From the same Maine shores that inspired Rachel Carson to warn us about DDT, Dr. Susan Shaw is battling at the frontline for our planet’s future.

Today's fire fighters have elevated rates of many types of cancer thought to be related to their exposure to chemicals while responding to fires.

An estimated 8,000,000 metric tons of plastic now pollute the world’s oceans, posing a threat we cannot see with the naked eye: microplastics.

"As top marine predators, marine mammals are our alarm bells — when they get sick from toxic exposure, we are next. Ocean conservation is human conservation."

—	Dr. Susan Shaw Founder/Director The Shaw Institute

Our research found microplastic fragments in Maine commercial seafood — oysters and mussels — that wind up on our dinner plates.

Using chemical dispersants in the Gulf oil spill left a “bathtub ring” of BP oil across 1,200 square miles of the seafloor. From dead corals to sick dolphins, the impacts are ongoing.

From flame retardants to plastics, our discoveries have informed public opinion and fueled legislation which impacts millions of people in Maine and interrnationally.

"The bottom line is, once toxic materials enter the ocean food web, the story is about human health."

—	Dr. David Gallo, Ocean Pioneer & Director of Special Projects at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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About the Shaw Institute

30 Years of Environmental Impact Research

The Shaw Institute is a 501(C)3 nonprofit scientific research organization based in Maine and New York City. Founded in 1990 by Dr. Susan Shaw (as the Marine & Environmental Research Institute), its mission is to discover and expose environmental health threats through innovative science and engage in strategic partnerships to improve human and ecological health. Over three decades, the Institute’s pioneering research on ocean pollution, sentinel species, flame retardants, plastics, and climate change has fueled public policy nationally and internationally.

Woodrow Wilson Fellow Dr. Susan Shaw To Address the Ethics of the Anthropocene on Muhlenberg College Campus

On October 22 to 25, Dr. Susan Shaw attended Muhlenberg College’s Center for Ethics, where she delivered a series of lectures on topics related to key health threats we face in the Anthropocene era, including the hazards of photochemicals, chemical exposure, plastic pollution, the legacy of the BP oil spill, and cancer in the fire service. Learn more here.

View Dr. Shaw’s talk Science, Lies and Politics posted at TEDxMidAtlantic SUPERPOWERS

Science, Lies, and Politics | Susan Shaw | TEDxMidAtlantic

Focus Areas

Through its focused initiatives, the Institute addresses critical health and environmental issues related to toxic chemical exposure among people and wildlife. From ocean plastics to human and wildlfie exposure, we strive to bring science-based solutions to these priority concerns.

Human Exposure

Plastics and
Microplastics

Marine Wildlife Exposure

Oil Spill Response

Maine Coast Monitoring

Lecture Series

News & Events

April 13, 2019

Bangor, Maine
Penobscot Bay Sail and Power Squadron district banquet
Keynote lecture on coastal pollution by Madelyn Woods:

June 3-9, 2019

Stockholm, Sweden
2019 Environmental Species Bank Conference
Dr. Susan Shaw will present on the Three Oceans Study: Persistent Organic Pollutants and Climate Change: Assessing Global Risks to Marine Mammals Across Three Oceans

August 25-30, 2019

Kyoto, Japan
Dioxin 2019 International Symposium
Keynote Lecture by Dr. Susan Shaw

September 16-18, 2019

Capri, Italy
II International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea
Keynote lecture by Dr. Susan Shaw

October 3, 2019

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Plastic Health Symposium
The Shaw Institute will present microplastic research findings at the inaugural symposium in partnership with the Plastic Health Coalition

How you can help support our important work

Your contribution supports our work to protect wildlife and people from the harmful impacts of toxic chemical exposure.