The History of PFAS

Halting the PFAS Cycle and Its Costs on People, Communities, and Society

In this final episode, hosts Anchal Malh and Natalie Conti wrap up their conversation on PFAS in the environment with Kristin Mello and Christopher Clark of Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves (WRAFT). They discuss the ways research, policies, and technology have been implemented to reduce PFAS exposures and their limitations.  They also remind us about environmental justice issues related to PFAS, highlighting the work of current advocacy groups. Listeners are left with key takeaways on what the field of environmental health—and all of society—can learn from PFAS. Finally, there is a call-to-action: How can we ensure marginalized communities, particularly communities of color and low-wealth communities, are not experiencing disproportionate impacts from PFAS? Tune in for this concluding episode of The PFAS Chronicles.

Firefighters and "Forever Chemicals": PFAS Exposure and Health Risks

In Episode 4 of The PFAS Chronicles, hosts Anchal Malh and Natalie Conti sit with advocates Ayesha Khan and Jamie Honkawa of the Nantucket PFAS Action Group. During their conversation, they discuss exposure to PFAS in firefighting communities and ways to improve protection for community members. Tune in to learn how certain occupations can lead to increases in exposure to PFAS and related health effects.

PFAS Where We Live, Work, and Play

In this episode, hosts Anchal Malh and Natalie Conti meet with Sandy Wynn-Stelt of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network to discuss where PFAS show up in our everyday lives and how they impact human health. During their conversation, they discuss PFAS in the places we live, work, and play and what solutions scientists are coming up with to remediate the presence of these forever chemicals in our environment. Tune in to unearth where PFAS may be lurking in your environment and the steps you can take to reduce your exposure.

The Science of PFAS Detection

Hosts Anchal Malh and Natalie Conti are back for another educational episode on PFAS. This time, they investigate how PFAS are studied and monitored. In this conversation with Dr. Katherine Manz, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, they begin to explore how PFAS contaminate water and soil with implications for environmental health and justice. Tune in to explore how the human body responds to PFAS exposure.

The History of PFAS

In this introductory episode on PFAS—also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—hosts Anchal Malh and Natalie Conti meet with Phil Brown, the Director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute and Codirector of the PFAS Project Lab at Northeastern University. During their conversation, they explore the history of PFAS. They trace PFAS’s origins to household products and discuss how these chemicals are ever-present in our bodies and environment today. Tune in to uncover more about these “forever chemicals.”