Frank Gobas

Education

• BSc, Chemistry, Free University of Amsterdam
  
• MSc, Environ. Chem. & Toxicology, University of Amsterdam
• PhD, Chemical Eng., University of Toronto

Biography

Dr. Gobas is an environmental chemist and toxicologist, who is interested in the behavior, effects and associated ecological and human health risks of chemical pollutants in the environment. Dr. Gobas teaches in the Resource & Environmental Management Program and in the Master of Environmental Toxicology Program at SFU.

Information on his current research program can be found at his website and his publications include:

• Gobas F.A.P.C., N.M. Berg, A.D. Redman, T. Parkerton and L.Camenzuli. 2025. Assessing Bioaccumulation with the Biomagnification Factor (BMF). Integrated Environ Assess Manag.  In press.
  
• Li, Yuening; Zhan, Faqiang; Shunthirasingham, Chubashini; Lei, Ying; Oh, Jenny; Weng, Chunwen; Ben Chaaben, Amina; Lu, Zhe; Lee, Kelsey; Gobas, Frank; Hung, Hayley; Wania, Frank. 2025. Inferring Atmospheric Sources of Gaseous Organophosphate Esters from Spatial Patterns. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. In press.
• Zhan, Faqiang; Li, Yuening; Shunthirasingham, Chubashini; Oh, Jenny; Lei, Ying; Lu, Zhe; Ben Chaaben, Amina; Lee, Kelsey; Gobas, Frank; Hung, Hayley; Breivik, Knut; Wania, Frank. 2024. Archetypes of Spatial Concentration Variability of Organic Contaminants in the Atmosphere: Implications for Identifying Sources and Mapping the Gaseous Outdoor Inhalation Exposome. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58 (41), 18273–18283.
  
• Fremlin K.M., J.E. Elliott, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2024. Guidance for Measuring and Evaluating Biomagnification Factors (BMF) and Trophic Magnification Factors (TMF) of Difficult Substances: Application to Decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. In press.
• Oh Jenny, Chubashini Shunthirasingham, Faqiang Zhan, Yuening Li, Ying Duan, LeiAmina Ben Chaaben, Zhe Lu, Kelsey Lee, Frank A. P. C. Gobas, Hayley Hung, Frank Wania. 2024. Passive Air Sampling Networks Combined with Multivariate Statistics Reveal Widespread Non-Aroclor Polychlorinated Biphenyl Sources to the Canadian Atmosphere. Environmental Science and Technology Air 1 (6), 481–491.
  
• Kelly BC, JM Sun, MR. McDougall. EM Sunderland, FAPC Gobas. 2024. Development and Evaluation of Aquatic and Terrestrial Food Web Bioaccumulation Models for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58 (40), 17828–17837.
• Alexander M. Cancelli and Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2024. Depletion rates of O₂-naphthenic acids from oil sands process-affected water in wetland microcosms. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.
  
• Oh Jenny, Chubashini Shunthirasingham, Ying Duan Lei, Faqiang Zhan, Yuening Li, Abigaëlle Dalpé Castilloux, Amina Ben Chaaben, Zhe Lu, Kelsey Lee, Frank A. P. C. Gobas, Sabine Eckhardt, Nick Alexandrou, Hayley Hung, and Frank Wania. 2023. The atmospheric fate of 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)cyclohexane (TBECH): spatial patterns, seasonal variability, and deposition to Canadian coastal regions. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 23, 10191–10205.
• Yuening Li, Faqiang Zhan, Chubashini Shunthirasingham, Ying Duan Lei, Jenny Oh, Amina Ben Chaaben, Zhe Lu, Kelsey Lee, Frank A. P. C. Gobas, Hayley Hung, and Frank Wania. 2024. Seasonal Air Concentration Variability, Gas/Particle Partitioning, Precipitation Scavenging, and Air-Water Equilibrium of Organophosphate Esters in Southern Canada. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 
• Cantu Mark A., J. A. Durham, E. L. McClymont, A. H. Vogel and Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2023. Low Dietary Uptake Efficiencies and Biotransformation Prevent Biomagnification of Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) in Rainbow Trout. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58(23): 10252–10261.
  
