David Damby, Ph.D
David Damby considers the impacts of geologic materials and environmental exposures on public health.
Biography
Education
PhD (2012) Earth Sciences, Durham University (UK)
BSc (2008) Biochemistry, University of Vermont (USA)
Research Experience
2013 - 2015 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
2010 - 2012 MRC/University of Edinburgh Centre for Inflammation Research, Queen's Medical Research Institute, UK
2009 - 2012 Institute of Hazard, Risk & Resilience, Durham University, UK
2006 - 2008 Transplantation Surgery and Immunology, Department of Surgery, University of Vermont, USA
Member of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 2016
Science and Products
Volcanic eruptions and threats to respiratory health
In early May 2018, Kīlauea volcano became increasingly active, posing an increase in threat to respiratory health. The emission of gases such as sulfur dioxide from Kīlauea produces large amounts of respirable acid particles as the gases react with water vapor and sunlight, resulting in a visible haze called “vog”. Additionally, the lava lake at...
Carlos, W. Graham; Gross, Jane E.; Jamil, Shazia; Dela Cruz, Charles S.; Damby, David; Tam, Elizabeth K. Respiratory hazard assessment of combined exposure to complete gasoline exhaust and respirable volcanic ash in a multicellular human lung model at the air-liquid interface
Communities resident in urban areas located near active volcanoes can experience volcanic ash exposures during, and following, an eruption, in addition to sustained exposures to high concentrations of anthropogenic air pollutants (e.g., vehicle exhaust emissions). Inhalation of anthropogenic pollution is known to cause the onset of...
Tomasek, Ines; Horwell, Claire J.; Bisig, Christoph; Damby, David; Comte, Pierre; Czerwinski, Jan; Petri-Fink, Alke; Clift, Martin J D; Drasler, Barbara; Rothen-Rutishauer, Barbara Volcanic ash activates the NLRP3 inflammasome in murine and human macrophages
Volcanic ash is a heterogeneous mineral dust that is typically composed of a mixture of amorphous (glass) and crystalline (mineral) fragments. It commonly contains an abundance of the crystalline silica (SiO2) polymorph cristobalite. Inhalation of crystalline silica can induce inflammation by stimulating the NLRP3 inflammasome, a cytosolic...
Damby, David; Horwell, Claire J.; Baxter, Peter J.; Kueppers, Ulrich; Schnurr, Max; Dingwell, Donald B.; Duewell, Peter Assessment of the potential respiratory hazard of volcanic ash from future Icelandic eruptions: A study of archived basaltic to rhyolitic ash samples
BackgroundThe eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull (2010) and Grímsvötn (2011), Iceland, triggered immediate, international consideration of the respiratory health hazard of inhaling volcanic ash, and prompted the need to estimate the potential hazard posed by future eruptions of Iceland’s volcanoes to Icelandic and Northern European populations. ...
Damby, David; Horwell, Claire J.; Larsen, Gudrun; Thordarson, Thorvaldur; Tomatis, Maura; Fubini, Bice; Donaldson, Ken The effect of aluminium and sodium impurities on the in vitro toxicity and pro-inflammatory potential of cristobalite
BackgroundExposure to crystalline silica (SiO2), in the form of quartz, tridymite or cristobalite, can cause respiratory diseases, such as silicosis. However, the observed toxicity and pathogenicity of crystalline silica is highly variable. This has been attributed to a number of inherent and external factors, including the presence of impurities...
Nattrass, C.; Horwell, Claire J.; Damby, David; Brown, David; Stone, Vicki Volcanic ash supports a diverse bacterial community in a marine mesocosm
Shallow-water coral reef ecosystems, particularly those already impaired by anthropogenic pressures, may be highly sensitive to disturbances from natural catastrophic events, such as volcanic eruptions. Explosive volcanic eruptions expel large quantities of silicate ash particles into the atmosphere, which can disperse across millions of square...
Verena Witt; Paul M Ayris; Damby, David; Corrado Cimarelli; Ulrich Kueppers; Donald B Dingwell; Gert Wörheide Local geology controlled the feasibility of vitrifying Iron Age buildings
During European prehistory, hilltop enclosures made from polydisperse particle-and-block stone walling were exposed to temperatures sufficient to partially melt the constituent stonework, leading to the preservation of glassy walls called ‘vitrified forts’. During vitrification, the granular wall rocks partially melt, sinter viscously and densify...
Fabian B Wadsworth; Michael J Heap; Damby, David; Kai-Uwe Hess; Jens Najorka; Jérémie Vasseur; Dominik Fahrner; Donald B Dingwell Combined exposure of diesel exhaust particles and respirable Soufrière Hills volcanic ash causes a (pro-)inflammatory response in an in vitro multicellular epithelial tissue barrier model
BackgroundThere are justifiable health concerns regarding the potential adverse effects associated with human exposure to volcanic ash (VA) particles, especially when considering communities living in urban areas already exposed to heightened air pollution. The aim of this study was, therefore, to gain an imperative, first understanding of the...
Tomašek, Ines; Horwell, Claire J.; Damby, David; Barošová, Hana; Geers, Christoph; Petri-Fink, Alke; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara; Clift, Martin J. D.
Volcano Watch - Kīlauea hazard assessments include analyses of salts on volcanic ash
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)-rich emissions have long been a feature of Kīlauea Volcano's summit activity. However, vigorous volcanic ash production during the 2018 eruption raised new concerns about potential impacts for downwind communities.