My research develops tools and evidence frameworks for emerging contaminant decisions under uncertainty, with emphasis on microplastics, PFAS, toxicokinetics, computational toxicology, and open data.

I currently serve as a Staff Toxicologist Specialist in the Water Toxicology Section of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), conducting original research on the human health effects of microplastics in drinking and bottled water under California Senate Bill 1147. Previously I served as Pharmacokinetics Research Scientist in OEHHA’s New Toxicology Evaluations Section, developing risk assessment methods using computational toxicology and New Approach Methodologies.

If you cannot access any publication below, email me and I’ll send you the full text.

Microplastics & Drinking Water
Regulatory definitions, monitoring frameworks, and health-based standards
Ecological Risk Assessment
Species sensitivity distributions, probabilistic frameworks, toxicity thresholds
PFAS & Toxicokinetics
Serum dose metrics, half-life estimation, exposure modeling
Computational Toxicology & NAMs
In vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation, machine learning, IVIVE workflows
Bioanalytical Methods
Bioanalytical screening, analytical chemistry, laboratory science
Science-Policy Translation
Regulatory science, policy perspectives, science communication

A probabilistic risk framework for microplastics (2026)

Coffin, S., Bertrand, L., Ahmed, K. T., de Souza Leite, L., Cowger, W., et al. — Journal of Hazardous Materials

Establishes a probabilistic framework that explicitly propagates uncertainty from toxicity data and environmental variability through to risk characterization — enabling more honest and rigorous risk decisions for microplastics in marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Full text pSSD++ R package

Health-based framework for microplastics in California drinking water (2022)

Coffin, S., Bouwmeester, H., Brander, S., et al. — Microplastics & Nanoplastics 2, 12

The first published health-based regulatory framework for microplastics in drinking water, developed to support California's implementation of SB 1422. Provides a replicable model for regulators internationally.

Full text

ToMEx 2.0 — Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer (2025)

Hampton, L. M. T., Wyler, D. B., Carney Almroth, B., Coffin, S., et al. — Microplastics and Nanoplastics 5(1):38

A living, open-access database and interactive tool containing toxicity data from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies. Supports risk threshold development and is accessible to researchers, educators, regulators, and advocates.

Full text Live app

The emergence of microplastics: from research to regulations (2023)

Coffin, S. — Environmental Science Advances

A first-author perspective tracing how microplastics science has evolved into regulatory action — useful context for understanding the science-policy interface, including California's pioneering role.

Full text

PFAS in drinking water and serum — Southern California study (2025)

Fillman, T., Coffin, S., Ta, B., Beglarian, E., et al. — Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

Links PFAS concentrations in public water system drinking water to serum PFAS levels in Southern California adults — directly relevant to exposure assessment and regulatory decision-making.

Full text

Towards regulatory readiness: microplastic health risk assessment frameworks (2026, preprint)

Koelmans, A., Bouwmeester, H., Christopher, E., Coffin, S., et al. — Microplastics & Nanoplastics

International synthesis evaluating existing frameworks for microplastic health risk assessment from a regulatory-readiness perspective.

Preprint

All publications

Microplastics in Drinking Water

I served [2019–2024] as the lead scientist in California’s implementation of SB 1422 — Microplastics in Drinking Water.

  • Sherrod, Hannah, Nicholas Leong, Hannah Hapich, Fabian Gomez, Shelly Moore, Ben Maurer, Scott Coffin, et al. “One4All: An Open Source Portal to Validate and Share Microplastics Data and Beyond.” Journal of Open Source Software 9, no. 99 (July 16, 2024): 6715. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Bouwmeester, H., Brander, S. et al. “Development and application of a health-based framework for informing regulatory action in relation to exposure of microplastic particles in California drinking water.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics 2, 12 (2022). Full text

  • Coffin, S. (2020). “Staff Report — Proposed Definition of ‘Microplastics in Drinking Water’ (June 3, 2020).” Full text

Ecotoxicology & Risk Assessment

Probabilistic frameworks, species sensitivity distributions, and machine learning tools for assessing microplastic toxicity to aquatic organisms across environmental variability and uncertainty.

  • Ana L. Antonio Vital, Scott Coffin, Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati, Maaike Vercauteren, Luan de Souza Leite, Maximilian Pichler, Magdalena M. Mair. “Predicting Microplastic Toxicity for Aquatic Organisms Using Machine Learning.” In preparation.

