Visit our website for speaker bios and more information ...(STEEP) Superfund Research Program...
Transcript of Visit our website for speaker bios and more information ...(STEEP) Superfund Research Program...
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
https://pfasproject.com
https://www.northeastern.edu/environmentalhealth/
This conference is supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
conference grant R13ES 030609, Northeastern University’s Social Science Environmental
Health Research Institute (SSEHRI), Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFASs
(STEEP) Superfund Research Program (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
grant P42ES027706, Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT)
Superfund Research Program (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
grant P42ES017198), Silent Spring Institute, Toxics Action Center, and Testing for Pease.
Unless otherwise noted, all sessions are in the
Raytheon Amphitheater (1st floor, room 240),
Egan Research Center
With overflow rooms in:
440 and 206, Egan Research Center
unless otherwise noted
Conference Agenda – Day 1 …………………………………..……..….. 3-4
Conference Agenda – Day 2 …………………………………………..… 5-10
Workshop Descriptions…………………………………………..... 8-10
Conference Agenda – Day 3 …………………………………………...... 11-15
Poster Sessions ……………………………………………………. 13-14
Planning Committee Members Bios ……………………………………..15-17
Map ……………………………………………………………………….. 18
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Conference Agenda -- Day 1 – June 10th, 2019
8:00-8:15 Breakfast and registration
8:15-9:00 Greetings and overview
● Phil Brown (Northeastern University) ● Laurel Schaider (Silent Spring Institute) ● Arlene Blum (Green Science Policy Institute) ● Rainer Lohmann (University of Rhode Island) ● Shaina Kasper (Toxics Action Center)
9:00-9:30 Keynote Address
● Linda Birnbaum (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) ● Introduced by Joanne Stanton (BuxMont Coalition for Safer Water, Pennsylvania)
9:30-9:50 Congressional Panel
● Congressman Chris Pappas (NH) ● Video messages from Senator Maggie Hassan (NH) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH) ● Letters from Congresswoman Anne Kuster (NH) and Congressman Dan Kildee (MI)
● Introduced by Andrea Amico (Testing for Pease, New Hampshire)
9:50-11:00 Session 1: Social and Scientific Discovery of PFAS
● Arlene Blum (Green Science Policy Institute) ● Sharon Lerner (The Intercept) ● Chair: Michael Hickey (Hoosick Falls, New York)
11:00-11:30 Break
11:30-12:45 Session 2: PFOA and PFOS Manufacturing Sites
● David Bond (Bennington College) ● Bob Delaney (Michigan) ● Jenny Carney, Tobyn McNaughton, and Sandy Wynn-Stelt (House Street Community, Michigan) ● Brenda Hampton (Concerned Citizens of WMEL Water Authority, Alabama) ● Chair: Courtney Carignan (Michigan State University)
12:45-2:00 Lunch
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
2:00-3:30 Session 3: First Responders and PFAS
● Miriam Calkins (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ● Graham Peaslee (University of Notre Dame) ● Brian Grubb (International Association Fire Fighters Local F88, Ohio) ● Krystle Mitchell (South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service) ● Rob Bilott (Taft Law) ● Chair: Alissa Cordner (Whitman College)
3:30-5:00 Session 4: AFFF-Impacted Communities
● Kyle Bagenstose (Bucks County Courier Times) ● Chris Higgins (Colorado School of Mines) ● Pat Breysse (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) ● Maureen Sullivan (Department of Defense) ● Mark Favors (Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition, Colorado) ● Chair: Laurel Schaider (Silent Spring Institute)
Dinner on your own, but interest groups may plan ahead to have their own dinner groups
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Conference Agenda -- Day 2 – June 11th, 2019
8:00-8:30 Registration & Breakfast
8:30-9:45 Session 5: Political and Economic Context of PFAS
● Rebecca Altman (writer) ● Ken Cook (Environmental Working Group)
● Genna Reed (Union of Concerned Scientists)
● Laura Rabinow (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) ● Chair: Alayna Davis (Testing for Pease, New Hampshire)
9:45-11:00 Session 6: Manufacturing Sites Beyond PFOA/PFOS
