolphins]] from unavoidable [[inhalation]] of the mixture as they surfaced to breathe.<ref name="onearth">{{cite web|last=Gertz|first=Emily|title=Marine Toxicologist Susan Shaw Dives Into Gulf Spill, Talks Dispersants and Food Web Damage|url=http://www.onearth.org/blog/marine-toxicologist-susan-shaw-dives-into-gulf-spill-talks-dispersants-and-food-web-dam|publisher=OnEarth}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Oil Spill's Toxic Trade-off|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tedtalks/susan-shaw-the-oil-spills_b_660792.html|publisher=Huffington Post | date=July 27, 2010}}</ref> Both outcomes have since occurred.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gulf Oil Spill: Coral Death 'Definitively' Linked To BP Spill|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/26/gulf-oil-spill-coral-death_n_1380712.html?ref=green&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009|newspaper=AP/Huffington Post | first=James|last=Gerken|date=March 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McConnaughey|first=Janet|title=Gulf Of Mexico Dolphin Deaths Point To Continued Effects Of BP Oil Spill, Group Alleges|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/gulf-of-mexico-dolphin-deaths-bp_n_3001408.html|newspaper=AP/Huffington Post|date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> She also predicted with certainty the human health crisis in the Gulf today, stating that a scientific review found that “five of the Corexit ingredients are linked to cancer, 33 are associated with skin irritation from rashes to burns, 33 are linked to eye irritation, 11 are or are suspected of being potential respiratory toxins or irritants, and 10 are suspected kidney toxins.”<ref>{{cite news|last=Jamail|first=Dahr|title=BP's 'widespread human health crisis'|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/bp-widespread-human-health-crisis-2013102717831227732.html|newspaper=Al Jazeera|date=October 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=The Chaos of Clean-Up|url=http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/Oil_Dispersants_Report.pdf|date=August 2011}}</ref>

She delivered three [[TEDx]] talks discussing the long-term damage to the ecosystem and the impending human health crisis in the Gulf as a result of exposure to the oil-Corexit mixture.<ref name="smartplanet" /><ref>{{cite web|title=TEDxMidAtlantic 2010 - Susan Shaw - Six Months After Oil Spill, Where Are We?|url=http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxMidAtlantic-2010-Susan-Sh-2|publisher=TED}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Reckless Endangerment: The Gulf Oil Spill Revisited|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72sCg-X0zE4}}</ref> She appeared in [[documentary films]] on the oil spill, including [[Animal Planet]]’s ''Black Tide: Voices of the Gulf'' and Green Planet’s [[The Big Fix (2012 Film)|The Big Fix]].<ref name="grist" />


