TalkingPFAS

Join John Gardella, a renowned environmental lawyer from CMBG3 Law, as he dives into the intricate world of PFAS regulation and litigation. He discusses the dramatic rise of PFAS lawsuits, particularly in South Carolina, and highlights ongoing legal challenges companies face. Gardella sheds light on the upcoming EPA drinking water standards for 2024 and the political influences affecting regulation. With insights on innovative solutions like Epoch Enviro's SAF technology, he emphasizes the urgent need for accountability in tackling PFAS contamination.

In this discussion, Peter Murphy, Managing Director of EPOC Enviro, shares his extensive experience in PFAS remediation, focusing on innovative foam fractionation technology. He explains how their patented SAFF technology is revolutionizing PFAS removal and its global implications. The conversation also delves into the complexities of PFAS regulations and the importance of sustainable practices in environmental management. Peter highlights significant achievements, including treatment of 1.5 billion liters of contaminated water and the integration of eco-friendly biosurfactants.

David Beale, Adjunct Professor and senior research scientist at CSIRO, shares his insights on the alarming effects of PFAS contamination on freshwater turtles in Queensland. He discusses the use of advanced omics tools to assess environmental impacts, revealing troubling health indicators in turtle populations. The conversation highlights the accumulation of PFAS in turtles and its repercussions for reproductive success and ecosystem health. Beale emphasizes the urgent need for more research and innovative solutions to combat the ongoing environmental threat posed by these contaminants.

Dr. Cheng Zhang from the University of Queensland brings his expertise in polymer chemistry to discuss groundbreaking methods for removing PFAS from water and landfill leachate. He delves into the innovative use of PFAS in battery technology, highlighting collaborations aimed at enhancing battery performance while addressing environmental challenges. Zhang also reveals exciting advancements in water purification technology, emphasizing efficient approaches like magnetic particle filtration. His insights shed light on the complexities of PFAS contamination and the urgent need for effective remediation strategies.

In this engaging discussion, guests Paul Nathanail and Scott Warner share their expertise in contaminated land management and groundwater conditions. Paul, a Technical Director with vast experience, and Scott, a seasoned hydrogeologist, delve into innovative remediation techniques for PFAS contamination. They highlight the economic impacts of cleanup efforts and the crucial role of climate adaptation. The conversation also touches on community acceptance, regulatory changes, and cutting-edge monitoring technologies that can enhance remediation strategies. A must-listen for anyone interested in environmental science!

Peter Murphy, Managing Director of EPOC Enviro, dives into the innovative SAFF Foam Fractionation Technology for PFAS remediation. He discusses the challenges of removing short-chain PFAS and the financial implications of cleanup on private properties. The conversation highlights the advancements in SAF system manufacturing and the company’s expansion into the U.S. market. Murphy also explores the complexities of regulatory advancements and the importance of ongoing monitoring in water treatment, emphasizing the urgent need for effective solutions to combat global PFAS contamination.

John Gardella, a Boston attorney from CMBG3 Law, specializes in PFAS litigation and frequently writes for the National Law Review. In this discussion, he unpackages the U.S. EPA's proposed regulations on PFAS in drinking water, highlighting implications for public health. The conversation explores California’s Proposition 65 and emerging lawsuits against cosmetic companies for PFAS contamination. Gardella emphasizes the urgent need for robust scientific evidence and equitable funding for communities impacted by these harmful substances.

Scott Coffin, a Research Scientist with the California State Water Resources Control Board, opens up about the critical PFAS contamination issues in California’s drinking water. He discusses the state’s transparency laws under the Open Water Data Act, ensuring public access to environmental data. Scott also highlights innovative monitoring techniques using machine learning to predict contamination levels. He emphasizes the importance of community education on safe drinking water and calls for collaborative efforts to tackle the persistent challenge of PFAS and other pollutants.

