As part of her job, she conducted field research on toxic substances in the environment, often in minority communities located near large industrial polluters.
Evidence from a 1997 study at the University of California shows that several patients who received such substances were able to produce their own natural drug.
Now, Laser Spectroscopy, which is the focus of your assignment, works by measuring very precisely what parts of the spectrum are absorbed by different substances.
She found many families were being exposed to high, sometimes deadly, levels of chemicals and other toxic substances, but she was not allowed to make her information public.
"The more we learn, the more amazed we are by the wealth of essential substances they contain," Van Horn continues, "and how they interact with each other to keep us healthy."