● Detlef Knappe (North Carolina State University) ● Emily Donovan (Clean Cape Fear, North Carolina) ● Amy Risen (North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality) ● Laura Facciolo (Mamme No PFAS, Italy) ● Chair: Andrew Lindstrom (US Environmental Protection Agency)
11:00-11:30 Break
11:30-12:45 Session 7: Regulatory Landscape
● Mae Wu (Natural Resources Defense Council) ● Sarah Doll (Safer States) ● Gloria Post (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection)
● Anthony Spaniola (Need Our Water, Michigan) ● Chair: Lauren Richter (Silent Spring Institute, SSEHRI)
12:45-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:15 Session 8: Medical Monitoring and Working with Health Professionals
● Andrea Amico (Testing for Pease, New Hampshire) ● Julie Brody (Silent Spring Institute) ● Laura Anderko (Georgetown University)
● Alan Ducatman (West Virginia University) ● Chair: Cheryl Osimo (Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition)
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
3:15-4:45 Workshops
For workshop descriptions, see page 8; For map of locations, see page 19
1. Drinking water treatment and remediation
Location: 315 Shillman Hall - #30 on map
● Chris Higgins (Colorado School of Mines) ● Hans Keijser (Hyannis Water System) ● Laurel Schaider (Silent Spring Institute)
2. State water advisories and regulations
Location: 002 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Gloria Post (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) ● Alissa Cordner (Whitman College)
3. Living with PFAS: community experiences
Location: 001 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Ben Gerhardstein (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) ● Andrea Amico (Testing for Pease)
4. Federal agency research overview
Location: 415 Shillman Hall - #30 on map
● Andrew Lindstrom (US Environmental Protection Agency) ● Andrea Tokranov (US Geological Survey) ● Maureen Sullivan (Department of Defense) ● Pat Breysse (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) ● Suzanne Fenton (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Toxicology
Program) ● Mark Miller (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
5. Considerations for local health studies
Location: 003 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Laurene Allen (Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water) ● Sylvia Broude (Toxics Action Center) ● Courtney Carignan (Michigan State University)
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6. Working with the media to tell your PFAS story
Location: 007 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Sharon Lerner (The Intercept and Type Investigations) ● Kyle Bagenstose (Bucks County Courier Times) ● Facilitator: Shaina Kasper (Toxics Action Center)
4:45-5:15 Break
5:15-6:15 Conference Consensus Statement Workshop
Location: Egan 440
● Facilitated by Shaina Kasper (Toxics Action Center)
Dinner on your own, but interest groups may plan ahead to have their own dinner groups
8:00-8:30 Film Screening - “The Burden of Convenience”- Raytheon, Egan Research Center
● Presented by Callie Lyons
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
Workshop Descriptions for 3:15-4:45 Tuesday June 11th
1. Drinking water treatment and remediation
Location: 315 Shillman Hall - #30 on map
● Chris Higgins (Colorado School of Mines) ● Hans Keijser (Hyannis Water System) ● Laurel Schaider (Silent Spring Institute)
A growing number of public water systems are installing granular activated carbon and other types of
filtration to remove PFAS from contaminated water. While these systems can effectively remove
PFOS, PFOA, and other long-chain compounds, short-chain and other alternative PFAS compounds are
not as well removed, leaving residents to wonder about ongoing exposures. Furthermore, large-scale
water treatment is costly and can create substantial financial challenges for water supplies and their
customers, especially in small communities. In this session, we will hear from the superintendent of a
public water supply that has been addressing PFAS contamination for years and discuss the challenges
faced by water suppliers, particularly in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment. The session will
also provide a broader understanding of the full array of PFAS compounds in public water supplies and
contaminated groundwater, and we will discuss analytical chemistry methods for characterizing these
compounds and effective water treatment and remediation technologies.