Welcome back to Talking PFAS podcast.  I am a journalist and your host Kayleen Bell. Please note I am having some technical challenges with some podcast players not updating to my latest episode, especially Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which I am in the process of fixing.  I apologise for any inconvenience.  But you can always find the latest episode on my podcast host Omny Studio, and Podlink, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Podlink and Google podcasts.  If you enjoy this podcast please share to encourage more listeners to find this podcast. This is the finale for Season 5 of Talking PFAS.  I will be releasing two more episodes from international speakers from Clean-Up Conference 2022 in January, one speaker from California (up next) and one from Germany.  This will complete the series of interviews I recorded at Clean-Up Conference (2022). My guest today is Dr Mark Bowman, who is a Technical Director working for GHD based in Sydney, Australia.  He has worked on PFAS since 2005 helping to assess, clean-up and manage risks associated with their use.  Dr Bowman is widely published on PFAS management, and he also presented a session at the 2022 Clean-Up Conference on emerging contaminants, including PFAS. PFAS is a key focus for the team at GHD and Dr Bowman said their team had a strong presence at the Clean-Up Conference with up to 18 people attending including five from their Americas teams who are some of the leading people in North America dealing with PFAS and emerging contaminants. Dr Bowman said “GHD is championing PFAS response for clients in the Asia Pacific, Americas and Europe-Middle East. The company has industry leading PFAS response capabilities and is the most experienced and trusted team working to protect people and the environment from PFAS.” He also states: “GHD is successfully delivering PFAS contaminated site assessment, soil-water-sediment remediation, human health and ecological risk assessments, statutory audits, monitoring and strategic program management.  GHD also assists clients transition away from PFAS including advising on replacements and performing decontamination of plant and infrastructure.” In today’s episode Dr Bowman says a key take-away is this message, “it is fine to use a chemical that has been approved for commercial use but we need to ensure that unlike some of the challenges with PFAS where they have been dispersively released and haven’t controlled how we have used those chemicals that has been a key take-away.  We need to really not let those chemicals out into the environment in the first place.  It often doesn’t matter what the chemical is.  We don’t want it in our drinking water.  We don’t want them in our food.  We want to have safe, breathable air.  We want to have safe drinking water and it is best to ensure that we are not releasing chemicals into areas that we are using for food and water.” GHD Website  https://www.ghd.com/en/pfas.aspx Please note: I am an independent journalist and a podcaster no money was received for today’s interview.  If, in the future money is received from remediation companies (as sponsorship) to support the continuation of this podcast, I will disclose this.  Also any discussions with remediation companies is for information purposes, I am not endorsing any product or remediation method over another. Copyright:  Please share the episode (in whole) with acknowledgement via social media or website, but anyone wishing to edit, alter, or republish any information from this podcast in another form is subject to copyright and must contact the rights holder at TalkingPFAS@gmail.com.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Talking PFAS Podcast, and if you are joining us for the first time a very special welcome.  I am a journalist and your host Kayleen Bell.  Today’s episode was also recorded in September in Adelaide, South Australia at the International Clean-Up Conference.  My guests today are Gavin Scherer and Rachael Casson from AECOM and first up I will be speaking with Gavin Scherer.  Following my chat with Gavin I will be speaking with Rachael Casson, and you will hear her introduction before my discussion with Rachael.  Gavin has over 23 of consulting experience in environmental and contaminated land assessment and remediation.  The past 15 years has been in the service of AECOM. During his time in AECOM Gavin has led teams in both Australia and New Zealand including Australia’s largest geosciences and remediation services team, the Australian Department of Defence client account as well as Australia and New Zealand’s PFAS response teams.  Currently Gavin leads AECOM’s global PFAS commercialisation strategy, which includes focusing AECOM’s global team to develop, trial and bring to market a world-first onsite cost effective PFAS destruction solution known as De-Fluoro and Gavin is going to explain what De-Fluoro is in today’s episode. Rachael serves as a Director of AECOM’s International PFAS Program focusing on innovation and technical excellence.  She has over 22 years of consulting experience in contamination, assessment and management.  In 2008, Rachael recognised the emerging concern over PFAS with aviation and Defence clients positioning the AECOM team at the leading edge of the PFAS science.  She has worked on over 100+ PFAS related projects across the globe.  Rachael is part of the De-Fluoro Technical Development Team an electrochemical process that destroys PFAS in solution.  Her other research programs include plant PFAS uptake study and evaluation of the transformation of PFAS precursors into perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) downgradient of known source zones. AECOM’s De-Fluoro technology won the CRC Care Innovation Award at the 2022 International Clean-Up Conference in Adelaide.  The CRC Innovation Award recognises researchers and environmental consultants who develop innovative ways to monitor, assess and remediate environmental contamination.  The Award aims to inspire industry, businesses, communities, local government, schools and individuals to take action toward a more sustainable future.  AECOM’s De-Fluoro technology is one of the first commercially available economical and environmentally sustainable on-site destruction treatment for high concentration PFAS waste.  AECOM’s Global Initiative Leader, Gavin Scherer said the technology uses electrochemical oxidation to break the carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS which causes the molecules to break down.  An estimated $2-$4 billion dollars worth of work is required to treat PFAS over the next decade. Link to Details about AECOM Award at 2022 International Clean-Up Conference presented by CRC Care https://az659834.vo.msecnd.net/eventsairaueprod/production-eventstudio-public/dd56e1e2846e452493a19f52014e910d AECOM Website https://aecom.com/ Please note: I am an independent journalist and a podcaster no money was received for today’s interview.  If in the future money is received from remediation companies (as sponsorship) to support the continuation of this podcast I will disclose this.  Also any discussions with remediation companies is for information purposes, I am not endorsing any product or remediation method over another. Copyright:  Please share the episode (in whole) with acknowledgement via social media or website, but anyone wishing to edit, alter, or republish any information from this podcast in another form is subject to copyright and must contact the rights holder at TalkingPFAS@gmail.com.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.