== Current work ==
== Current work ==
The Marine Environmental Research Institute’s research examines the sources, fate, exposure pathways, tissue-specific [[bioaccumulation]]/[[biomagnification]], and health effects of organic halogenated chemicals in the environment. The organization’s current work focuses on highly exposed populations, including [[firefighters]], to indoor contaminants including flame retardants and carcinogenic combustion by-products that may relate to their elevated rates of cancer.<ref>{{cite paper|title=Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service|url=http://www.firefightercancersupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Taking-Action-against-Cancer-in-the-Fire-Service.pdf|publisher=Firefighter Cancer Support Network|date=August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Daniels|first=Robert D. |author2=Travis L. Kubale |author3=James H. Yiin |displayauthors=3 |title=Mortality and cancer incidence in a pooled cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia (1950− 2009)|journal=Occup Environ Med|date=October 14, 2013|doi=10.1136/oemed-2013-101662}}</ref>
⚫
Shaw is investigating toxic chemical exposure in human populations, including [[firefighters]], who have high [[occupational safety and health|occupational exposure]] to multiple toxic chemicals during fire events. She is the lead author on a February 2013 study that tested a group of firefighters in [[San Francisco]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|author2=Michelle L. Berger |author3=Jennifer H. Harris |author4=Se Hun Yun |author5=Qian Wu |author6=Chunyang Liao |author7=Arlene Blum |author8=Anthony Stefani |author9=Kurunthachalam Kannan |displayauthors=9 |title=Persistent organic pollutants including polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in firefighters from Northern California|journal=Chemosphere|date=8 February 2013|volume=91|issue=10|doi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.12.070|pages=1386–94|pmid=23395527}}</ref> and found that their blood contains high levels of flame retardants and cancer-causing chemicals such as [[dioxins]] and [[furans]] produced by burning household materials during fires, and that exposure to these chemicals may carry even higher risks for cancer and other health problems than already demonstrated.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thorsen|first=Nina|title=Flame Retardants Pose Special Risk to Firefighters|url=http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2013/02/22/116783/flame_retardants_pose_special_risk_to_firefighters?category=health|newspaper=KQED News|date=February 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Alter|first=Lloyd|title=Study links flame retardants in plastics to cancer in firefighters|url=http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/study-links-flame-retardants-plastics-cancer-firefighters.html|newspaper=TreeHugger|date=June 28, 2013}}</ref> The initial findings were presented in a July 2012 [[United States Senate|Senate]] [[testimony]] given by Tony Stefani, a retired captain of the [[San Francisco Fire Department]] and president of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation,<ref>{{cite web|last=Stefani|first=Tony|title=Senate testimony of Tony Stefani|url=http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=9886e701-d756-437a-84fa-28c11ff91cf5}}</ref> to support the passage of the Safe Chemicals Act introduced by late [[New Jersey]] [[Senator Frank Lautenberg]] and New York Senator [[Kirsten Gillibrand]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Safe Chemicals Act (S. 696)|url=http://www.saferchemicals.org/safe-chemicals-act/|publisher=Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families}}</ref> A larger firefighter study is planned.<ref name="thehill">{{cite news|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=A burning issue for firefighters: Flame retardants and cancer|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/286589-a-burning-issue-for-firefighters-flame-retardants-and-cancer|newspaper=The Hill|date=March 6, 2013}}</ref>

⚫
In 2013, Shaw was lead investigator of a study that tested a group of firefighters in [[San Francisco]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|author2=Michelle L. Berger |author3=Jennifer H. Harris |author4=Se Hun Yun |author5=Qian Wu |author6=Chunyang Liao |author7=Arlene Blum |author8=Anthony Stefani |author9=Kurunthachalam Kannan |displayauthors=9 |title=Persistent organic pollutants including polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in firefighters from Northern California|journal=Chemosphere|date=8 February 2013|volume=91|issue=10|doi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.12.070|pages=1386–94|pmid=23395527}}</ref> and found that their blood contains high levels of flame retardants and cancer-causing chemicals such as [[dioxins]] and [[furans]], produced by the burning of flame-retarded household materials.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thorsen|first=Nina|title=Flame Retardants Pose Special Risk to Firefighters|url=http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2013/02/22/116783/flame_retardants_pose_special_risk_to_firefighters?category=health|newspaper=KQED News|date=February 22, 2013}}</ref> The study’s findings suggested that chemical exposure during firefighting may carry higher risk for multiple cancers than previously demonstrated.<ref name="thehill">{{cite news|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|title=A burning issue for firefighters: Flame retardants and cancer|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/286589-a-burning-issue-for-firefighters-flame-retardants-and-cancer|newspaper=The Hill|date=March 6, 2013}}</ref> Based on these findings, in 2014, the Institute announced plans for a long-term study of chemical exposure and cancer risk in U.S. firefighters.<ref>{{cite news|last=Marshall|first=Dr. Malika|title=Hidden Danger Putting Firefighters At Risk For Cancer|url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/05/19/hidden-danger-putting-firefighters-at-risk-for-cancer|newspaper=CBS Boston|date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>


