Carpenter Returns to Share Research on Food Contaminants
Dr. David O. Carpenter, professor at the Environmental Health and Toxicology Division,
School of Public Health at the University at Albany, will discuss his research on
contaminants in farmed salmon on Thursday, Nov. 30. He will speak to marine biology
and ecology students from 11:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium of Palamountain
Hall. The talk is open to the public.
Carpenter's latest research on contaminants in farmed salmon appears in an article
titled "Consumption advisories for salmon based on risk of cancer and non-cancer health
effects" published in the journal Environmental Research (Vol. 101, No. 2, June 2006). Carpenter is well known in the field and this area
both for his work on the faculty of the University at Albany's School of Public Health
and for his prior service as a host of the "Health Show," which airs on WAMC-FM. He
is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health.
Cathy Domozych, senior teaching associate in biology who arranged Carpenter's visit,
explained, "We ask him back each fall to jointly address our marine bio and ecology
(and some freshman seminar students this year) because his message is intended for
a wide audience and directly impacts all of them as consumers. His work is also very
relevant to our discussions on pollution and over-fishing and helps tie together a
lot of what we have been teaching for the entire semester. He is an engaging speaker
as well." Monica Raveret-Richter, associate professor of biology, added, "Students
are very surprised to learn the extent of contamination in their food. Many take his
message very personally because it applies directly to them - they were eating salmon
frequently because they thought it was healthy. One student emailed me over the break
last winter to ask for the reference for one of Dr. Carpenter's recent papers to share
with her family and friends."
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Carpenter is a specialist in neuronal thermosensitivity,
neurotoxicology, and neural basis of human disease.
