EBC Emerging Contaminants Webinar: Beyond PFAS – What Other Emerging Contaminants Should We Be Concerned With?

This EBC Emerging Contaminants webinar will take a break from PFAS and will focus on other emerging contaminants that may be on the horizon or are already starting to be regulated.

Specifically, the program will focus on microplastics, harmful algal blooms, and pharmaceuticals.  Microplastics is an emerging field of great interest as plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues facing our planet.  Algae are simple plants that form the base of food webs; however, under the right conditions, algae can grow out of control and certain “blooms” produce toxins that can kill fish, mammals and birds and may cause human illness. Pharmaceuticals, such as antibiotics, hormones and painkillers, are widely detected in the environment, including surface and groundwater.

The presentations will focus on what these contaminants are, where they come from, why we should be concerned, how these emerging contaminants may be entering our water supply and how we can deal with them.  There are currently a wide variety of test methods aimed at identifying and quantifying microplastics in all types of waters, organisms, and consumables; the program will provide information on an analytical method to identify and quantify microplastics in water, how the method can be applied, and its challenges.

The program will also offer a legal perspective on how to manage emerging contaminants during due diligence or Phase I environmental site assessments, and finally, a regulatory perspective on how emerging contaminants are identified and come to be regulated.

View the Attendee List

Final Agenda – Emerging Contaminants Webinar – Beyond PFAS – Other Emerging Contaminants

Connecticut Licensed Environmental Professional (LEP) Credit: This webinar was submitted to the Connecticut LEP Board for 2.5 hours of credit. The CT LEP Board declined credit for this webinar.

General Continuing Education Certificates are awarded by the EBC for this program (2.5 training contact hours). Certificates are automatically provided via email link for registered attendees at the conclusion of the webinar.

Agenda Details

Program Chairs:

• Elizabeth Denly, Vice President, Quality Assurance & Chemistry Director, TRC
• Jeffrey Hershberger, PG, Senior Scientist, ESS Group, Inc.
• Jaana Pietari, PhD, MBA, PE, Senior Managing Consultant, Ramboll

Speaker Agenda:

Understanding Microplastics

• Alia Enright, P.E., Project Engineer, TRC

Rapid Detection of Microplastic Particles in Water by Fluorescent Tagging

• Pamela Hizar, Microscopy Technical Manager, ALS Environmental

Harmful Algal Blooms: Management and Control

• Matt Ladewig, CLM, Senior Water Resources Manager, ESS Group, Inc.

Pharmaceuticals in our Water: What are the Concerns?

• Jaana Pietari, Senior Managing Consultant, Ramboll

Emerging Contaminants: MassDEP Framework

• C. Mark Smith, Director, Office of Research & Standards, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Moderated Discussion