2. State water advisories and regulations
Location: 415 Shillman Hall - #30 on map
● Gloria Post (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) ● Alissa Cordner (Whitman College)
This workshop will present basic information on of how drinking water guidelines are derived,
including the decisions that are made at various steps in their development, as well as specific
considerations for PFAS. Participants will gain an understanding of how differences between drinking
water guidelines developed by different agencies arise, with examples taken from guidelines developed
by different states. Topics for discussion will include: health effects data needed for development of a
chemical-specific guideline; differences in risk assessment approach for carcinogens and non-
carcinogens; choice of critical study and endpoint; application of uncertainty factors; choice of drinking
water ingestion assumptions; choice of Relative Source Contribution factor; and application of
guidelines to individual PFAS or the total of multiple PFAS. Factors in addition to health effects that
may be considered in setting regulatory standards will be discussed.
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3. Living with PFAS: Community experiences
Location: 001 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Ben Gerhardstein (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) ● Andrea Amico (Testing for Pease)
What’s it like for communities “living with PFAS”? In small groups at this workshop, conference
attendees who live in communities affected by PFAS contamination can share their communities’
experiences. Conversations will identify common themes around the questions
❖ What‘s your community’s PFAS contamination story?
❖ What challenges has your community faced?
❖ What’s been helpful?
The stories and discussion will help participants better understand how PFAS contamination affects
community life and what government agencies, health professionals, researchers, and others can do to
support affected communities. Ben Gerhardstein (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR)) and Andrea Amico (Testing for Pease) will co-facilitate this workshop, which is part of an
ATSDR project developing tools, resources, and strategies to address community stress related to PFAS.
4. Federal agency research overview
Location: 002 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Andrew Lindstrom (US Environmental Protection Agency) ● Andrea Tokranov (US Geological Survey) ● Maureen Sullivan (Department of Defense) ● Pat Breysse (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) ● Suzanne Fenton (National Toxicology Program) ● Mark Miller (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
This session will serve as an opportunity for representatives from federal agencies to present a brief
overview of their agency’s PFAS research priorities, including a discussion of their ongoing activities
and what they plan to do in the next 3-5 years. Session attendees will then have an opportunity to ask
questions and provide feedback on these priorities and plans. Session participants will then participate in
an interactive exercise to identify the research priorities in the four research domains (toxicology,
exposure, human health, intervention) they see as most important moving forward in the next 3-5 years.
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
5. Considerations for local health studies
Location: 003 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Laurene Allen (Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water) ● Sylvia Broude (Toxics Action Center) ● Courtney Carignan (Michigan State University)
“I need a health study” is a common refrain among community groups with environmental health
problems such as PFAS contamination, who often reach out to non-profit organizations, health
departments, universities, and government agencies for assistance. There may be a suspected disease
cluster, foul odors from polluting industry, or concerns that polluted water is causing illness. The
process for turning big concerns into researchable questions, and identifying the resources and skills to
conduct the research is not obvious. The purpose of this workshop is twofold: 1) Share a tool for
working with communities that explores strengths and limitations of health studies and 2) Share
concrete examples of health studies for communities with PFAS contamination and discuss pros and
cons of different types and where to find the resources needed to move forward.
6. Working with the media to tell your PFAS story
Location: 007 Snell Library -- #59 on map
● Sharon Lerner (The Intercept and Type Investigations) ● Kyle Bagenstose (Bucks County Courier Times) ● Shaina Kasper (Toxics Action Center)
You’ve got a PFAS story to tell, or research to reveal, or organizational initiative to showcase. But how
to get the public’s attention? This workshop will give you a chance to talk directly with both national
and local reporters and get their advice on best practices for pitching the media and establishing fruitful
relationships. Scientists, activists, officials, and businesses will learn the Do’s and Don’t’s, ask one-on-
one questions, and practice a pitch to real reporters!
