Najat A. Saliba

Associate Professor

Analytical Chemistry

B.Sc., Lebanese University (1986); M.Sc., California State University, Long Beach (1994); Ph.D., University of Southern California (1999).

Research

Atmospheric chemistry: Evaluation of particulate matter (PM) emission in Lebanon and the analytical studies of their constituents
Assessing PM sources and seasonal variations
Understanding atmospheric transformations

Analytical chemistry: Development of new analytical techniques for the speciation of the narghile smoke. Results will help to assess the toxicological consequences of narghile.

Bioprospection research as part of the IBSAR center: Extraction and identification of biologically active components isolated from several Lebanese endemic plants that have been known by folk medicine to have medicinal usage.

Community involvement and services:
Design of an essential oil's factory in North Lebanon as a part of an interdisciplinary proposal entitled "Holistic Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Use in Lebanon: Partnering with landowners".
Workshops related to pollution and environmental protection presented in several private and public schools in North Lebanon.

Selected Publications

• Charcoal emissions as a source of CO and carcinogenic PAH in mainstream narghile waterpipe smoke, Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46 (9), 2008, 2991-2995 (with E. Sepetdjian and A. Shihadeh).
• Measurement of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in narghile waterpipe tobacco smoke, Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46 (5), 2008, 1582-1590 (with E. Sepetdjian and A. Shihadeh).
• Purified Salograviolide A isolated from Centaurea ainetensis causes growth inhibition and apoptosis in neoplastic epidermal cells, International journal of Oncology 32, 2008, 841-849 (with A. Ghantous, H. Mohtaseb, N. Dawiche and M. Sabban).
• Effect of local and long-range transport emission on the elemental composition of PM10-2.5 and PM2.5 in Beirut, Atmospheric Environment, 41, 2007, 6497-6509 (with H. Kouyoumdjian).
• Seasonal, Diurnal and Nocturnal Behaviors of Lower Carbonyl Compounds in the Urban Environment of Beirut, Lebanon, Atmospheric Chemistry, Atmospheric Environment 40 (14), 2006, 2459-2468 (with S. Moussa and M. El-Fadel).
• Concentration Measurements and Chemical Composition of PM10-2.5 and PM2.5 at a Coastal Site in Beirut, Lebanon, Atmospheric Environment 2004, 38, 523 (with H. Shaka).
• Reaction of Gaseous Nitric Oxide with Nitric Acid on Silica Surfaces in the Presence of Water at Room Temperature, J. Phys. Chem. A. 2001, 105(45), 10339-10346 (with H. Yang, and B.J. Finlayson-Pitts).