UB Faculty Receive Fogarty Award for Work in Egypt

UB professors Jim Olson and Matthew Bonner began an NIEHS funded project in June 2008 studying an adult population of pesticide applicators in the Nile Delta (north of Cairo) in Egypt. In 2012, a new project, led by Diane Rohlman, primary investigator from the University of Iowa, in partnership with faculty members Olson and Bonner at UB, and faculty at Menoufia University Medical School in Egypt, was awarded a 5 year RO1 grant funded by NIEHS and the Fogarty International Center.

The Nile Delta is primarily an agricultural community with many farmers growing cotton as a cash crop. Because Egyptian cotton is so highly valued, members of the ministry of agriculture ensure it’s of high quality by spraying the fields with pesticides. Olson et al were concerned about the health of the rural community living in and around those fields and especially those spraying pesticides. They want to investigate if exposure to pesticides causes cumulative, long-term adverse effects. With results of the investigation they aim to discover safer ways to apply pesticides in his region, reduce exposure to workers and community members, and make the environment safer. Capacity building at Menoufia University is another important aim of this new project.

In September 2013, Olson et al will invite five Egyptian colleagues and faculty members from the University of Iowa to UB to plan and train for the project as well as share individual research experiences with faculty members and the student body.