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
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 CiteFeasibility Study: Silicone Wristbands for Measuring Pesticides and Flame-Retardants in Farming Older Men
Preprint · April 20, 2025 Full text CiteDistribution 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 CiteRecent Grants
Duke University Program in Environmental Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2029An integrated and diverse genomic medicine program for undiagnosed diseases
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2028The 10,000 Families Cohort: a new study to understand the environmental causes of cancer
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Minnesota · 2023 - 2027View All Grants