Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Time: 8:00am – 9:00am
Location: Columbus Convention Center, Room A213, A214
Speaker: Tom Hill, JD
Tom Hill, former General Counsel for GE’s EHS operations, will discuss how the concerns about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) continue to persist. From ongoing litigation over PFOA and PFOS, to newer “short-chain” PFAS substitutes currently in use – What is the state of PFAS science? What is the potential to impact human health and the environment? How can a proactive Product Stewardship program help you stay ahead of the risk from this class of thousands of chemicals?
PFAS Risk: Past, Present, and Future
Description
PFAS persist as do concerns about their safety. The most notorious of the PFAS – PFOA and PFOS – have largely been phased out of production in the United States. But US industries still employ a wide-range of lesser-studied PFOA and PFOS substitutes, some of which are now at the center of emerging litigation.
What is the state of PFAS science? What is the potential to impact human health and the environment? Keeping up with them and staying ahead of the new ones is a daunting task.
During this session, we will share analyses of the current and potential risk posed by lower profile PFAS, many of which are being used as substitutes for those that are known to be harmful. We will also discuss strategies for leveraging available information to develop more proactive approaches to manage the health and environmental risks posed by the substances and chemicals you produce and use, from new product development to insurance strategy to claims management.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, attendees will:
- Explain the risks posed by newer PFAS
- Recall strategies for proactive, rather than reactive, risk management
- Recognize tools to help monitor the science and evaluate many heterogenous risks
Learning/Experience Level
Experienced
Topic(s)
Product Stewardship Risk Assessments
Description
Scientists have been investigating the impact of chemical exposures on weight gain for decades. The term “obesogen” was first coined by a University of California biology professor in 2006 in a paper investigating weight gain in the offspring of mice exposed to the chemical tributyltin when pregnant.
During this session, we will dive into the range of chemicals and ingredients, including those used in pesticides, plasticizers, flame retardants, and other industrial and consumer applications that, along with poor diet and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, are thought to contribute to the long-term increase in obesity rates worldwide.
We will explore the mechanisms through which scientists hypothesize that these chemicals exert obesogenic effects: altering the number and size of fat cells, changing hormone levels that regulate appetite and satiety, and interfering with normal metabolism. In addition to obesity, we will also explore how these chemicals may be impacting the environment.
Learning Objectives
- Describe a newly emerging class of risks potentially contributing to increasing obesity rates
• Summarize the mechanisms through which scientists think obesogenic effects occur
• Analyze the impacts these chemicals can have on the environment and people
Learning/Experience Level
Expert
Topic(s)
Emerging Product Stewardship Issues