• Frank Wania, Jon A. Arnot, Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2024. In Memoriam: Don Mackay. SETAC Globe 25 (2). February 22, 2024. ISSN: 2310-3086.
• Wania, F., J. A. Arnot, F. A. P. C. Gobas. 2024. In Memoriam: Don Mackay. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 43, 1189–1193.
• Alexander M. Cancelli and Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2024. Development and testing of a mechanistic model for wetland treatment of neutral and polar organic contaminants in oil sands process-affected water. Ecological Engineering 198(January):107145.
  
• Cantu M.A. and F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2024. Bioaccumulation of Octamethyltrisiloxane (L3), Decamethyltetrasiloxane (L4), and Dodecamethylpentasiloxane (L5) in Fish. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 43: 42-51.
• Holbert, S., Colbourne, K., Fisk, A.T., Ross, P.S., MacDuffee, M., Gobas, F.A.P.C., Brown, T.M. 2024. Polychlorinated biphenyl and Polybrominated diphenyl ether profiles vary with diet and migratory distribution among 10 Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) stocks in the North Pacific Ocean. Environ. Res. 241, 117476.
• Fremlin, Katharine M., John E. Elliott, Robert J. Letcher, Tom Harner, and Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2023. Developing methods for assessing trophic magnification of perfluoroalkyl substances within a terrestrial avian food-web". Environ. Sci. Technol. 2023, 57, 34, 12806–12818. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c02361
• Christy Morrissey, Katrine Borga; Markus Brinkmann; Igor Eulaers; Kate Fremlin; Clementine Fritsch; Frank Gobas; Dwayne R.J. Moore;, Nico van den Brink; Ted Wickwire; William Adams. 2024. Advancing exposure assessment approaches to improve wildlife risk assessment. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 20: 585-899.
• Zhan, F., C. Shunthirasingham, Y. Li, J. Oh, Y. D. Lei, A. Ben Chaaben, A. Dalpé Castilloux, Z. Lu, K. Lee, F. A. P. C. Gobas, N. Alexandrou, H. Hung, F. Wania. 2023.
  Sources and environmental fate of halomethoxybenzenes. Sci. Adv. 9, eadi8082
  
