Community-oriented action, science and translation superfund center (COAST)

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences awarded Emory University $3,055,575 on July 1, 2026, under the NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances_Basic Research and Education program (CFDA 93.143) to establish and operate the Community-Oriented Action, Science, and Translation Superfund Center (COAST), a multidisciplinary research collaboration addressing environmental contamination and public health in Brunswick, Georgia.

COAST integrates five research projects and five shared resource cores across six institutions—Emory University (lead), Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, and Texas Tech University. The center focuses on Brunswick, seat of Glynn County, which contains four National Priorities List sites, 168 additional hazardous waste sites, and active industry. Historical and ongoing chemical contamination—including mercury, toxaphene, and Aroclor 1268 polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures—concentrates in soils, waterways, and seafood. The center's research addresses disproportionate exposures in Black and Brown communities, poorly understood primary exposure pathways, gaps in health effects knowledge for toxaphene and Aroclor 1268, and climate-driven toxicant migration exacerbated by coastal flooding and extreme weather.

Period of performance runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, with place of performance in Atlanta, Georgia. The assistance type is a Project Grant under the P42 mechanism for broad-based, multidisciplinary research centers integrating biomedical research with environmental science and engineering disciplines.

Abstract

Overall the community-oriented action, science, and translation superfund center (COAST) is a collaboration between emory university (LEAD), morehouse school of medicine, spelman college, georgia institute of technology, the university of georgia, and texas tech university. The center concentrates on the coastal community of brunswick - the seat of glynn county, georgia - which is home to four sites on the national priorities list, 168 additional hazardous waste and material sites, and active industry. Collectively, these sites have contributed to the contamination of the region's soils, waterways, seafood, and other environmental resources. The region faces historical and emerging chemical contamination in the context of social and economic stressors, making IT a focal point for addressing the many environmental injustices faced by its residents. Concerns about toxicant exposures from hazardous sites - including mercury, toxaphene, and aroclor 1268 polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures - are exacerbated by brunswick's coastal location which is vulnerable to frequent flooding and extreme weather that promotes migration of chemicals across waterways and land. The theme of COAST is advancing public health and climate resilience in coastal communities by addressing the problems of hazardous substances. The center's five projects and five cores were designed to tackle the following complex environmental problems: (1) under-resourced black and brown communities are disproportionately exposed to a complex milieu of chemical and non-chemical stressors, (2) the primary pathways of exposure are poorly understood, (3) little is known about the health effects of toxaphene or aroclor 1268, or their biological and toxicological underpinnings, either alone or in combination with each other and with non-chemical stressors, (4) flooding and extreme weather may migrate toxicants, alter exposure patterns, and threaten remediation, and (5) the ecologically important coastal marshes require detoxification without destruction. In addition to rigorous and innovative scientific research, the center emphasizes robust research translation and communication, transdisciplinary training and holistic mentorship, and dynamic community engagement. COAST will strive for continuous growth through comprehensive evaluation and through feedback from highly experienced members of internal, external, and community advisory boards.