== Honors and awards ==
== Honors and awards ==
Shaw is a [[Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation|Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows - Susan Shaw|url=http://www.cic.edu/Programs-and-Services/Programs/Woodrow-Wilson-Visiting-Fellows/Pages/Susan-Shaw.aspx|publisher=The Council of Independent Colleges}}</ref> and was named a Gulf of Maine Visionary by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment in 2007<ref name="meriresearch_a" /> In May 2011, she received the Society of Women Geographers’ Gold Medal Award, the society’s highest award, that was previously awarded to 18 women since 1935, including [[Amelia Earhart]], [[Margaret Mead]], [[Jane Goodall]], and [[Sylvia Earle]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hewitt|first=Rich|title=Marine research institute director to receive national awards|url=https://bangordailynews.com/2011/05/04/news/marine-research-institute-director-to-receive-national-awards/|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=May 4, 2011}}</ref> In March 2012, Shaw received the [[Explorers Club]] Citation of Merit Award for “extraordinary feats of exploration and research” and her leadership role in [[ocean conservation]].<ref name="audubonmagazine" /> She was a recipient of the 2012 Next Award from Mainebiz magazine for her work in shaping the future and the economy of Maine.<ref>{{cite news|last=Valigra|first=Lori|title=Susan Shaw fights pollutants to keep Maine's coast open for business|url=http://www.mainebiz.biz/article/20121015/CURRENTEDITION/310119990/susan-shaw-fights-pollutants-to-keep-maine's-coast-open-for-business|newspaper=Mainebiz|date=October 15, 2012}}</ref> In January 2013, [[SmartPlanet]] named Shaw as one of the “25 amazing people” interviewed as part of its “Pure Genius” series.<ref name="smartplanet" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Nusca|first=Andrew|title=25 amazing people we talked to in 2012|url=http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/25-amazing-people-we-talked-to-in-2012/9240|newspaper=SmartPlanet|date=January 2, 2013}}</ref>
Shaw is a [[Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation|Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow]] to U.S. universities<ref>{{cite web|title=Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows - Susan Shaw|url=http://www.cic.edu/Programs-and-Services/Programs/Woodrow-Wilson-Visiting-Fellows/Pages/Susan-Shaw.aspx|publisher=The Council of Independent Colleges}}</ref> and was named a Gulf of Maine Visionary by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment in 2007<ref name="meriresearch_a">{{cite news|last=Rappaport|first=Stephen|title=MERI Founder and Director Susan Shaw Wins Gulf of Maine Visionary Award|url=http://www.meriresearch.org/Portals/0/Documents/EA%20Waterfront%20Visionary%20Award%20article%206%2014%2007.pdf|newspaper=Ellsworth American|date=June 14, 2007}}</ref> In May 2011, she received the Society of Women Geographers’ Gold Medal Award.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hewitt|first=Rich|title=Marine research institute director to receive national awards|url=https://bangordailynews.com/2011/05/04/news/marine-research-institute-director-to-receive-national-awards/|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=May 4, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Raloff|first=Janet|title=Marine scientist joins ranks of Amelia Earhart, Jane Goodall|url=http://meriresearch.org/Portals/0/ScienceNewsProfile062411.pdf|date=June 24, 2011}}</ref> In March 2012, Shaw received the [[Explorers Club]] Citation of Merit Award for her work in [[ocean conservation]].<ref name="audubonmagazine" /> She was a recipient of the 2012 Next Award from Mainebiz magazine for her work in shaping the future and the economy of Maine.<ref>{{cite news|last=Valigra|first=Lori|title=Susan Shaw fights pollutants to keep Maine's coast open for business|url=http://www.mainebiz.biz/article/20121015/CURRENTEDITION/310119990/susan-shaw-fights-pollutants-to-keep-maine's-coast-open-for-business|newspaper=Mainebiz|date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>


== Quotes ==
“We know that firefighters have a high rate of cancer. So we’re looking to connect the dots. What are the chemicals that might be causing these cancers? Do the firefighters have more in their blood immediately after fighting a fire?” ([[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]], March 2013)<ref name="thehill" />
“The dispersant-oil mix is extremely toxic, and it’s still in the Gulf in large amounts. The impacts are not limited to the environment and the small marine creatures. One of the most dire consequences of the oil spill may be its effect on the people living along the Gulf Coast who were exposed to the toxin." ([[Bangor Daily News]], April 2011)<ref name="bangordailynews" />
“We're protecting less than one percent of our oceans, so we still need to do much, much more. Saving our oceans is a survival issue for all of us.” ([[Audubon (magazine)|Audubon Magazine]], April 2012)<ref name="audubonmagazine" />