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Conference Agenda -- Day 3 – June 12th, 2019
8:00-8:30 Registration & Breakfast
8:30-9:15 Keynote
● Gina McCarthy (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) ● Introduced by: Michelle Dalton (Testing for Pease)
9:15-10:30 Session 9: New insights into exposure sources
● Rainer Lohmann (University of Rhode Island) ● Andrea Tokranov (US Geological Survey) ● Laurel Schaider (Silent Spring Institute) ● Amila De Silva (Environment Canada) ● Carla Ng (University of Pittsburgh) ● Chair: Elsie Sunderland (Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
10:30-11:00 Poster Session #1
2nd Floor Hallway, Egan Research Center
For poster presenters and titles, see page 13
11:00-12:30 Session 10: New insights into risks to human health
● Angela Slitt (University of Rhode Island) ● Suzanne Fenton (NIEHS, National Toxicology Program) ● Shuk-Mei Ho (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) ● Philippe Grandjean (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health/University of Southern Denmark) ● Amalie Timmermann (University of Southern Denmark) ● Qi Sun (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) ● Chair: Rainer Lohmann (University of Rhode Island)
12:30-1:00 Poster Session #2
2nd Floor Hallway, Egan Research Center
For poster presenters and titles, see page 13-14
1:00-2:00 Lunch
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
2:00-3:15 Session 11: Linking science to regulation and community health
● Antonia Calafat (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) ● Jamie DeWitt (Eastern Carolina University) ● Gary Ginsberg (New York Department of Health) ● Tony Fletcher (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) ● Xenia Trier (European Environment Agency) ● Chair: Philippe Grandjean (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health/University of Southern
Denmark)
3:15-3:30 Break
3:30-5:00 Session 12: Waste Exposures
● Patrick MacRoy (Environmental Health Strategy Center) ● Johnsie Lang (Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education) ● Mindi Messmer (New Hampshire Safe Water Alliance) ● Kay Fritz (Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development) ● Chair: Shaina Kasper (Toxics Action Center)
5:00-5:45 Closing session and call to action
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Poster Sessions
2nd Floor Hallway, Egan Research Center
Poster presenters and titles in alphabetical order by last name
Poster Session #1, 10:30-11:00 Wednesday June 12
1. Mary Grace E. Guardian (SUNY Buffalo) “Application of COSMO-RS-derived Octanol-water
Partition Coefficients in Characterizing Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances” 2. Alana Miller (REGENESIS) “In Situ Containment of PFAS using Colloidal Activated Carbon” 3. Yong Sang Kim (University of Guam) “Potential PFASs Contamination Sites in Guam” 4. Cressa Ria P. Fulong (SUNY Buffalo) “Metal-organic polyhedra as tunable agents for selective
capture and degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)” 5. E. Molly Frazar (University of Kentucky) “Smart Polymeric Sorbents for the Selective Removal
of PFAS from Contaminated Water Systems”
6. Bridger Ruyle (Harvard University) “Transport of perfluoroalkyl acids and their precursors in
coastal groundwater and surface water systems” 7. Anna R. Robuck (University of Rhode Island) “Tissue-specific distribution of legacy and
emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in seabirds from Atlantic offshore and
coastal environments” 8. Jitka Becanova (University of Rhode Island) “Characterization of a fiber passive sampler for
PFAS detection at AFFF impacted sites”
9. Christine Gardiner (University of Rhode Island) “Characterizing the in situ sampling rate of a
novel integrative passive sampler for PFASs” 10. Heidi Pickard (Harvard University) “Uptake and Effects of PFAS in Fish Exposed to
Contaminated Environments” 11. Maya E. Morales-McDevitt (University of Rhode Island) “Determination of Volatile PFAS in
Indoor Air using PE sheets”
12. Intaek Hahn (US EPA) “US EPA’s STAR RFA on PFAS: Practical Methods to Analyze and
Treat Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) in Solid Waste, Landfills, Wastewater/Leachates, Soils,
and Groundwater to Protect Human Health and the Environment”
13. Phil Brown (Northeastern University) “Overview of SSEHRI's PFAS Project activities” 14. Tier, Xenia (European Environmental Agency) “PFAS in Europe: Risks and options for risk
governance to protect people and the environment”
Poster Session #2, 12:30-1:00 Wednesday June 12
15. Rachel Rogers (CDC/ATSDR) “Current ATSDR activities to address PFAS exposure concerns” 16. Rachel Long (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) “Conducting a Community
