About

Stuart Batterman is a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. His research and teaching interests focus on environmental impact assessment, human exposure and health risk assessment, and environmental management. His work encompasses both theoretical development and applied laboratory and field studies, with particular emphasis on improving exposure measures used in risk assessments and epidemiological studies. Batterman's research addresses measuring toxic compounds such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in various environments including drinking water, ambient, and indoor air, as well as developing statistical and modeling methods to interpret and extend measurement data. His applied research tackles contemporary issues such as ambient and indoor air quality, environmental epidemiology, policy analysis, environmental engineering, environmental justice, and life cycle analysis. He has international research and training projects in Africa, especially South Africa, and in Europe, including Portugal, Russia, and Finland. Batterman directs the Hazardous Substances Academic Training Program and the Pilot Project Research Program at the NIOSH-supported Education and Resource Center. His background includes a PhD and MS in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from MIT and a BS in Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Automotive engineering
• Engineering
• Metallurgy
• Materials science
• Waste management
• Endocrinology
• Environmental health
• Environmental science

Selected publications

• Estimation of vehicle PM2.5 emissions with high spatio-temporal resolution and its application to air dispersion modeling in Seoul, South Korea

  Environmental Pollution · 2025-12-02 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Development of Life Course Exposure Estimates Using Geospatial Data and Residence History

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2025-10-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Life course exposure estimates developed using geospatial datasets must address issues of individual mobility, missing and incorrect data, and incompatible scaling of the datasets. We propose methods to assess and resolve these issues by developing individual exposure histories for an adult cohort of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and matched controls using residence history and PM2.5, black carbon, NO2, and traffic intensity estimates. The completeness of the residence histories was substantially improved by adding both date and age questions to the survey and by accounting for the preceding and following residence. Information for the past five residences fully captured a 20-year exposure window for 95% of the cohort. A novel spatial multiple imputation approach dealt with missing or incomplete address data and avoided biases associated with centroid approaches. These steps boosted the time history completion to 99% and the geocoding success to 92%. PM2.5 and NO2, but not black carbon, had moderately high agreement with observed data; however, the 1 km resolution of the pollution datasets did not capture fine scale spatial heterogeneity and compressed the range of exposures. This appears to be the first study to examine the mobility of an older cohort for long exposure windows and to utilize spatial imputation methods to estimate exposure. The recommended methods are broadly applicable and can improve the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of life course exposure estimates.

  PublisherDOI

• Rotapollen Sampler: An affordable, portable, and programmable rotorod-style device for measuring airborne pollen concentrations

  HardwareX · 2025-10-04

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We present designs for a rotorod-style device for sampling airborne pollen and other particulates >10 µm. This device is affordable ($118 USD for the first individual sampler with an incremental cost of $48 for the 10th sampler built) and collects data very similar to commercial pollen measurement devices (that cost $1300-$6000 per sampler). The design is portable, battery operated, programmable, and includes retracting sampling rods to prevent passive sampling between periods of active sampling and can include a rain shield to allow deployment in inclement weather. The main sampler is 135 × 75 × 93 mm and weighs 185 g, allowing for easy deployment on portable tripods at breathing height. As with other rotorod-style devices, active sampling time during normal pollen concentrations is limited to 1 h, but this sampling activity can be distributed across periods ranging up to several days; the timing of sampling is programmable through a simple and easily modifiable Arduino script. This validated sampler (r > 0.99 compared to a commercial rotorod-style device) is field tested and results have been published in several peer-reviewed publications. The Rotapollen Sampler is well suited for investigations of airborne pollen concentrations, and especially for sampling campaigns that simultaneously collect measurements in multiple locations, such as those that seek to understand spatial heterogeneity in airborne pollen concentrations.

  PublisherDOI

• Refinery fires, other chemical disasters may no longer get safety investigations

  2025-10-09

  preprint
  PublisherDOI

• Estimation of Dermal Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Feminine Hygiene Products: Integrating Measurement Data and Physiologically Based Toxicokinetic (PBTK) Model

  Environmental Health Perspectives · 2025-05-09 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: An increasing number of studies have reported noteworthy health risks associated with dermal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from feminine hygiene products (FHPs). OBJECTIVES: This study sought to address the gap in understanding the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion dynamics of dermal exposure to VOCs from FHPs and to identify chemicals and products that could cause significant body burden. METHODS: We used measured contents of eight widely present VOCs across five categories of FHPs to estimate dermal exposure, and applied a physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) modeling approach to elucidate VOC toxicokinetics in human body tissues. Inhalation exposure estimates were derived from 20 air samples collected via passive sampling and analyzed using a thermal desorption system coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Predicted urinary VOC concentrations based on dermal and inhalation exposure were validated against 99 measurements from 25 females. RESULTS: ), primarily attributed to washes and moisturizers, respectively. DISCUSSION: These findings reveal potential significant body burden and health risks associated with dermal exposure to VOCs from FHPs, warranting further research and regulatory measures. Comprehensive assessment of internal exposure by integrating with toxicokinetic modeling to elucidate chemical distribution in various tissues is recommended, rather than by measuring only one type of biomarker, to illustrate exposure variances and ensure accurate risk assessment. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15418.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Life Course Exposure to Cyanobacteria and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Survival

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2025-05-12 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) occur worldwide and can cause ingestion and inhalation exposure to microcystin and other potent toxins. This study develops life course exposure measures for cyanobacteria for application in population studies and then associates these measures with the survival of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The exposure measures utilize an individual's residence history, date of disease onset, and satellite data from the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network. Residence duration for selected exposure windows referenced to disease onset date was used to weight cyanobacteria concentrations in water bodies within 0.25 to 10 km of each residence. Different concentration metrics, buffer sizes, and exposure windows were evaluated. The 2.5 and 5 km buffers best balanced the likelihood and plausibility of exposure while still resolving exposure contrasts. Over their lifetime, most study participants lived within 5 km of cyanobacteria blooms, and the exposure was associated with up to 0.89 years shorter survival, with significant interactions for individuals reporting swimming, fishing, and private wells. Our findings suggest a new and modifiable risk factor for ALS survival, and a need to confirm exposures and epidemiological findings. These cyanoHAB exposure estimates can facilitate population studies that can discover new relationships with neurodegenerative and other diseases.

