The Human Toxicology and Exposomics Laboratory

The Human Toxicology and Exposomics Laboratory is engaged in cutting edge environmental health sciences research elucidating the adverse outcome pathways leading to diseases caused by toxic substances and forever chemicals in domestic, occupational, and outdoor environments. We also explore interventions to reduce the burden of disease or to identify therapeutic treatments. Our research encompasses in vitro to in vivo studies and includes cross-sectional and longitudinal human cohort studies. We are especially equipped to study toxicants and xenobiotics for which the lung is the route of exposure and/or the target organ for toxicity. Please check out our list of current and recent grant-supported projects on the Research tab.

Principal Investigator

Peter S. Thorne, MS, PhD is the University of Iowa Distinguished Chair and Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, College of Public Health. He is the Director and co-founder of the Human Toxicology Program. Thorne is past Director (2000-2020) and current Deputy Director of the NIH-funded P30 Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC), now in its 32^nd year.

Thorne is a member and past chair of the EPA Science Advisory Board and chairs the Committee on Toxicology for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. He also works with Health Effects Institute’s HEI Energy serving on the Energy Research Committee.

His teaching portfolio includes undergraduate and graduate courses in climate change and health, global environmental health, and human toxicology.

Thorne earned his BS in chemical engineering, MS in biomedical engineering (mentor: Edwin Lightfoot), and PhD in toxicology (mentor: Ralph Albrecht) all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His postdoctoral fellowship was at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health (mentor: Meryl Karol).