Princeton ACS Section Dinner Meeting
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
our guest speaker will be
Gloria Post, Ph.D.
“Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): An Emerging Drinking Water Contaminant”
Location: Frick Laboratory, Princeton University
Social mixer: 5:30 pm in CaFe, Taylor Commons
Presentation: 6:30 pm in Taylor Auditorium
Dinner: Immediately following presentation, in café area
Abstract: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an anthropogenic compound that differs from most other well-studied organic chemicals found in drinking water. PFOA is extremely resistant to environmental degradation processes and thus persists indefinitely. Unlike most other persistent organic pollutants (e.g. dioxins, PCBs), PFOA is water-soluble and does not bind well to soil or sediments. It has been detected in drinking water impacted by industrial facilities and wastewater treatment plants, as well as in waters with no known point sources. It is found in the serum of almost all U.S. residents and has a human half-life of several years. Exposure sources include food, food packaging, consumer products, house dust, and drinking water. Continued exposure to even relatively low concentrations in drinking water can substantially increase total human exposure. Infants are potentially a sensitive subpopulation for its developmental effects, and their exposure from breast milk or prepared formula is higher than in adults with the same drinking water source. Numerous health endpoints, including some types of cancer, are associated with human PFOA exposure in the general population and/or communities with contaminated drinking water. Based on animal toxicology data, PFOA was classified as “likely to be carcinogenic in humans” by the USEPA Science Advisory Board, and developmental effects in animals are a sensitive endpoint for toxicity. Current information suggests that continued human exposure to even relatively low concentrations of PFOA in drinking water results in elevated body burdens that may increase the risk of health effects.
Biography: Gloria Post has been a Research Scientist in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Science since 1986. She provides human health risk assessment and toxicology support to NJDEP and conducts research on health effects of environmental contaminants. She currently serves on the EPA Science Advisory Board’s Exposure and Human Health Committee and served on the EPA SAB Trichloroethylene Review Panel. She is a member of the NJ Drinking Water Quality Institute, a legislatively mandated advisory body to NJDEP. She has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology since 1990 and is currently the Secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Regional chapter of the Society of Toxicology. Among her other publications, she is the first author of the chapter on “Health and Aesthetic Effects of Drinking Water Contaminants” in the recently published 6th edition of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Handbook of Water Quality & Treatment. Gloria holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Thomas Jefferson University where her thesis work related to benzene metabolism and toxicity. She is a member of the Princeton Class of 1977, having earned an A.B. with honors in Biochemical Sciences. Prior to joining NJDEP, she did post-doctoral research in biochemical toxicology at Duke University and Thomas Jefferson University.
Reservations: The meeting will be held in Frick Laboratory, Princeton University. The social mixer will begin at 5:30 pm in the CaFe area of Taylor Commons. The lecture will be held in the Auditorium at 6:30 pm followed by dinner in Taylor Commons (CaFe area). Frick Laboratory is located at the east end of the pedestrian bridge on Washington Rd, adjacent to the Weaver Track and Field Stadium. Parking is available in Lot 21, corner of Faculty Road and Fitzrandolph Road or other lots along Ivy Lane (see www.princeton.edu/main/visiting/ for other parking options). The seminar is free and open to the public. Reservations are required for dinner, which is $20 ($10 for students). Please contact Louise Lawter at louise.lawter@gmail.com or 215-428-1475 by May2 to make reservations. Reservations must be canceled no later than May 7 to avoid being billed for the dinner.