Michele La Merrill, PhD, MPH 
Department of Environmental Toxicology, UC Davis 

Dr. Michele La Merrill has been studying the question: Could chemicals in the environment cause metabolic syndrome? Metabolic syndrome is a very widespread, growing public health problem which may be present when a human or animal has three or more of these symptoms: obesity, elevated fasting glucose, elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and hypertension. She notes that while average body weight and obesity has been rising in humans, it has also been rising in animals. Dr. La Merrill’s research is focused on one toxic pollutant – the pesticide DDT. Although DDT has been banned in many places, it was widely used when much of today’s human adult population were children. She explains DDT’s possible effects on developing organisms. 

Recorded: October 16, 2015