Earlier this year, after broadcasting our episode with Dr. Jason Bara about microplastics, we got an email from a listener named Hank asking if we would consider doing an episode on forever chemicals. Turns out, these two things are often brought up together in conversation—they’re both pollutants, both a bit of a headache to get rid of, and both are indicative of the advancements of technology. As Dr. Bara said in our microplastics episode, there may never be a world where we completely stop the use of plastics. As it turns out, that may also be true for these forever chemicals, or PFAS. Non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothes, cosmetics, the carpet industry, even foam used by firefighters all have these pesky chemicals roaming about.
I reached out to the Engineering department at Auburn University to see who they had on hand that could speak on forever chemicals. Turns out one of their newest faculty members was just the person for the job. Dr. Dinara Hatinoglu has been newly appointed an assistant professor of environmental engineering at Auburn University. She’s been researching these PFAs for quite some time now, and joins us today to provide an overview of the chemical properties, environmental impacts, and health risks associated with PFAS.
