Perspectives on PFAS (Webinar)

Aarcher Institute is pleased to bring you this important webinar, to help you understand and prepare for requirements relating to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

October 5, 2023 at 10:30 AM (Eastern)

Join Dr. LeeAnn Racz to discuss this emerging environmental management challenge. Dr. Racz previously served for 23 years as a bioenvironmental engineer and civil engineer in the US Air Force. Some highlights of Dr. Racz’s military assignments include squadron commander, chief of consultative services at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, and director of the Graduate Environmental Engineering and Science Program at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Dr. Racz is a licensed professional engineer, certified industrial hygienist, and board-certified environmental engineer. She earned a BS in environmental engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, an MS in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Idaho, and a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Utah. She has authored dozens of refereed journal articles, conference proceedings, magazine articles, and presentations, and edited six handbooks, including “Forever Chemicals: Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Concerns with PFAS in the Environment”. Dr. Racz advises on Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council committees, is a member of several professional organizations, and has received numerous prestigious teaching and research awards. Today, Dr. Racz is a Senior Engineer at ToxStrategies and President of ClearView Environmental Engineering and Consulting, which provides environmental and occupational health services to clients around the world.

Understand regulatory trends associated with PFAS and how they will affect your organization.

PFAS comprise a large family of fluorinated chemicals, with estimates of potentially several thousand in commercial use or present in the environment.  Their unique properties have made them extraordinarily useful in applications such as electronics manufacturing, metal plating, textiles, lubricants, cookware, firefighting foams, carpeting, and food packaging materials, to name a few. This widespread use, coupled with the persistence and mobility of some PFAS, has resulted in their being present in environmental media across the globe. The chemical and physical properties of PFAS compounds have been shown to vary widely, which leads to differences in their environmental persistence and potential for toxicity and bioaccumulation. Adverse health effects have been observed in toxicology studies of some PFAS compounds, particularly when tested at high doses. As a result, PFAS have been the subject of a great deal of attention among scientists and regulators around the world.

This presentation will discuss how our use and view of PFAS has evolved over the past decades as well as current public policy trends. This discussion will also offer perspectives on PFAS risk management approaches, both in the US and around the world, and the science behind them.

Who should participate in this webinar?

This webinar is of particular interest for environmental and occupational safety and health professionals, but others interested in this rapidly evolving and high-interest topic will also find it valuable.

What does this webinar deliver?

This one-hour webinar offers a high-level overview of PFAS issues explains the science on PFAS toxicity and behavior in the environment as well as regulatory trends in the US and Europe.

Advance registration is required to participate in this free webinar. Space is limited.