Exposure Assessment for Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) – the North Kent County
Michigan Experience” 17. Louise Dalsager (University of Southern Denmark) “Prenatal PFAS exposure and childhood
hospitalization due to infectious disease”
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
18. Clara Amalie Gade Timmermann (University of Southern Denmark) “Decreased Vaccine
Response in Guinea-Bissau Children Exposed to Perfluoroalkyl Substances”
19. Colleen E. Shelly (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) “Early life exposures to
perfluoroalkyl substances in relation to adipokine hormone levels at birth and during childhood” 20. Ana Pomales (CDC/ATSDR) “CDC/ATSDR PFAS Exposure Assessments: Communication and
Community Engagement Strategies”
21. Pan Deng (University of Kentucky) “Mixture-specific gene expression and lipid profile in mice
exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and PCB126” 22. Chunyan Wang (University of Kentucky) “PFOS Modifies PCB 126 Induced Inflammation in
Macrophages” 23. Pi-i Debby Lin (Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute)
“Association between diet and plasma concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl
substances” 24. Richard Christian Jensen (University of Southern Denmark) “Prenatal Exposure to
Perfluoroalkyl Substances is Associated with Increased Markers of Adiposity and Total
Cholesterol in Infancy” 25. Naila Khalil (Wright State University) “The Association of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl
Substances Exposure and Renal Function in the NHANES 2015 – 2016 Population”
26. Naila Khalil (Wright State University) “Perfluoroalkyl Substances Exposure and Lung Function
in the US Population” 27. Naila Khalil (Wright State University) “Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Metabolic Syndrome in
Firefighters”
28. Carolyn Gigot (Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)) “Environmental Health Assessment
Support, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Center for Environmental Assessment,
PFAS Exposure Variability Across Biological Media and Critical Windows of Susceptibility:
Risk Assessment Ramifications Related to Confounding and Exposure Misclassification” 29. Youssef Oulhote (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health) “Gestational Perfluoroalkyl
Concentrations and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Faroese Pregnant:Women and Neonates: A
Prospective Cohort Study” 30. Marisa Pfohl (University of Rhode Island) “An ‘omics approach to unraveling the paradoxical
effect of diet on PFOS and PFNA induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)”
31. Messmer, Mindi (Georgetown University) “Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Exposure to
Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances - Health Outcomes in Children and Impacts on Human Fertility”
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The Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI) carries out research at the
intersection of social science and environmental health and trains graduate students, postdocs, and
undergraduates in community-based participatory research. With its 4 core faculty, 11 affiliate faculty, 3
postdocs, over a dozen graduate students, and numerous undergraduates, SSEHRI has a large research
portfolio from NIEHS, NIH, NSF, JPB Foundation, Heinz Foundation, and other sources. SSEHRI’s
PFAS Project Lab studies social and scientific discovery of the PFAS contamination crisis, the
formation of community groups of affected residents, immune effects of PFAS, the development of
states’ water advisories and regulations, and corporate efforts to reduce exposure. The PFAS Project
Lab maintains an extensive website of news and resources, maintains the only known comprehensive
database of PFAS contamination sites, and with Environmental Working Group, produces an interactive
map of PFAS contamination across the United States, and conducts interviews with activists and
residents of PFAS-impacted communities.
Silent Spring Institute is the leading scientific research organization dedicated to uncovering the links
between chemicals in our everyday environment and women’s health, with a focus on breast cancer
prevention. Our groundbreaking studies produce new knowledge about the health risks associated with
cancer-causing chemicals where we live, work, and play. We are also developing new technologies and
methods for reducing exposures to hazardous chemicals and helping manufacturers create safer
products. These solutions hold great promise for preventing breast cancer and other diseases. Silent
Spring consists of a multi-disciplinary team of scientists with expertise in exposure science,
epidemiology, toxicology, analytical chemistry, software development, and community-based research.