  PublisherDOI

• Gene expression signatures from whole blood predict amyotrophic lateral sclerosis case status and survival

  Nature Communications · 2025-10-31 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease with a median survival of only 2 to 4 years from diagnosis. Improved tools are needed to shorten diagnostic delays and improve prognostication to benefit clinical care. Herein, we profiled whole blood gene expression by RNA sequencing in a large cohort of ALS participants (n = 422) versus controls (n = 272). Several machine learning classifiers trained on our detailed gene expression dataset accurately predicted case-control status, including in a fully independent external test cohort, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.894 with the best performing model. Integrating gene expression features with clinical variables improved our ability to discriminate ALS cases into shorter, intermediate, and longer survival in an external dataset. Finally, we identified ALS-relevant pathways in our blood transcriptomics dataset as well as "core genes" that overlapped with gene expression changes occurring in the primary disease tissue, facilitating a drug perturbation analysis that identified several candidates. Overall, our results highlight the potential diagnostic and prognostic applications of whole blood gene expression data, with important implications for improving ALS clinical care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• State of the Science on 1,4-Dioxane: Emission Sources, Global Contamination, and Regulatory Disparities

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2025-09-22 · 4 citations

  reviewSenior author

  1,4-Dioxane has emerged as a critical global environmental concern because of its carcinogenic potential, persistence, and ubiquitous occurrence. This review systematically addresses key knowledge gaps in its emission trends, spatiotemporal characteristics on a global scale, and challenges for unified regulatory frameworks. By compiling emission data, we provided the first quantitative global estimates for 1,4-dioxane emissions and revealed a remarkable increase in industrial discharges from 645-1522 tonnes in ca. 2000 to 3868 tonnes in 2023. The emission profile has shifted from direct releases as a chlorinated solvent stabilizer in the 20th century to contemporary unintentional byproduct emissions associated with the production of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and ethoxylated surfactants. The previously overlooked domestic emission was found to contribute 711-832 tonnes annually (2023 estimate), ascribing to the use of household products containing ethoxylated surfactants. Along with shifts in emission patterns, affected environmental matrixes have expanded beyond groundwater to include surface water and drinking water, with rising concentrations observed in nonhistorical production regions. Meanwhile, the environmental persistence and long-range transport capacity of 1,4-dioxane continue to exacerbate legacy contamination issues in historically industrialized regions. However, divergent interpretations of its toxicological mechanisms, particularly regarding the carcinogenic mode of action, have resulted in inconsistent drinking water standards and regulatory approaches worldwide. This review highlights future efforts regarding more accurate emission inventories, enhanced spatiotemporal monitoring of environmental occurrence, and health risks assessment, alongside the need for coordinated regulatory efforts to address the growing concerns of 1,4-dioxane contamination.

  PublisherDOI

• Development and performance evaluation of an analytical method for the analysis of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulated in pine needles

  Chemosphere · 2025-08-12 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• The Neighborhoods Study: Examining the social exposome in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

  Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-11-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: The Neighborhoods Study (TNS) is a novel investigation of adverse social exposome and brain health leveraging 22 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs). TNS aims to understand if the adverse social exposures increase Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) risk. METHODS: TNS uses innovative methods to determine lifetime addresses of living (n = ≈ 3116) and brain bank cohorts (n = ≈ 8637). Addresses are linked to time-concordant adverse social exposome using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and summarized over time. Brain health measures are provided by the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. RESULTS: We highlight a general overview and methodology of TNS. Data collection is ongoing; however, preliminary findings indicate that the adverse social exposome is related to ADRD biomarkers, neuropathology, and cognitive function. DISCUSSION: TNS is the largest study of adverse social exposome and ADRD, using the ADRC network to build robust scientific consortia. Its findings will inform ADRD interventions, precision medicine, and policy. HIGHLIGHTS: The Neighborhoods Study (TNS) investigates adverse social exposome and brain health. TNS is a collaboration among 22 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. TNS will give insight on environmental and exposomal factors which may be modifiable. Participant lifetime addresses are linked to temporal adverse social exposome metrics. This study's findings will inform precision approaches to mitigate dementia risk.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• The University of Michigan Education and Research Center

  NIH · $34.6M · 2023–2028

• Integrated Health Sciences Core

  NIH · $33.1M · 2011–2027

• Environmental Toxicology and Epidemiology Pre- and Post-Doctoral Research T32 Training Program

  NIH · $11.9M · 1979–2026

• NIH Grant R21TW006531

  NIH · $278k · 2006

• Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments

  NIH · $2.8M · 2013–2020

Frequent coauthors

• Thomas G. Robins

  University of KwaZulu-Natal

  112 shared

• Rajen N. Naidoo

  University of KwaZulu-Natal

  60 shared

• Graciela Mentz

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  58 shared

• Christopher Godwin

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  54 shared

• Barry Kistnasamy

  Historical Archives

  50 shared

• Bhramar Mukherjee

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  48 shared

• Michael Depa

  Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

  43 shared

• Thomas Robins

  University of Pittsburgh

  39 shared

Labs

• Stuart Batterman LaboratoryPI