Gabriel M. Filippelli
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Building Environmental Optimism from the Ground Up
Gabriel Filippelli, Ph.D., is interested in engaging communities to help them identify and overcome environmental challenges that face them. This includes his citizen-science work on lead exposure as well as his public speaking and writing activities revolving around the climate crisis.
Dr. Filippelli is working to alleviate lead poisoning, a tragic and avoidable harm that often brings cognitive challenges. Lead is present in soils, dust, paint, and water pipes, but we collectively have done a terrible job of identifying lead hotspots in communities and dealing with them. This is where Dr. Filippelli's community science approach comes in—by providing some guidance, participants collect environmental samples which are analyzed for free to identity lead and other heavy metals. If values are normal, then they can carry on with their lives, but when elevated values are found, Dr. Filippelli and his research team provide guidance on low-cost mitigation strategies that participants can use to reduce their risk of exposure.
Dr. Filippelli also highlights the unjust impacts of climate change and climate-fueled disasters, and places climate change in the geologic context so that people can better understand the forces at play, and can be assured that their individual and collective actions can bend the climate needle to reduce current and future harm. Dr. Filippelli tries to amplify this message by being a frequent media contributor and speaker, and has authored and edited several books on the topic. Dr. Filippelli's work to improve the health of communities and the climate is another excellent example of how IUPUI's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
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Item Gabriel Filippelli Research Introduction(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2021-03-09) Filippelli, Gabriel2020 Bantz Community Dialogue.Item Introduction to Gabriel Filippelli & His Work(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2024-04) Filippelli, GabrielIn this video, Dr. Filippelli discusses his work with community partners to address environmental toxicity concerns in their neighborhoods.Item Building Environmental Optimism from the Ground Up(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2024-04-26) Filippelli, GabrielMany communities are plagued by long-standing environmental injustices, many of them deeply embedded in the fabric of neighborhoods due to redlining and other systemic practices. These injustices include widespread contamination by lead (a neurotoxin), poor air quality, and lack of climate resilience. Dr. Filippelli shares in-depth examples of these issues, and his own approach to community-based research that strives to provide data, resources, and agency for communities to tip the balance toward equity.Item Effect of short-term exposure to air pollution on daily cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalisations in areas with a low level of air pollution(Springer, 2023) Hasnain, Md Golam; Garcia‑Esperon, Carlos; Tomari, Yumi Kashida; Walker, Rhonda; Saluja, Tarunpreet; Rahman, Md Mijanur; Boyle, Andrew; Levi, Christopher R.; Naidu, Ravi; Filippelli, Gabriel; Spratt, Neil J.; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of ScienceExposure to air pollution is associated with increased cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the evidence regarding the short-term effect of air pollution on cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalisations in areas with relatively low air pollution levels is limited. This study aims to examine the effect of short-term exposure to different air pollutants on hospital admissions due to cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases in rural and regional Australia with low air pollution. The study was conducted in five local Government areas of Hunter New England Local Health District (HNE-LHD). Hospitalisation data from January 2018 to February 2020 (820 days) were accessed from the HNE-LHD admitted patients' dataset. Poisson regression model was used to examine the association between the exposure (air pollutants) and outcome variables (hospitalisation due to cardio- and cerebrovascular disease). The concentrations of gaseous air pollutants, Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Ammonia (NH3) were below national benchmark concentrations for every day of the study period. In single pollutant models, SO2 and NO2 significantly increased the daily number of cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalisations. The highest cumulative effect for SO2 was observed across lag 0-3 days (Incidence Rate Ratio, IRR: 1.77; 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 1.18-2.65; p-value: 0.01), and for NO2, it was across lag 0-2 days (IRR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.02-1.25; p-value: 0.02). In contrast, higher O3 was associated with decreased cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalisations, with the largest effect observed at lag 0 (IRR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.89-0.98; p-value: 0.02). In the multi-pollutant model, the effect of NO2 remained significant at lag 0 and corresponded to a 21% increase in cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalisation (95% CI: 1-44%; p-value = 0.04). Thus, the study revealed that gaseous air