Lecture: "The Hunt for Environmental Toxins" (part of Our Universe Revealed series)

There are an alarming number of news stories about “emerging” chemicals of concern in our environment, such as the recent drinking water contamination in Hoosick Falls, NY, or Flint, MI. In this talk we will discuss a few recent events that foreshadow a future where we are surrounded by chemicals of our own making, some of which are decidedly bad for our health. Using a new tool, an application of nuclear physics known as ion beam analysis, we will show how it is possible to rapidly assess hundreds of environmental samples a day, and to use this information to learn more about the environmental fate of these chemicals and their transport from our consumer products into the water we drink and into the food we eat. The variety of toxins studied with this method includes flame retardants, fluorinated surfactants and heavy metals, all of which have made their way from our consumer products into the environment, and recently into the primetime news.  The science behind these chemicals of concern will be explained and our exciting foray into the world of environmental measurements with a particle accelerator will be described.