  • Coffin, Scott, Lidwina Bertrand, Kazi Towsif Ahmed, Luan de Souza Leite, Win Cowger, SinaMariella Siña, Andrew Barrick et al. “A Probabilistic Risk Framework for Microplastics Integrating Uncertainty Across Toxicological and Environmental Variability: Development and Application to Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.” Journal of Hazardous Materials (2026): 141021. Full text

  • Kennedy, Stephanie B., Ana L. Antonio Vital, Anna Kukkola, Ezra Miller, Andrew Yeh, Scott Coffin, Towsif K. Ahmed et al. “Trends in Quality and Risk Assessment Applicability of Microplastic Ecotoxicity Studies.” Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances (2025): 100942. Full text

  • Hampton, Leah M. Thornton, Dana Briggs Wyler, Bethanie Carney Almroth, Scott Coffin, Win Cowger, Darragh Doyle, Eden K. Hataley et al. “The toxicity of microplastics explorer (ToMEx) 2.0.” Microplastics and Nanoplastics 5, no. 1 (2025): 38. Full text

  • Koelmans, Albert A., Todd Gouin, Alvine C. Mehinto, and Scott Coffin. “On the Need to Avoid Apple-to-Orange Comparisons in Microplastic Research.” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 81, no. 7 (2024): 968–71. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Weisberg, S.B., Rochman, C., Kooi, M. and Koelmans, A.A., 2022. “Risk Characterization of Microplastics in San Francisco Bay, California.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics. Full text

  • Mehinto, A.C., Coffin, S., Koelmans, A.A. et al. “Risk-based management framework for microplastics in aquatic ecosystems.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics 2, 17 (2022). Full text

  • Thornton Hampton, L.M., Bouwmeester, H., Brander, S.M. et al. “Research recommendations to better understand the potential health impacts of microplastics to humans and aquatic ecosystems.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics 2, 18 (2022). Full text

  • Thornton Hampton, L.M., Lowman, H., Coffin, S. et al. “A living tool for the continued exploration of microplastic toxicity.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics 2, 13 (2022). Full text

  • Elko, N., Foster, D., Kleinheinz, G., Raubenheimer, B., Brander, S., Kinzelman, J., Kritzer, J.P., Munroe, D., Storlazzi, C., Sutula, M., Mercer, A., Coffin, S., et al. (2021). “Human and Ecosystem Health in Coastal Systems.” Shore & Beach, 90(1), pg. 64–91. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Magnuson, J. T., Vliet, S. M. F., Volz, D. C., & Schlenk, D. (2020). “Effects of short-term exposure to environmentally-relevant concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene-sorbed polystyrene to White seabass (Atractoscion nobilis).” Environmental Pollution, 263, 114617. Full text

  • Wang, J., Coffin, S., Schlenk, D., & Gan, J. (2020). “Accumulation of HOCs via Precontaminated Microplastics by Earthworm Eisenia fetida in Soil.” Environmental Science & Technology. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Huang, G.-Y., Lee, I., & Schlenk, D. (2019). “Fish and Seabird Gut Conditions Enhance Desorption of Estrogenic Chemicals from Commonly-Ingested Plastic Items.” Environmental Science & Technology, 53(8), 4588–4599. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Lee, I., Gan, J., & Schlenk, D. (2019). “Simulated digestion of polystyrene foam enhances desorption of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and In vitro estrogenic activity in a size-dependent manner.” Environmental Pollution, 246, 452–462. Full text

  • Wang, J., Coffin, S., Sun, C., Schlenk, D., & Gan, J. (2019). “Negligible effects of microplastics on animal fitness and HOC bioaccumulation in earthworm Eisenia fetida in soil.” Environmental Pollution, 249, 776–784. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Dudley, S., Taylor, A., Wolf, D., Wang, J., Lee, I., & Schlenk, D. (2018). “Comparisons of analytical chemistry and biological activities of extracts from North Pacific gyre plastics with UV-treated and untreated plastics using in vitro and in vivo models.” Environment International, 121, 942–954. Full text

  • Coffin, S. (2018). “Plastic as a Vector for Pollutants in Estuarine and Marine Environments.” University of California, Riverside. Full text

PFAS & Toxicokinetics

Toxicokinetic modeling, serum and tissue dose metrics, half-life estimation, and methods for translating experimental data into risk-relevant exposure estimates for PFAS and other persistent chemicals.