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 19:01, 28 August 2014

Susan D. Shaw
Susan Shaw with a stranded seal pup, Seals as Sentinels research, Maine Coast 2007
Born (1943-10-24) October 24, 1943 (age 80)
Dallas, Texas, USA
NationalityAmerican
Alma materColumbia University School of Public Health
University of Texas at Austin
AwardsSociety of Women Geographers’ Gold Medal Award, Explorers Club Citation of Merit, Gulf of Maine Visionary Award
Scientific career
FieldsEnvironmental Health, Toxicology
InstitutionsUniversity at Albany, SUNY

Susan D. Shaw (born October 24, 1943 in Dallas, Texas) is an American environmental health scientist, explorer, ocean conservationist, and author. A Doctor of Public Health, she is a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health at the State University of New York at Albany, and the founder of the Marine Environmental Research Institute. Shaw has worked extensively on issues related to toxic chemical exposure and its impacts on human health and wildlife. In 1983, with landscape photographer Ansel Adams, she published Overexposure, the first book to document the health hazards of photographic chemicals.[1][2] Shaw is credited as the first scientist to show that brominated flame retardant chemicals used in consumer products have contaminated marine mammals and commercially important fish stocks in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.[3][4] She is known for diving into the Gulf of Mexico oil slick following the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion to investigate the impacts of chemical dispersants used in response to the spill.[5][6][7][8]

Education and early career

Shaw received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas in 1967 with a major in Plan II, an interdisciplinary honors program modeled after the Harvard Society of Fellows Program.[9] Selected for the UT-Chilean Exchange Program in 1964, she spent a year in Chile as a Fulbright Scholar. She earned an MFA degree in Film from Columbia University in 1970, and a doctorate in Public Health/Environmental Health Sciences (Dr.P.H.) from Columbia University’s School of Public Health in 1999.

In 1980, Ansel Adams commissioned her to write Overexposure, published in 1983 as the first book to document the health hazards of photographic chemicals used in the darkroom.[10] A second edition of the book was published in 1991.[11]

Shaw founded the Marine Environmental Research Institute in Blue Hill, Maine in 1990 following the deaths of 20,000 harbor seals inhabiting polluted waters of northwestern Europe.[12] This wildlife “signal” event was followed by other mass die-offs of marine mammals in polluted marine regions.[13][14] Advancing understanding of the impacts of toxic chemicals on marine mammal health became the Institute’s research focus over the next two decades.[15] The Institute’s mission is to protect the environment and people from the effects of harmful exposure in three priority areas: halogenated flame retardants and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), chemical dispersants used in oil spills, and plastic pollution.

Research

For three decades, Shaw’s work has focused on the health effects of environmental chemical exposure in marine wildlife and humans.

In 2000, the Marine Environmental Research Institute began its long-term research focused on marine sentinel species to characterize the extent of contamination of the northwest Atlantic marine ecosystem from Maine to New York.[16][17] Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this region-wide effort has produced a large body of data on a wide range of persistent organic pollutants, including flame retardants, in marine mammals and fish that has placed the region in a global perspective.[18] This work has shown that levels of toxic chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in northwest Atlantic harbor seals are among the highest in the world.[19][20]

In 2007, Shaw was credited as the first scientist to show that brominated flame retardant chemicals used in household and consumer products have contaminated marine mammals and fish in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.[21][22][23] This information helped support toxics policy reform in the state of Maine when the Legislature banned Deca-BDE from household products as of 2010.[24][25]

That same year, Shaw was lead author on a review paper on halogenated flame retardants, titled Halogenated Flame Retardants: Do the Fire Safety Benefits Justify the Risks?, which challenged the efficacy of these chemicals in preventing fire deaths. It presented a large body of scientific evidence of the negative health effects, including cancer, that are associated with exposure to halogenated flame retardants in consumer products.[26]

