Nicholas L. Drury, Ph.D.
Senior Toxicologist
he/him
Dr. Drury is a senior toxicologist who specializes in risk assessment, exposure assessment, environmental toxicology, and analytical chemistry. At Gradient, Dr. Drury uses his skills in risk assessment and critical knowledge of mechanistic toxicology to evaluate chemical toxicity data and conduct human health risk assessments. He earned his Ph.D. in toxicology from Texas A&M University, where he assessed the impact of ultrafine particulate matter air pollution on the severity of influenza infection in a pregnant mouse model. He has authored or co-authored multiple manuscripts in the fields of analytical chemistry and toxicology, and he is currently a member of both the Society of Toxicology and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Exposure Assessment: Performed a high-level review of potential cancer and non-cancer health effects of vinyl chloride by dermal, ingestion, and inhalation exposure routes. Assisted in a systematic quality evaluation of epidemiology studies for eleven priority toxicity outcomes.
Risk Evaluation: Evaluated childhood health risks posed by the metals arsenic, lead, and mercury that were alleged to have originated from baby food. Examined the potential causative associations between the exposure of concern and individuals’ health complaints, including onset of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Toxicity Analysis: Reviewed toxicity data pertaining to the onset of neurodegeneration and Parkinson’s disease from paraquat exposure.
Biological Pathways Assessment for PM2.5: Assessed biological pathways and mechanisms of PM2.5 toxicity underlying morbidities of cardiovascular and respiratory specific mortality. Critically reviewed experimental studies of PM2.5 to determine whether identified mechanisms are biologically plausible at lower PM2.5 concentrations and operate without a threshold.
Exposure Assessment: Reviewed the toxicity profiles of sodium metabisulfite and sulfur dioxide along with case records. Conducted an exposure assessment to determine if alleged medical claims were consistent with an exposure to sodium metabisulfite and sulfur dioxide.
Air Pollution Toxicology Assessment: Reviewed the scientific basis for the 8-hour averaging time metric for ozone using evidence streams from mode-of-action data, controlled human exposure studies, and epidemiological studies.
Prueitt, RL; Drury, NL; Shore, RA; Boon, DN; Goodman, JE. 2024. “Talc and human cancer: A systematic review of the experimental animal and mechanistic evidence.” Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 54(6).
Drury, N; Mustapha, T; Shore, RA; Zhao, J; Wright, GA; Rodrigues-Hoffmann, A; Talcott, SU; Regan, A; Tighe, RM; Zhang, R; Johnson, NM. 2023. “Maternal exposure to ultrafine particles enhances influenza infection during pregnancy.” Part. Fibre Toxicol. 20(11).
Drury, N. 2022. “The Toxicological Consequences of Ultrafine Particulate Matter Exposure on Influenza Infection Severity Throughout Pregnancy: Role of the Immune System.” Presented at the Texas A&M Toxicology Seminar Series, College Station, TX, April 4.
Drury, N; Mustapha, T; Johnson, NM; Talcott, SM. 2022. “The Toxicological Consequences of Ultrafine Particulate Matter Exposure on Influenza Infection Severity Throughout Pregnancy: Role of the Immune System.” Presented at the Lone Star Society of Toxicology Meeting, College Station, January 21.
Kim, H; Castellon-Chicas, MJ; Arbizu, S; Talcott, ST; Drury, N; Smith, S; Talcott, SM. 2021. “Mango (Mangifera indica L.) polyphenols: Anti-inflammatory intestinal microbial health benefits, and associated mechanisms of actions.” Molecules 26(9):2732.