Ganga Hettiarachchi

Dr. Hettiarachchi has worked as a TAB partner since 2008. She serves as an expert in soil and environmental science and soil remediation. In addition to her assistance with TAB, she works as a Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry at Kansas State University. Dr. Hettiarachchi has been involved in combining research and outreach to establish safe gardening practices on brownfields. Brownfields research involves evaluating the uptake of metals, metalloids and organic compounds into food crops grown in community gardens established on mildly contaminated brownfields sites; evaluating effect of soil amendments on reducing bioavailability of common soil contaminants. The goals are to identify, quantify and minimize potential human exposure to soil contaminants through direct soil ingestion and indirect food-chain transfer and to educate communities on how to minimize health risks associated with soil contamination and safely grow crops on brownfields sites; by implementing best management practices. What she enjoys most about providing assistance with TAB is her brownfields research, technical assistance and outreach activities as they directly impact the protection of public health.