Carys Mitchelmore

Carys Mitchelmore
Academic background
EducationBSc, Biology, 1992, University of Portsmouth
M.Sc, Aquatic Toxicology,1993 University of Portsmouth
Ph.D., 1997, University of Birmingham
ThesisGenetic Toxicity in Aquatic Organisms (1997)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Carys Mitchelmore is an ecotoxicologist who also serves as Director of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.

Mitchelmore is a British-born, American marine ecotoxicologist who was named the Director of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Chesapeake Biological Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in 2023. She lives in the nearby Calvert County, Maryland town of Lusby, Maryland.[1]

Carys Mitchelmore is widely known for her association with the cosmetics industry, particularly the Personal Care Products Council, which leveraged the reputation of her research center to discredit studies highlighting the toxicity of cosmetic agents, especially sunscreens. Additionally, she has been involved in developing research aimed at producing negative findings, effectively obscuring the harmful effects of certain compounds, such as octocrylene.

Education

Mitchelmore received a B.Sc in 1992 from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom in Biology, a M.Sc in 1993 in Aquatic Toxicology from the University of Portsmouth, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Genetic Toxicology from the University of Birmingham in 1997 with a dissertation entitled Genetic Toxicity in Aquatic Organisms.[2]

Career

Since joining the faculty of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in 2002, she has played a high profile role in providing advice to policy makers through testimony to the US Senate[3] and the Maryland State Legislature[4] on important topics such as the potential hazards associated with the use of dispersants in oil spill cleanups and contamination of persistent pesticides in surface waters. She has also served on the local Calvert County Environmental Commission. [1]

More recently, she has contributed to understanding the practical environmental effects of UV filters in sunscreens through participation in a US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop and published report,[5] as well as contributing peer-reviewed studies of coral reef exposure to chemicals in consumer sunscreens[6] and serving as the first author of a widely cited review of the available literature.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Carys L. Mitchelmore". calvertcountymd.gov. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "Carys Mitchelmore – Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit". September 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "Written Testimony of Carys L. Mitchelmore, Ph.D." (PDF). senate.gov. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Written Testimony of Carys L. Mitchelmore, Ph.D." (PDF). maryland.gov. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  5. ^ Johnson, Anne Frances, ed. (2023). Read "Advancing Research on Understanding Environmental Effects of UV Filters from Sunscreens: Proceedings of a Workshop" at NAP.edu. doi:10.17226/26775. ISBN 978-0-309-69585-5 – via nap.nationalacademies.org.
  6. ^ Mitchelmore, Carys L.; He, Ke; Gonsior, Michael; Hain, Ethan; Heyes, Andrew; Clark, Cheryl; Younger, Rick; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe; Feerick, Anna; Conway, Annaleise; Blaney, Lee (June 2019). "Occurrence and distribution of UV-filters and other anthropogenic contaminants in coastal surface water, sediment, and coral tissue from Hawaii". Science of the Total Environment. 670: 398–410. Bibcode:2019ScTEn.670..398M. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.034. PMID 30904653.
  7. ^ Mitchelmore, Carys L.; Burns, Emily E.; Conway, Annaleise; Heyes, Andrew; Davies, Iain A. (April 2021). "A Critical Review of Organic Ultraviolet Filter Exposure, Hazard, and Risk to Corals". Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 40 (4): 967–988. Bibcode:2021EnvTC..40..967M. doi:10.1002/etc.4948. PMC 8048829. PMID 33528837.