The paper had national policy implications, laying the groundwork for the San Antonio Statement, which cited the need for regulatory action on halogenated flame retardant chemicals worldwide.[27] It was signed by more than 300 scientists from 30 countries.[28] Shaw's paper and the statement were, in turn, the basis for the Chicago Tribune’s 2012 exposé of the chemical industry’s campaign to market harmful flame retardant chemicals to the American public.[29]

BP Oil Spill

In May 2010, a month after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, Shaw dove into the oil slick to investigate the impact of the chemical dispersant Corexit, which was being used to contain the oil spill. Her findings informed the national debate on the dangers of chemical dispersant use.[30] She maintained that the dispersant-oil mixture was more toxic to wildlife and human health than the oil alone, because of the increased exposure to hydrocarbons in the water column, and the synergistic toxicity of Corexit and oil components combined.[31][7][32][33]

Shaw was appointed to the Strategic Sciences Working Group (SSWG), convened by the US Department of the Interior, to assess the consequences of the oil spill and make policy recommendations to federal agencies.[34] In September 2010, she drafted a scientific memo titled “It’s Not About Dose” on behalf of the SSWG stating there is no safe level of exposure to cancer-causing hydrocarbons in oil.[35] The memo warned that the use of Corexit dispersants, in combination with crude oil, would result in long-term damage to wildlife and human health in the Gulf region.[36] The Marine Environmental Research Institute subsequently launched Gulf EcoTox, an independent investigation into the effects of oil and chemical dispersants in the food web.[37]

Shaw predicted the decimation of deep-water coral, species known to be sensitive to the Corexit-oil mixture, and the deaths of dolphins from unavoidable inhalation of the mixture as they surfaced to breathe.[5][38] Both outcomes have since occurred.[39][40] She also predicted with certainty the human health crisis in the Gulf today, stating that a scientific review found that “five of the Corexit ingredients are linked to cancer, 33 are associated with skin irritation from rashes to burns, 33 are linked to eye irritation, 11 are or are suspected of being potential respiratory toxins or irritants, and 10 are suspected kidney toxins.”[41][42]

She delivered three TEDx talks discussing the long-term damage to the ecosystem and the impending human health crisis in the Gulf as a result of exposure to the oil-Corexit mixture.[36][43][44] She appeared in documentary films on the oil spill, including Animal Planet’s Black Tide: Voices of the Gulf and Green Planet’s The Big Fix.[1]

Current work

The Marine Environmental Research Institute’s research examines the sources, fate, exposure pathways, tissue-specific bioaccumulation/biomagnification, and health effects of organic halogenated chemicals in the environment. The organization’s current work focuses on highly exposed populations, including firefighters, to indoor contaminants including flame retardants and carcinogenic combustion by-products that may relate to their elevated rates of cancer.[45][46]

In 2013, Shaw was lead investigator of a study that tested a group of firefighters in San Francisco[47] and found that their blood contains high levels of flame retardants and cancer-causing chemicals such as dioxins and furans, produced by the burning of flame-retarded household materials.[48] The study’s findings suggested that chemical exposure during firefighting may carry higher risk for multiple cancers than previously demonstrated.[49] Based on these findings, in 2014, the Institute announced plans for a long-term study of chemical exposure and cancer risk in U.S. firefighters.[50]

Honors and awards

Shaw is a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow to U.S. universities[51] and was named a Gulf of Maine Visionary by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment in 2007[52] In May 2011, she received the Society of Women Geographers’ Gold Medal Award.[53][54] In March 2012, Shaw received the Explorers Club Citation of Merit Award for her work in ocean conservation.[30] She was a recipient of the 2012 Next Award from Mainebiz magazine for her work in shaping the future and the economy of Maine.[55]