We collaborate with investigators at Harvard, UC Berkeley, Northeastern’s Social Science
Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI), as well as other institutions. We also work with
policymakers, lawyers, advocates, and health professionals to ensure our research has an impact and
ultimately improves people’s lives.
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
Testing for Pease is a community action group, whose mission is to be a reliable resource for
education and communication while advocating for a long-term action plan on behalf of those
impacted by the PFAS water contamination at the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth,
NH. Testing for Pease formed in 2015 and have successfully advocated for a PFAS blood
testing program for the Pease community, filtration and remediation of PFAS contamination,
and will be the first community to participate in a PFAS health study with ATSDR later this
year. We are proud of our leadership at the local, state, and federal level re: PFAS
contamination and working with many different sectors to come up with community-oriented
solutions to address PFAS issues. We are committed to advocacy that brings meaningful action
and answers to communities impacted by PFAS exposure across the nation."
The STEEP (Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFASs) Center was formed to address the
ubiquitous human health threat of PFASs through rigorous interdisciplinary science to redefine dose
exposure benchmarks, develop novel detection techniques, and prepare communities to expect long-
term solutions for contaminated sites. The URI STEEP Center, a collaboration with colleagues from
Harvard University and the Silent Spring Institute, is funded by the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences’ Superfund Research Program. STEEP supports the source, exposure, and site
assessment of PFASs, with a focus on Cape Cod (MA).In biomedical research, STEEP assesses critical
human health effects of PFAS exposure by integrating epidemiology (with children on the Faroe
Islands) and a rodent model to elucidate molecular pathways and the dose-dependence of sensitive
toxicological endpoints. With the help of our Center cores, we aim to educate communities and advise
stakeholders to reduce human exposure to PFASs through effective and integrated community
engagement, research translation, and training.
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Toxics Action Center’s mission is to work side-by-side with communities, providing you with the
skills and resources needed to prevent or clean up pollution at the local level. Since 1987, we have
organized over 1000 communities across New England to put together plans and strategies to effectively
solve the problems they face. In doing so, we train neighbors to not only defend their health and safety,
but to think strategically and come together for proactive, positive change. In our 32-year history, we
have helped win hundreds of campaigns to protect the health of citizens and neighborhoods across the
region. Every day, we receive and respond to calls from residents across New England who want to
clean up hazardous waste spills, curb pesticide use, and oppose poorly sited waste, energy, and
industrial facilities. Along the way, we’ve brought the thousands of local community leaders we’ve
worked with together, organizing for common-sense solutions from helping to pass the nation’s
strongest strongest PFAS legislation in Vermont, facilitating the National PFAS Contamination
Coalition, and more.
The PROTECT (Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Treats) Center that was created in
2010 to investigate the causal relationships between environmental pollutants in Puerto Rico and
preterm birth. After reaching 20% in 2008, the preterm birth rate in Puerto Rico has decreased to 11.4%
in 2017, yet continues to be among the highest globally. Puerto Rico has extensive hazardous waste
contamination, including 18 Superfund Sites, across the island. Funded by the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences’ Superfund Research Program, PROTECT integrates analytical,
mechanistic, epidemiology, and environmental data into a centralized, indexed data repository to
address environmental influences on preterm birth and other pregnancy outcomes. PROTECT also
studies fate and transport of hazardous substances in karst aquifers and develops green remediation
strategies that attenuate and mitigate exposure to protect human health and ecosystems. PROTECT
collaborators include Northeastern University, University of Georgia, University of Puerto Rico -
Medical Sciences Campus and Mayaguez, University of Michigan, West Virginia University, Silent
Spring Institute and EarthSoft, Inc
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Visit our website for speaker bios and more information and resources:
https://pfasproject.com/speaker-bios/
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