Overview

There is good awareness of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as emerging contaminants that have been used extensively as firefighting agents and in a wide range of commercial applications around the world.  It is known that the bioaccumulation of some PFAS compounds has been linked to cancers and a range of health irregularities in exposed humans, in addition to its toxicity to aquatic life. Is this just someone else's problem, or should we be concerned?    

This technical talk will discuss the extent to which PFAS in our global waters, soils and sediment exceed advisories and regulations. It will update the potential sources of contamination and provide a current assessment of the implications and potential solutions for this contaminant.

Speaker

Denis M.O’Carroll, Deputy Head of School (Research), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney

Denis is the Deputy Head of School (Research) at the UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is actively working to develop destructive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) treatment technologies, as well as investigating the factors that control the fate of PFAS in the environment.

This includes assisting with the development of the PFAS fingerprinting machine learning model to determine PFAS source. He was invited to provide evidence to the Australia Senate Select Committee on PFAS and NSW Parliament's Select Committee on PFAS contamination in waterways and drinking water supplies throughout New South Wales.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

• In-person: 18:00–19:45 AEST
• Online: 18:30–19:30 AEST

Price

Price includes GST.

• Member: Free
• Non-member: $30.00
• Student and early career researchers: Free

This is not an IChemE event, and as such, the Institution will not be storing or controlling any data linked to this event. If you have any concerns or questions about how your data is stored, please contact the event organisers directly.