Forever Chemicals: Their Secret Past & Pervasive Future | BingeThinking BOS
About this Event
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TOPIC:
Forever Chemicals: Their Secret Past and Pervasive Future
Are PFAS Today's Most Misunderstood Chemicals?
SPEAKER:
Dr. Elizabeth Plunk, University of Rochester
They're in your pan, your jacket, and quite possibly your bloodstream. "Forever chemicals" have become one of the most talked-about health topics of the decade, but the real story behind them is a lot stranger, and a lot older, than most people realize. It starts almost a century ago in a place you wouldn't expect, and it does not end where you'd think either.
In this talk, Dr. Elizabeth Plunk takes us behind the headlines and into the actual science: how toxicologists think about risk, why "dangerous" is a much more complicated word than it sounds, and why the more you understand about your own exposure, the less overwhelming it becomes. Along the way, expect a few surprises about where these chemicals really came from, how many of them exist, and why scientists still can't agree on what to do about them.
Topics include:
- The unexpected origin story of PFAS, and where it takes a hard left turn
- The centuries-old science principle that still shapes how we think about "toxic" today
- Why knowing your own exposure and physiology can actually be reassuring, not scary
- Just how many of these chemicals are actually out there, and why that number complicates everything
- Why "safe" means something different depending on which country, and which body, you're asking about
About the Speaker
Dr. Elizabeth Plunk holds a Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Rochester, where she built her expertise in chemical exposure, human physiology, and the science of risk.
She is now a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School, where her research focuses on how immune challenges during pregnancy shape brain development in offspring. That work has made her a go-to expert on the maternal environment during pregnancy and its role in neurodevelopment, whether the culprit is a toxicant exposure or an immune insult, and she has developed a particularly deep well of knowledge on PFAS and forever chemicals specifically. Her work lives at the intersection of hard toxicology and the everyday questions people actually have about the chemicals around them.
Agenda
7:00 PM — Doors Open (Grab a seat and drinks!)
7:30 PM — Lecture Begins
8:10 PM — Audience Q&A
8:30 PM — Drinks & Conversation
9:00 PM — Event Ends
Where is it happening?
USD 32.95
