All That Glitters
Ryan Michael
Doctoral Student
Environmental and Occupational Health
Ryan Michael speaks in the lyrical, rapid-fire cadence of his native country of Guyana, a small country on the north coast of South America. He studied chemistry at the University of Guyana before coming to USF to earn a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering and is now pursuing a doctoral degree in environmental and occupational health.
After completing his degree, Michael would like to return to Guyana armed with new knowledge that will enable this self-described “problem-solver” to impact a difficult issue facing his country and the world: exposure to mercury contamination.
Michael is part of a multidisciplinary research team focused on the global environmental sustainability problem caused by mercury contamination. The team is investigating why some people are exposed to greater levels of mercury contamination than others are and how the effects on both humans and the environment can be mitigated. Michael uses his chemistry background to study how mercury changes once it enters the environment and his engineering and mathematical skills to conduct systems modeling activities relating to the study.
Mercury contamination may be a global issue, but for Michael, it’s also personal. In Guyana, gold is an important export; however, artisanal gold mining is a major source of mercury release into the environment. “Miners use mercury with little consideration of the effects on the environment or their personal health,” Michael says. Used to amalgamate fine gold particles, mercury can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, ingestion and through the skin, posing a health risk to miners and family members.
Michael knows the issue is a complicated one with economic as well as social implications. “I could develop a chemistry-based solution to a problem, or an engineering fix to a problem. However, emphasis must be placed on the socio-economic conditions of the affected population, and more importantly, their perceptions, if the solution is going to be a viable one.”
This means that Michael is in the right place because at USF, that’s what research is all about — creating knowledge that leads to practical solutions to real-world problems.
-- Mary Beth Erskine, University Communications & Marketing