August 9th on ZOOM at 7:30 PM ET: PFAS Disposal and Remediation
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of over 5,000 man-made chemicals, are everywhere. They are in the air, soil, and water. PFAS have been used for years in fracking. They are in breastmilk. They are in infants. They are in fish and meat, as well as many products in your grocery store. They've been added to innumerable building, consumer, and personal products, and they have been used by VTANG for decades in toxic fire fighting foams used in drills at Burlington International Airport, even though officials and the manufacturers knew full well how harmful these chemicals are.
Across the country, states are taking the lead to enact PFAS legislation, but it is not happening fast enough, nor is the legislation comprehensive. Even if we ban PFAS entirely, the "forever chemicals" are still in the air, soil, water—endangering our health and our planet. How do we safely dispose of PFAS? How do we clean-up the PFAS that are already in the air, soil, and water? That is the BIG challenge that we face; a task that will prove both expensive and arduous. Right now, the costs are to our health and those costs must be shifted back onto the polluters themselves.
The Vermont Military Poisons/PFAS Coalition, WILPF Burlington, and the Earth Democracy Committee are holding a zoom webinar on PFAS Disposal and Remediation on Monday, August 9 at 7:30 PM Eastern Time (6:30 Central, 5:30 Mountain, and 4:30 Pacific). The free, 90-minute, zoom webinar will focus on dangerous PFAS disposal methods, as well as new technologies being developed to remove these "forever chemicals" from our environment. You will hear presentations by Dr. Patricia Hynes of the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, Dr. David Bond of Bennington College, and Dr. Appala Raju Badireddy of the University of Vermont. Registration is required: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErd-itpjgtHda-3hUT1B0wj-qAsnH6cmTu
To learn more about PFAS chemicals in our regional water supply: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/31/americas-tap-water-samples-forever-chemicals