  • Fillman, Toki, Scott Coffin, Brandon Ta, Emily Beglarian, Wendy Linck, Hyoung-Gee Baek, Songmei Gao et al. “Associations between PFAS in public water system drinking water and serum among Southern California adults.” Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2025): 1–11. Full text

  • Grønnestad, R., Schlenk, D., Krøkje, Å., Jaspers, V. L. B., Jenssen, B. M., Coffin, S., Bertotto, L. B., Giroux, M., Lyche, J. L., & Arukwe, A. (2020). “Alteration of neuro-dopamine and steroid hormone homeostasis in wild Bank voles in relation to tissue concentrations of PFAS at a Nordic skiing area.” Science of The Total Environment, 143745. Full text

Computational Toxicology & NAMs

Computational toxicology, in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation, New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), and open computational workflows for chemical hazard and risk assessment where traditional data are limited.

Publications from my tenure as Pharmacokinetics Research Scientist in OEHHA’s New Toxicology Evaluations Section.

  • Almeida, Nuno M. S., Heather M. Bolstad, Scott Coffin, Sana Majid, Angela K. Wilson, and Anatoly A. Soshilov. “New Docking, Molecular Dynamics, and QSAR Models to Predict Disruption of Human and Rat Transthyretin Function by Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).” Chemical Research in Toxicology, April 27, 2026. Full text

Bioanalytical Methods & Laboratory Science

Bioanalytical screening tools, analytical chemistry, laboratory methods development, and chemical fingerprinting.

  • Roxana Sühring, David Megson, Huy Nguyen, Eric Fries, David Jones, Lars Hildebrandt, Daniel Pröfrock, Tina Sanders, Alexa Zonderman, Ian Ingram, Sydney Rilum, Corey Clatterbuck, Scott Coffin, Liisa M. Jantunen, Courtney D Sandau, Charles Wong. “Multi-Analytical Chemical Fingerprinting: A Method to Establish Contaminant Profiles and Sources of Microplastic Pollution in the Environment.” In preparation.

  • Huy Nguyen, Eric Fries, David Jones, David Megson, Alexa Zonderman, Lars Hildebrandt, Daniel Pröfrock, Scott Coffin, Roxana Sühring. “Chemical Fingerprints of New vs. Weathered Plastics: A Machine Learning Approach.” In preparation.

  • Coffin, S., Dudley, S., Taylor, A., Wolf, D., Wang, J., Lee, I., & Schlenk, D. (2018). “Comparisons of analytical chemistry and biological activities of extracts from North Pacific gyre plastics with UV-treated and untreated plastics using in vitro and in vivo models.” Environment International, 121, 942–954. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Huang, G.-Y., Lee, I., & Schlenk, D. (2019). “Fish and Seabird Gut Conditions Enhance Desorption of Estrogenic Chemicals from Commonly-Ingested Plastic Items.” Environmental Science & Technology, 53(8), 4588–4599. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Lee, I., Gan, J., & Schlenk, D. (2019). “Simulated digestion of polystyrene foam enhances desorption of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and In vitro estrogenic activity in a size-dependent manner.” Environmental Pollution, 246, 452–462. Full text

  • Huang, Y., Kong, M., Coffin, S., Cochran, K. H., Westerman, D. C., Schlenk, D., Richardson, S. D., Lei, L., & Dionysiou, D. D. (2020). “Degradation of contaminants of emerging concern by UV/H2O2 for water reuse: Kinetics, mechanisms, and cytotoxicity analysis.” Water Research, 174, 115587. Full text

  • Huang, Y., Kong, M., Westerman, D., Xu, E. G., Coffin, S., Cochran, K. H., Liu, Y., Richardson, S. D., Schlenk, D., & Dionysiou, D. D. (2018). “Effects of HCO3– on Degradation of Toxic Contaminants of Emerging Concern by UV/NO3–.” Environmental Science & Technology, 52(21), 12697–12707. Full text

  • Huang, Y., Liu, Y., Kong, M., Xu, E. G., Coffin, S., Schlenk, D., & Dionysiou, D. D. (2018). “Efficient degradation of cytotoxic contaminants of emerging concern by UV/H2O2.” Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 4(9), 1272–1281. Full text

Science-Policy Translation

Perspectives, regulatory science work, and science communication connecting emerging contaminant research to regulatory frameworks and management decisions under uncertainty.

