PFAS

The Green Room’s Five-Part Series on PFAS

WINNER - 2019 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award -1st Place - Public Radio Series.

July 26, 2019:  PFAS Part I - Health Impacts
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been highly valued by industry as useful in a wide variety of products.  But, as more studies are conducted and more information comes to light, the more concerns grow.  In this first of 89.1 WEMU’s five-part series on PFAS, we explore the growing list of health issues associated with PFAS, in " The Green Room."  

August 30, 2019:  PFAS Part II - PFAS In Products
Over the last half-century, PFAS chemicals have been added to the formulation of innumerable products we use on a daily basis. The manufacture and disposal of these products releases them to our environment, where they can get into our food and water. Unfortunately for us, they can be harmful to our health, and they don’t biodegrade. These "forever chemicals" have become pervasive in our lives.

September 27, 2019:  PFAS Part III - Places
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are being found across the country in the drinking water of community water supplies, residential wells, schools and daycare centers.  Where is it coming from?  Factory waste is a major source.  These “forever chemicals” don’t break down, and where PFAS-containing waste is dumped, it spreads.  In Segment III of 89.1 WEMU’s five-part “Green Room” series on PFAS, we explore a few of these sites.

October 25, 2019:  PFAS Part IV - Prevention
The chemical bonds of PFAS substances are virtually indestructible.  That makes their complete disposal hard, if not impossible.  Meanwhile, their usefulness to industry makes them hard to give up.  This is a growing problem, because PFAS are associated with serious health issues.  In the fourth of this five-part “Green Room” series on PFAS, we look at the challenges and opportunities inherent in preventing further spread of PFAS chemicals.  

November 26, 2019:  PFAS Part V - Policies And Politics   PFAS chemicals are being linked to more and more serious health problems.  But still, it’s legal to use them in the U.S., with minor exceptions.  And they can be imported from other countries.  Manufacturers are not required to make the public aware of PFAS content in their products.  Consequently, consumers are pretty much in the dark.  In the fifth of our 5-part series on PFAS, we look at policies and perspectives on where we are, and we can go from here.

"The Green Room" aired monthly on WEMU 89.1FM. The show was a collaboration between the WEMU News Department, the Washtenaw County Office of the Water Resources Commissioner and the Environmental Health Division, with Barbara Lucas as host / producer and David Fair as director / executive producer.