College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program

EDUCATION/DEGREE INFORMATION

PhD, Boston University School of Public Health

BS, Rutgers University

Postdoctoral Research, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

RESEARCH INTEREST

I am an environmental exposure scientist and epidemiologist whose research helps protect reproductive and child health by investigating exposure to contaminants in drinking water, food, consumer and personal care products. Most recently I reported that women with higher exposures to organophosphate flame retardants were less likely to achieve clinical pregnancy or live birth among an IVF clinic population. As animal studies have reported similar findings, this indicates that these flame retardants may be one of many factors contributing to the current infertility epidemic.

I have conducted biomonitoring and health studies for a wide range of populations including infertile couples, pregnant women, infants, new mothers, office workers, gymnasts, and communities exposed to contaminated drinking water. This research has contributed to public health interventions aimed at reducing exposures to flame retardants, perfluoroalkyl substances, and arsenic. Broad implications of my work are the importance of considering multiple exposures, preconception as a sensitive window of development, and the need for improved strategies to avoid regrettable substitution.

RESEARCH TOPICS

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Flame Retardants

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Environmental Reproductive Epidemiology
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Carignan CC, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Williams PL, Meeker JD, Stapleton HM, Butt CM, Toth TL, Ford JB, Hauser R. Paternal urinary concentrations of organophosphate flame retardant metabolites and treatment outcomes among couples undergoing in vitro fertilization. Environ Int. 2017 In press.

Carignan CC, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Butt CM, Stapleton HM, Meeker J, Williams PL, Toth TL, Ford JB, Hauser R. Urinary organophosphate flame retardant metabolites and pregnancy outcomes among women undergoing in vitro fertilization. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Aug25;125(8). DOI:10.1289/EHP1021.

Minguez-Alarcón L, Christou G, Messerlian C, Williams PL, Carignan CC, Souter I, Ford JB, Calafat AM, Hauser R. Urinary triclosan concentrations and diminished ovarian reserve among women from a fertility clinic. Fertil Steril. 2017 Aug;108(2)312-319. PubMed PMID: 28583664; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5545065.

Hu XC, Andrews DQ, Lindstrom AB, Bruton TA, Schaider LA, Grandjean P, Lohmann R, Carignan CC, Blum A, Balan SA, Higgins CP, Sunderland EM. Detection of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in U.S. Drinking Water Linked to Industrial Sites, Military Fire Training Areas, and Wastewater Treatment Plants. Environ Sci Technol Lett. 2016 Oct 11;3(10):344-350. PubMed PMID: 27752509; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5062567.

Carignan CC, Karagas MR, Punshon T, Gilbert-Diamond D, Cottingham KL. Contribution of breast milk and formula to arsenic exposure during the first year of life in a US prospective cohort. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2016 Sep;26(5):452-7. PubMed PMID: 26531802; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4854790.

Carignan CC, Cottingham KL, Jackson BP, Farzan SF, Gandolfi AJ, Punshon T, Folt CL, Karagas MR. Estimated exposure to arsenic in breastfed and formula-fed infants in a United States cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2015 May;123(5):500-6. PubMed PMID: 25707031; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4421773.

Carignan CC, Heiger-Bernays W, McClean MD, Roberts SC, Stapleton HM, Sjödin A, Webster TF. Flame retardant exposure among collegiate United States gymnasts. Environ Sci Technol. 2013 Dec 3;47(23):13848-56. PubMed PMID: 24195753; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3885979.

NCBI Publications