pollutants, specifically NO2, were positively related to increased cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalisations, even at concentrations below the national standards.Item Predictive modeling of indoor dust lead concentrations: Sources, risks, and benefits of intervention(Elsevier, 2023) Dietrich, Matthew; Barlow, Cynthia F.; Entwistle, Jane A.; Meza-Figueroa, Diana; Dong, Chenyin; Gunkel-Grillon, Peggy; Jabeen, Khadija; Bramwell, Lindsay; Shukle, John T.; Wood, Leah R.; Naidu, Ravi; Fry, Kara; Taylor, Mark Patrick; Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of ScienceLead (Pb) contamination continues to contribute to world-wide morbidity in all countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries. Despite its continued widespread adverse effects on global populations, particularly children, accurate prediction of elevated household dust Pb and the potential implications of simple, low-cost household interventions at national and global scales have been lacking. A global dataset (∼40 countries, n = 1951) of community sourced household dust samples were used to predict whether indoor dust was elevated in Pb, expanding on recent work in the United States (U.S.). Binned housing age category alone was a significant (p < 0.01) predictor of elevated dust Pb, but only generated effective predictive accuracy for England and Australia (sensitivity of ∼80%), similar to previous results in the U.S. This likely reflects comparable Pb pollution legacies between these three countries, particularly with residential Pb paint. The heterogeneity associated with Pb pollution at a global scale complicates the predictive accuracy of our model, which is lower for countries outside England, the U.S., and Australia. This is likely due to differing environmental Pb regulations, sources, and the paucity of dust samples available outside of these three countries. In England, the U.S., and Australia, simple, low-cost household intervention strategies such as vacuuming and wet mopping could conservatively save 70 billion USD within a four-year period based on our model. Globally, up to 1.68 trillion USD could be saved with improved predictive modeling and primary intervention to reduce harmful exposure to Pb dust sources.Item The impact of combined sewer outflows on urban water quality: Spatio-temporal patterns of fecal coliform in indianapolis(Elsevier, 2023) Orr, Isheka; Mazari, Katerina; Shukle, John T.; Li, Rui; Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of ScienceMany urban waterways with older stormwater drainage systems receive a significant amount of untreated or poorly treated waste from Combined Sewer Outflow (CSO) systems during precipitation events. The input of effluent waste from CSO to urban water streams during storm events often leads to elevated fecal coliform, specifically Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) in these waterways. The aim of the study is to examine fecal coliform concentration, water chemistry, and water quality parameters to better understand spatio-temporal patterns of fecal coliform associated with CSO events in three waterways from Indianapolis, Indiana (USA). The waterways are Pleasant Run Creek (PRW), Fall Creek (FC) and White River (WR). The sampling occurred biweekly over one year for PRW, nine months for FC, and an intense (∼every three days) sub-analysis of the presumed peak period of fecal coliform growth (July) for WR. All PRW and FC sampling sites significantly exceeded the EPA contact standard limit of 200 CFU/100 mL for fecal coliform concentrations during the sampling period. We found no relationship between fecal coliform levels and the number or density of CSO outfalls above a given site. The most significant predictors of increased fecal coliform concentrations were precipitation on the sampling day and cumulative degree days. The most significant predictors of decreased fecal coliform were maximum precipitation during the ten-day window prior to sampling and median discharge during a three-day window prior to sampling. These findings suggest a push-pull balance within the system where CSO activation and seasonal gradients replenish and promote fecal coliform growth. At the same time, large hydrologic events act to flush and dilute fecal coliform concentrations. The results from this study help us to better understand how different drivers influence fecal coliform growth and how this information can be potentially used to predict and remediate the conditions of urban water streams.Item Positive outcomes from U.S. lead regulations, continued challenges, and lessons learned for regulating emerging contaminants(Springer, 2023) Dietrich, Matthew; Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of ScienceAlbeit slow and not without its challenges, lead (Pb) emissions and sources in the United States (U.S.) have decreased immensely over the past several decades. Despite the prevalence of childhood Pb poisoning throughout the twentieth century, most U.S. children born in the last two decades are significantly better off than their predecessors in regard to Pb exposure. However, this is not equal across demographic groups and challenges remain. Modern atmospheric emissions of Pb in the U.S. are nearly negligible since the banning of leaded gasoline in vehicles and regulatory controls on Pb smelting plants and refineries. This is evident in the rapid decrease of atmospheric Pb concentrations across the U.S. over the last four