[SEMCO] Free webinar on PFAS: "Let's Talk About PFAS: Don't Need It, Don't Use It" -- Wednesday 4/14 at noon

[Laurel Schaider]

Join the University of Rhode Island STEEP Superfund Research Program Center
for the next installment of the “Let’s Talk About PFAS” webinar series,
featuring a virtual conversation on the essential and non-essential uses of
PFAS chemicals in consumer products. With thousands of PFAS on the market,
these non-stick and water-resistant substances are among the most
ubiquitous synthetic chemicals in the world. They have also been linked
with a number of harmful health effects. How critical are these chemicals
to our well-being and safety? And, what are the alternatives? From dental
floss and cosmetics to medical implants and take-out containers, we’ll
explore the many uses of PFAS, how scientists are proposing to accelerate
their phase-out, and what communities can do to reduce exposures and
protect the local environment.

WHAT:
“Let’s Talk About PFAS: Don’t Need it, Don’t Use it” – webinar organized by
the STEEP Superfund Research Program Center and hosted by the Town of
Barnstable.
Speaker presentations followed by Q&A with the public.

WHO:
-- Dr. Rainer Lohmann (STEEP Director), Professor of Oceanography,
University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
-- Mark Ells, Town Manager, Town of Barnstable, Cape Cod, MA

WHEN:
Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m

WHERE:
Virtual. Register here to receive event link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lets-talk-about-pfas-dont-need-it-dont-use-it-tickets-148610535111

Background:

PFAS are a class of chemicals that are widely used in consumer products.
People can be exposed to these chemicals from direct contact with products,
through the air they breathe, or the food they eat. They can also be
exposed through drinking water. The chemicals find their way into the
environment from industrial sites, waste disposal, and fire training areas
where PFAS are used in firefighting foams. Hundreds of communities across
the country, including Cape Cod, have been affected by drinking water
contaminated with PFAS, in what has become a national public health crisis.
The STEEP virtual event is part of a webinar series called “Let’s Talk
About PFAS” to support both Cape Cod and affected communities nationwide by
sharing information and offering solutions so that communities can better
protect themselves.


To watch recordings of previous presentations from the “Let’s Talk About
PFAS” webinar series, please visit the STEEP website at:
https://web.uri.edu/steep/news-events/lets-talk-about-pfas-monthly-speaker-series-to-help-communities-address-contamination-and-reduce-exposures/
.


About STEEP: The Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFASs (STEEP)
Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center is a collaboration between the
University of Rhode Island, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health,
Department of Environmental Health, and Silent Spring Institute. Led by
URI, the five-year project is addressing the emerging and expanding problem
of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water—how these
chemicals move through our environment, how we are exposed through our
drinking water, and how they affect our health. Local project partners
include the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and the Sierra Club Cape
Cod Group.

STEEP is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS). For more information about STEEP, visit: https://web.uri.edu/steep/
.

--
Laurel Schaider, PhD
Senior Scientist
Silent Spring Institute

*Leading environmental health research to identify opportunities for
prevention*320 Nevada Street, Suite 302
Newton, MA 02460
(617) 332-4288 ext 224
www.silentspring.org
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