References

  1. ^ a b Cassie, Ron. "Diving deep: Susan Shaw, ocean crusader and environmental health pioneer".
  2. ^ Shaw, Susan (1983). Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography. Friends of Photography. ISBN 0933286376.
  3. ^ "Speakers: Susan Shaw: Marine toxicologist".
  4. ^ Shaw, Susan D.; Berger, Michelle L.; Brenner, Diane; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Lohmann, Nina; Päpke, Olaf (May 2009). "Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in the northwest Atlantic marine food web". Science of the Total Environment. 407 (10): 3323–3329. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.02.018. PMID 19269019.
  5. ^ a b Gertz, Emily. "Marine Toxicologist Susan Shaw Dives Into Gulf Spill, Talks Dispersants and Food Web Damage". OnEarth.
  6. ^ Schor, Elana (July 30, 2010). "Oil Spill Dispersants Shifting Ecosystem Impacts in Gulf, Scientists Warn". New York Times.
  7. ^ a b Shaw, Susan D. "Consensus Statement: Scientists oppose the use of dispersant chemicals in the Gulf of Mexico" (PDF).
  8. ^ Shaw, Susan D. "Swimming Through the Spill".
  9. ^ "Plan II Honors Program Description".
  10. ^ Shaw, Susan (1983). Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography. Friends of Photography. ISBN 0933286376.
  11. ^ Shaw, Susan D.; Monona Rossol (1991). Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography (2 ed.). United States: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 0960711864.
  12. ^ Rivlin, Michael A. (Fall 2001). "Northern Exposure". OnEarth Magazine.
  13. ^ Shaw, Susan (September 24, 1991). "Marine life under siege" (PDF). Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Raloff, Janet (July 2, 1994). "Something's Fishy" (PDF). Science News.
  15. ^ Quimby, Beth (May 15, 2011). "Adventurous scientist to receive national honors". Portland Press Herald.
  16. ^ Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (2007). "How are seals, as top predators, impacted by toxic contaminants in Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine?". Toxic Pollution in Casco Bay: Sources and Impacts.
  17. ^ Gertz, Emily (February 26, 2013). "Tackling a Hidden Threat to Marine Mammals". Ensia.
  18. ^ Shaw, Susan D.; Kurunthachalam Kannan (July–Sept 2009). "Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in marine ecosystems of the American continents: foresight from current knowledge". Reviews on Environmental Health. 24 (3). doi:10.1515/REVEH.2009.24.3.157. PMID 19891120. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Mack, Sharon Kiley (September 8, 2011). "More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals". Bangor Daily News.
  20. ^ {{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Michelle L. Berger; Liesbeth Weijs; Olaf Päpke and Adrian Covaci|title=Polychlorinated biphenyls still pose significant health risks to northwest Atlantic harbor seals|journal=Science of the Total Environment|date=August 15, 2014|volume=490|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896971400669X%7Cdoi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.011
  21. ^ Fraser, Doug (October 15, 2007). "Mysterious seal deaths linked to chems". Cape Cod Times.
  22. ^ {{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Michelle L. Berger, Diane Brenner, David O. Carpenter, Lin Tao, Chia-Swee Hong and Kurunthachalam Kannan|title=Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in farmed and wild salmon marketed in the Northeastern United States|journal=Chemosphere|date=April 2008|volume=71|issue=8|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653508000684%7Cdoi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.01.030
  23. ^ {{cite journal|last=Shaw|first=Susan D.|coauthors=Diane Brenner, Michelle L. Berger, Fu Fang, Chia-Swee Hong, Rudolf Addink and David Hilker|title=Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in harbor seals from the northwest Atlantic|journal=Chemosphere|date=December 2008|volume=73|issue=11|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653508011223%7Cdoi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.09.016
  24. ^ Mack, Sharon Kiley (September 8, 2011). "More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals".
  25. ^ "An Act to Clarify Maine's Phaseout of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers" (PDF). 124th Maine State Legislature.