decades. One of the most significant remaining contributors to air Pb is aviation gasoline (avgas), which is minor compared to former Pb emissions. However, continual exposure risks to Pb exist in older homes and urban centers, where leaded paint and/or historically contaminated soils + dusts can still harm children. Thus, while effective in eliminating nearly all primary sources of Pb in the environment, the slow rate of U.S. Pb regulation has led to legacy sources of Pb in the environment. More proactive planning, communication, and research of commonly used emerging contaminants of concern that can persist in the environment long after their initial use (i.e., PFAS) should be prioritized so that the same mistakes are not made again.Item From the warm Pliocene to the cold Pleistocene: A tale of two oceans(Geological Society of America, 2009) Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Flores, José-AbelItem The “White Ocean” Hypothesis: A Late Pleistocene Southern Ocean Governed by Coccolithophores and Driven by Phosphorus(Frontiers Media, 2012-07-02) Flores, José-Abel; Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Sierro, Francisco J.; Latimer, Jennifer; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of SciencePaleoproductivity is a critical component in past ocean biogeochemistry, but accurate reconstructions of productivity are often hindered by limited integration of proxies. Here, we integrate geochemical (phosphorus) and micropaleontological proxies at millennial timescales, revealing that the coccolithophore record in the Subantarctic zone of the South Atlantic Ocean is driven largely by variations in marine phosphorus availability. A quantitative micropaleontological and geochemical analysis carried out in sediments retrieved from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1089 (Subantarctic Zone) reveals that most of the export productivity in this region over the last 0.5 my was due to coccolithophores. Glacial periods were generally intervals of high productivity, with productivity reaching a peak at terminations. Particularly high productivity was observed at Termination V and Termination IV, events that are characterized by high abundance of coccolithophores and maxima in the phosphorus/titanium and strontium/titanium records. We link the increase in productivity both to regional oceanographic phenomena, i.e., the northward displacement of the upwelling cell of the Antarctic divergence when the ice-sheet expanded, and to the increase in the inventory of phosphorus in the ocean due to enhanced transfer of this nutrient from continental margins during glacial lowstands in sea level. The Mid-Brunhes interval stands out from the rest of the record, being dominated by the small and highly calcified species Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica that provides most of the carbonate in these sediments. This likely represents higher availability of phosphorus in the surface ocean, especially in mesotrophic and oligotrophic zones. Under these condition, some coccolithophore species developed an r-strategy (opportunistic species; growth rate maximized) resulting in the bloom of G. caribbeanica. These seasonal blooms of may have induced “white tides” similar to those observed today in Emiliania huxleyi.Item Geochemical legacies and the future health of cities: A tale of two neurotoxins in urban soils(University of California Press, 2015) Filippelli, Gabriel M.; Risch, Martin; Laidlaw, Mark A. S.; Nichols, Deborah E.; Crewe, Julie; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of ScienceThe past and future of cities are inextricably linked, a linkage that can be seen clearly in the long-term impacts of urban geochemical legacies. As loci of population as well as the means of employment and industry to support these populations, cities have a long history of co-locating contaminating practices and people, sometimes with negative implications for human health. Working at the intersection between environmental processes, communities, and human health is critical to grapple with environmental legacies and to support healthy, sustainable, and growing urban populations. An emerging area of environmental health research is to understand the impacts of chronic exposures and exposure mixtures—these impacts are poorly studied, yet may pose a significant threat to population health. Acute exposure to lead (Pb), a powerful neurotoxin to which children are particularly susceptible, has largely been eliminated in the U.S. and other countries through policy-based restrictions on leaded gasoline and lead-based paints. But the legacy of these sources remains in the form of surface soil Pb contamination, a common problem in cities and one that has only recently emerged as a widespread chronic exposure mechanism in cities. Some urban soils are also contaminated with another neurotoxin, mercury (Hg). The greatest human exposure to Hg is through fish consumption, so eating fish caught in urban areas presents risks for toxic Hg exposure. The potential double impact of chronic exposure to these two neurotoxins is pronounced in cities. Overall, there is a paradigmatic shift from reaction to and remediation of acute exposures towards a more nuanced understanding of the dynamic cycling of persistent environmental contaminants with resultant widespread and chronic exposure of inner-city dwellers, leading to chronic toxic illness and disability at substantial human and social cost.