  • Koelmans, A., Bouwmeester, H., Christopher, E., Coffin, S., Haase, A., Lane, T., Legler, J., Vermeulen, R., Visser, M., Vogel, A., Wardani, I., Zou, R., 2026. “Towards Regulatory Readiness: Evaluating Frameworks for Microplastic Health Risk Assessment.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics. Preprint

  • Bălan, Simona A., Saskia K. van Bergen, Ann Blake, Topher Buck, Scott Coffin, Jamie C. Dewitt, Gretta Goldenman et al. “Confronting the interconnection of chemical pollution and climate change.” Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 55 (2025): 100966. Full text

  • Koelmans, Albert A., Todd Gouin, Alvine C. Mehinto, and Scott Coffin. “On the need to avoid apple-to-orange comparisons in microplastic research.” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 81, no. 7 (2024): 968–971. Full text

  • Mitrano, Denise M., Moritz Bigalke, Andy M. Booth, Camilla Catarci Carteny, Scott Coffin, Matthias Egger, Andreas Gondikas et al. “Training the next generation of plastics pollution researchers: tools, skills and career perspectives in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field.” Microplastics and Nanoplastics 3, no. 1 (2023): 24. Full text

  • Eriksen M, Cowger W, Erdle LM, Coffin S, Villarrubia-Gómez P, et al. (2023). “A growing plastic smog, now estimated to be over 170 trillion plastic particles afloat in the world’s oceans — Urgent solutions required.” PLOS ONE 18(3): e0281596. Full text

  • Coffin, S. “The emergence of microplastics: charting the path from research to regulations.” Environmental Science Advances (2023). Full text

  • Coffin, S. (March/April 2022). “Accounting for Plastic’s True Costs.” The Environmental Forum. Full text

  • Coffin, S., Weisberg, S.B. “Understanding health effects pathways and thresholds: filling a critical need to support microplastics management.” Microplastics & Nanoplastics 2, 11 (2022). Full text

  • Coffin, S., Wyer, H., & Leapman, J. C. (2021). “Addressing the environmental and health impacts of microplastics requires open collaboration between diverse sectors.” PLOS Biology, 15. Full text

  • Wyer, H., Polhemus, D., Moore, S., Weisberg, S. B., Coffin, S., & Rochman, C. M. (2020). “Steps Scientists Can Take to Inform Aquatic Microplastics Management: A Perspective Informed by the California Experience.” Applied Spectroscopy, 74(9), 971–975. Full text

  • Martindale, S., Weisberg, S. B., & Coffin, S. (2020). Status of Legislation and Regulatory Drivers for Microplastics in California. HORBIA Readout. Full text

Additional Publications

  • Coffin, S., Gan, J., & Schlenk, D. (2017). “Comparisons of field and laboratory estimates of risk of DDTs from contaminated sediments to humans that consume fish in Palos Verdes, California, USA.” Science of the Total Environment, 601, 1139–1146. Full text

  • Li, S., Jiang, Y., Sun, Q., Coffin, S., Chen, L., Qiao, K., Gui, W., & Zhu, G. (2020). “Tebuconazole induced oxidative stress related hepatotoxicity in adult and larval zebrafish (Danio rerio).” Chemosphere, 241, 125129. Full text

  • Li, S., Qiao, K., Jiang, Y., Wu, Q., Coffin, S., Gui, W., & Zhu, G. (2019). “Disruptive effects of two organotin pesticides on the thyroid signaling pathway in Xenopus laevis during metamorphosis.” Science of The Total Environment, 697, 134140. Full text

  • Li, S., Wu, Q., Sun, Q., Coffin, S., Gui, W., & Zhu, G. (2019). “Parental exposure to tebuconazole causes thyroid endocrine disruption in zebrafish and developmental toxicity in offspring.” Aquatic Toxicology, 211, 116–123. Full text

  • Moreira, L. B., Diamante, G., Giroux, M., Coffin, S., Xu, E. G., Moledo de Souza Abessa, D., & Schlenk, D. (2018). “Impacts of salinity and temperature on the thyroidogenic effects of the biocide diuron in Menidia beryllina.” Environmental Science & Technology, 52(5), 3146–3155. Full text