• Gobas FAPC, Lee YS, Stelmachuk S, Fremlin KM, Redman AD. 2023. Methods for Assessing the Bioaccumulation of Hydrocarbons and Related Substances in Terrestrial Organisms: A Critical Review. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.
• Christy Morrissey (CM); Katrine Borgå (KB); Markus Brinkmann (MB); Igor Eulaers (IE); Kate Fremlin (KF); Clémentine Fritsch (CF); Frank Gobas (FG); Dwayne R.J. Moore (DM); Nico van den Brink (NB); Ted Wickwire (TW); William Adams. 2023. Advancing exposure assessment approaches to improve wildlife risk assessment. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.
• Oh Jenny, Chubashini Shunthirasingham, Ying Duan Lei, Faqiang Zhan, Yuening Li, Abigaëlle Dalpé Castilloux, Amina Ben Chaaben, Zhe Lu, Kelsey Lee, Frank Gobas, Sabine Eckhardt, Nick Alexandrou, Hayley Hung, Frank Wania. 2023. The atmospheric fate of 1,2-Dibromo-1 4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)cyclohexane (TBECH): Spatial patterns, seasonal variability, and deposition to Canadian coastal regions.
• Sun J., B.G. Kelly, F.A.P.C. Gobas and E. Sunderland. 2022. A food web bioaccumulation model for the accumulation of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fish: How important is renal elimination? Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts 24, 1152-1164.
• Cancelli, A.M., F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2022. Treatment of naphthenic acids in oil sands process-affected waters with a surface flow treatment wetland: mass removal, half-life, and toxicity-reduction. Environ Res 213: 113755, Oct;213: 113755. pp.9.
• Lee, Yung-Shan, Talia R. Cole, Manpreet S. Jhutty, Mark A. Cantu, Beatrice Chee, Stephanie C. Stelmaschuk, Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2021. Bioaccumulation Screening of Neutral Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals in Air-Breathing Organisms Using In Vitro Rat Liver S9 Biotransformation Assays. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 41(10): 2565–2579.
• Conder J., J. Zodrow, J. Arblaster, B. Kelly, F. Gobas, J. Suski, E. Osborn, M. Frenchmeyer, C. Divine, A. Leeson. 2021. Strategic Resources for Assessing PFAS Ecological Risks at AFFF Sites. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. 17(4): 746–752.
• Fremlin, K.M., J.E. Elliott, P.A. Martin, K.G. T. Harner, A. Saini, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2021. Fugacity-Based Trophic Magnification Factors Characterize Bioaccumulation of Cyclic Methyl Siloxanes within an Urban Terrestrial Avian Food Web: Importance of Organism Body Temperature and Composition. Environ. Sci. Technol. 55(20):13932-13941.
• Ghosh, U., M. Bokare, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2021. Deconvoluting thermodynamics from biology in the aquatic food web model. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 40(8): 2145–2155.
• Cantu M.A. and F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2021. Bioaccumulation of Dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) in Fish. Chemosphere 281(2):130948.
• Gobas, F.A.P.C., Y.S Lee, J. Arnot. 2021. Lipid Normalizing the Biomagnification Factor. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 40(4): 1204-1211.
• Cancelli, A.M., F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2020. Treatment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Oil Sands Process Affected Water with a Surface Flow Treatment Wetland. Environments. 7, 64-80.
• Saunders L.J., P.N. Fitzsimmons, J.W. Nichols, Frank A.P.C. Gobas. 2020a. In Vitro-In Vivo Extrapolation Of Hepatic And Gastrointestinal Biotransformation Rates Of Hydrophobic Chemicals In Rainbow Trout. Aquatic Toxicology 228: 105629.
• Saunders L.J., G. Diaz-Blanco, Y.S. Lee, S.V. Otton, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2020b. Hepatic Clearance Binding Terms Of Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals In Rainbow Trout: Application Of A Streamlined Sorbent-Phase Dosing Method. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 7(9), 672-676.  
• Fremlin, K.M., J.E. Elliott, D.J. Green, K.G. Drouillard, T. Harner, A. Ng, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2019. Trophic Magnification of Legacy Persistent Organic Pollutants in an Urban Terrestrial Food-Web. Science of the Total Environment. 714: 136746, ISSN 0048-9697.
• Saunders, L., A. Hoffman, J. Nichols, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2019. Dietary Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Hydrophobic Organic Sunscreen Agents in Rainbow Trout. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 39(3): 509-730.
• Gobas, F.A.P.C., Y.S. Lee, J.C. Lo, T.F. Parkerton, D. Lettinski. 2019. A Toxicokinetic Framework and Analysis Tool for Interpreting OECD 305 Dietary Bioaccumulation Tests. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 39(1): 171-188.
• Gobas F.A.P.C., Y.S. Lee. 2019. Growth Correcting the BCF and BMF in Bioaccumulation Assessments. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 38: 2065–2072.
• Cancelli, A.M., F.A.P.C. Gobas, W. Qian, B.C. Kelly. 2019. Development And Evaluation Of A Mechanistic Model To Assess The Fate and Removal Efficiency Of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants In Horizontal Subsurface Flow Treatment Wetlands. Water Research 151: 183-192.