  26. ^ Shaw, Susan D. (Oct–Dec 2010). "Halogenated flame retardants: do the fire safety benefits justify the risks?". Reviews on Environmental Health. 25 (4). doi:10.1515/REVEH.2010.25.4.261. PMID 21268442. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ DiGangi, Joseph; Arlene Blum; Åke Bergman; Cynthia A. de Wit; Donald Lucas; David Mortimer; Arnold Schecter; Martin Scheringer; Susan D. Shaw; Thomas F. Webster (December 2010). "San Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants". Environmental Health Perspectives. 118 (12): A516–A518. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003089. PMC 3002202. PMID 21123135.
  28. ^ Walsh, Bryan (October 28, 2010). "Flame Retardants in Everyday Products May Be a Health Hazard, Scientists Say". Time Magazine.
  29. ^ "Tribune watchdog: Playing with fire". Chicago Tribune.
  30. ^ a b Leibach, Julie (April 20, 2012). "Is the Gulf Getting Better? A Marine Toxicologist Weighs In". Audubon Magazine.
  31. ^ Schor, Elana (July 30, 2010). "Oil Spill Dispersants Shifting Ecosystem Impacts in Gulf, Scientists Warn". New York Times.
  32. ^ Levitt, Tom; Nicole Edmison (September 6, 2010). "Toxic dispersants in Gulf oil spill creating hidden marine crisis". The Ecologist.
  33. ^ "Dr. Susan Shaw measures the BP oil disaster's long-term impact". WGBH - Greater Boston.
  34. ^ "DOI Strategic Sciences Working Group" (PDF).
  35. ^ Shaw, Susan D. "Science Insight: It's Not About Dose" (PDF).
  36. ^ a b Sherwood, Christina Hernandez (March 21, 2012). "Q&A: Susan Shaw, marine toxicologist". SmartPlanet.
  37. ^ Hewitt, Rich (April 13, 2011). "Deep Water Horizon oil still affects Gulf Coast environment, residents". Bangor Daily News.
  38. ^ "The Oil Spill's Toxic Trade-off". Huffington Post. July 27, 2010.
  39. ^ Gerken, James (March 26, 2012). "Gulf Oil Spill: Coral Death 'Definitively' Linked To BP Spill". AP/Huffington Post.
  40. ^ McConnaughey, Janet (April 2, 2013). "Gulf Of Mexico Dolphin Deaths Point To Continued Effects Of BP Oil Spill, Group Alleges". AP/Huffington Post.
  41. ^ Jamail, Dahr (October 27, 2013). "BP's 'widespread human health crisis'". Al Jazeera.
  42. ^ The Chaos of Clean-Up (PDF) (Report). August 2011.
  43. ^ "TEDxMidAtlantic 2010 - Susan Shaw - Six Months After Oil Spill, Where Are We?". TED.
  44. ^ "Reckless Endangerment: The Gulf Oil Spill Revisited".
  45. ^ "Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service" (PDF). Firefighter Cancer Support Network. August 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  46. ^ Daniels, Robert D.; Travis L. Kubale; James H. Yiin (October 14, 2013). "Mortality and cancer incidence in a pooled cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia (1950− 2009)". Occup Environ Med. doi:10.1136/oemed-2013-101662. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |displayauthors= ignored (|display-authors= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ Shaw, Susan D.; Michelle L. Berger; Jennifer H. Harris; Se Hun Yun; Qian Wu; Chunyang Liao; Arlene Blum; Anthony Stefani; Kurunthachalam Kannan (8 February 2013). "Persistent organic pollutants including polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in firefighters from Northern California". Chemosphere. 91 (10): 1386–94. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.12.070. PMID 23395527. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |displayauthors= ignored (|display-authors= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ Thorsen, Nina (February 22, 2013). "Flame Retardants Pose Special Risk to Firefighters". KQED News.
  49. ^ Shaw, Susan D. (March 6, 2013). "A burning issue for firefighters: Flame retardants and cancer". The Hill.
  50. ^ Marshall, Dr. Malika (May 19, 2014). "Hidden Danger Putting Firefighters At Risk For Cancer". CBS Boston.
  51. ^ "Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows - Susan Shaw". The Council of Independent Colleges.
  52. ^ Rappaport, Stephen (June 14, 2007). "MERI Founder and Director Susan Shaw Wins Gulf of Maine Visionary Award" (PDF). Ellsworth American.
  53. ^ Hewitt, Rich (May 4, 2011). "Marine research institute director to receive national awards". Bangor Daily News.
  54. ^ Raloff, Janet (June 24, 2011). "Marine scientist joins ranks of Amelia Earhart, Jane Goodall" (PDF).
  55. ^ Valigra, Lori (October 15, 2012). "Susan Shaw fights pollutants to keep Maine's coast open for business". Mainebiz.

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