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Heather M. Stapleton

Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor
Environmental Sciences and Policy
Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708-0328
9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, LSRC Room A207, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Professor Heather Stapleton is an environmental chemist and exposure scientist in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.  Her research interests focus on identification of halogenated and organophosphate chemicals in building materials, furnishings and consumer products, and estimation of human exposure, particularly in vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children.  Her laboratory utilizes mass spectrometry, including targeted and nontargeted approaches, to characterize chemical burdens in both environmental samples and biological tissues to support environmental health research. Currently she serves as the Director for the Duke Superfund Research Center, and Director of the Duke Environmental Analysis Laboratory, which is part of NIH’s Human Health Environmental Analysis Resource.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor · 2020 - Present Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment
Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering · 2024 - Present Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2015 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 8, 2025
‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Everywhere. Most of Their Health Effects Are Unknown
Published March 17, 2025
What’s the Cancer Risk for Firefighters? A Study Seeks to Find Out.
Published January 20, 2023
Welcome to the Microbial Revolution

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Recent Publications


Elevated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in tap water and serum in a community near an abandoned paper mill

Journal Article Environmental Advances · July 1, 2025 In 2018, elevated concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) (1600 ng/L) were discovered in municipal wells, and the groundwater contamination was linked to an abandoned paper mill landfill in southwestern Michigan. From 2020-2021, we co ... Full text Cite

Distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in placental tissues of maternal and fetal origin in exposed Wistar rats and associations with thyroid hormone levels.

Journal Article Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology · March 2025 In utero exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is linked to adverse pregnancy and fetal health outcomes, including altered thyroid hormone (TH) levels. Despite their phase-out, PBDEs are still commonly detected in newborn cord blood. While PBD ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2029

An integrated and diverse genomic medicine program for undiagnosed diseases

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2028

The 10,000 Families Cohort: a new study to understand the environmental causes of cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Minnesota · 2023 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Maryland, College Park · 2003 Ph.D.
University of Maryland, College Park · 2000 M.S.
Long Island University, Southhampton College · 1997 B.S.