The Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences is hosting Laurel Schaider on Wednesday March 5 for a seminar on “PFAS in the waters of Cape Cod: What do we know and how can we protect water quality?”. The seminar will take place in SMAST East 101-103 from 12:30-1:30 and is available on Zoom.

 

Abstract:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—also called “forever chemicals”—are grabbing headlines every day as global environmental pollutants. Closer to home, PFAS are increasingly being discovered in drinking water, surface waters, and groundwater throughout Massachusetts. Groundwater on Cape Cod is vulnerable to PFAS contamination because of the shallow sand and gravel aquifer and dense development. This presentation will provide an overview of the key concerns about widespread PFAS exposure and health effects. We will discuss major sources of PFAS contamination in groundwater and surface waters on Cape Cod, and present key findings from past and ongoing research to discover the extent of PFAS contamination and implications for human and ecological health.