• Saunders L.J., S. Fontanay, J.W. Nichols, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2019. Concentration-Dependence Of In Vitro Biotransformation Rates Of Hydrophobic Organic Sunscreen Agents In Rainbow Trout S9 Fractions: Implications For Bioaccumulation Assessment. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 38(3): 548-560.
• Gobas F.A.P.C., Y.S. Lee, L.J. Saunders, M.M. Moore, J.J. Trowell, C.J. Kennedy. 2019. Response to Comment on: “Estimating the Bioconcentration Factors of Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals from Biotransformation Rates Using Rainbow Trout Hepatocytes”. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 76(1): 154–156.
• Gobas F.A.P.C., H. Lai, D. Mackay, L.E. Padilla, A. Goetz, S.H. Jackson. 2018. AGRO-2014: A Time Dependent Model For Assessing The Fate And Food-Web Bioaccumulation Of Organic Pesticides In Farm Ponds: Model Testing And Performance Analysis. Science of the Total Environment 639: 1324–1333.
• Gobas F.A.P.C., P. Mayer, T.F. Parkerton, R.M. Burgess, D. van de Meent, T. Gouin. 2018. A Chemical Activity Approach to Exposure and Risk Assessment of Chemicals. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 37(5): 1235-1251.
• Trowell J.J, F.A.P.C. Gobas, M.M. Moore, C.J. Kennedy. 2018. Estimating the bioconcentration factors of hydrophobic organic compounds from biotransformation rates using rainbow trout hepatocytes. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 75(2):295-305.
• Lee Y.S., J.C. Lo, S.V. Otton, M.M. Moore, C.J. Kennedy and F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2017. In-vitro-to-in-vivo extrapolation of biotransformation rates for assessing bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in mammals. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 36, 1934–1946.
• Gobas F.A.P.C., S.V. Otton, L.F. Tupper-Ring, M.A. Crawford, K.E. Clark, M.G. Ikonomou. 2017. Chemical activity-based environmental risk analysis of the plasticizer di-ethylhexyl phthalate and its main metabolite mono-ethylhexyl phthalate. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 36(6): 1483–1492.
• Lo J.C., D.J. Letinski, T.F. Parkerton, D.A. Campbell and F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2016. In Vivo Biotransformation Rates of Organic Chemicals in Fish: Relationship with Bioconcentration and Biomagnification Factors. Environ. Sci. Technol. 50 (24), pp 13299–13308.
• Gobas F.A.P.C. and J.C. Lo. 2016. Deriving Bioconcentration Factors And Somatic Biotransformation Rates From Dietary Bioaccumulation And Depuration Tests. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 35: 2968–2976.
• Kim J., F.A.P.C. Gobas, J.A. Arnot, D.E. Powell, R.M. Seston, K.B. Woodburn. 2016. Evaluating the roles of biotransformation, spatial concentration differences, organism home range, and field sampling design on trophic magnification factors. Science of the Total Environment. 551–552, 438–451.
• Gobas F.A.P.C., L. Burkhard, W. Doucette, K. Sappington, E. Verbruggen, B. Hope, M. Bonnell, J. Arnot, J. Tarazona. 2015. Review of Existing Terrestrial Bioaccumulation Models and Terrestrial Bioaccumulation Modeling Needs for Organic Chemicals. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 12 (1), 123–134. Article first published online : 28 SEP 2015,
• Alava J.J., P.S. Ross and F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2016. Food Web Bioaccumulation Model for Resident Killer Whales from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean as a Tool for the Derivation of PBDE-Sediment Quality Guidelines. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 70:155–168.
• Alava, J.J., F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2016. Modeling 137Cs bioaccumulation in the salmon–resident killer whale food web of the Northeastern Pacific following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident. Science of the Total Environment 544: 56-67.
• Gobas, F.A.P.C., D.E. Powell, K.B. Woodburn, T. Springer, D.B. Huggett. 2015. Bioaccumulation of Decamethylpentacyclosiloxane (D5) in Aquatic and Non-Aquatic Biota: A Review. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 34(12), 2703–2714.
• Lo, J.C., G.N. Allard, S.V. Otton, D.A. Campbell, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2015. Concentration Dependence Of Biotransformation In Fish Liver S9: Optimizing Substrate Concentrations To Estimate Hepatic Clearance For Bioaccumulation Assessment. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 34(12), 2782–2790.
• Fairbrother A.E., Burton A., Klaine S.J., Powell D.E., Staples C.A., Mihiach E., Woodburn K.B., F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2015. Characterization of ecological risks from environmental releases of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5). Environ Toxicol Chem. 34(12), 2715–2722.
• Lo J.C., D.A. Campbell, C.J. Kennedy, F.A.P.C. Gobas. 2015. Somatic And Gastro-Intestinal In-Vivo Biotransformation Rates Of Hydrophobic Chemicals In Fish. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 34(10), 2282–2294.

Dr. Gobas teaches Environmental Modeling (REM 412), Environmental Risk Assessment (REM 445) and Applied Environmental Toxicology and Environmental Management of Contaminants (REM 610).