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Webinar: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Virtual Event – June 15, 2021 (9:00 – 10:30 AM PDT)

Cost: $25 SWANA members; $40 non-members

PFAS – they are everywhere! Including site runoff, groundwater, compost and digestate…

PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. They are a common group of substances that are found in almost every household item and in a wide array of products such as non-stick cookware, stain resistant furniture and carpets, wrinkle-free and water repellent clothing, cosmetics, lubricants, paint, pizza boxes and many other everyday products. They have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects.

PFAS is becoming one of the greatest environmental challenges for the solid waste industry.  Although Canada is starting to register this concern, the United States has been leading the way in terms of research, environmental protection and regulatory compliance.

SWANA Pacific is excited to host the educational webinar on PFAS:

  • What is PFAS?
  • Why is PFAS an environmental and health concern?
  • How is PFAS affecting the solid waste industry?
  • What is the United States doing to address this emerging concern?
  • How is the Canadian government dealing with this issue?

Join our educational webinar today!

SWANA Pacific uses the Zoom Platform for our training and webinar events. There is a dial-in option available however participants must confirm ahead of time with phone number in order to be admitted to the event.

SWANA is pleased to award 1.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for those in attendance.

Please note this event will be recorded.

REGISTER

Speakers

Lorrie Hayes

Environment Canada

Lorrie Hayes is a Manager within the Chemicals Management Division at Environment and Climate Change Canada. She manages the team that is responsible for the risk management of persistent organic pollutants, PFAS and asbestos and is the National Focal Point for Canada on the Stockholm Convention. Lorrie completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa and McGill, respectively. She has over 20 years experience working mainly on the development and implementation of regulations and other risk management instruments related to toxic chemicals.

Tyler Brown

Tetra Tech

Tyler Brown is an Environmental Engineer with a degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with over 13 years of experience in remedial design including groundwater pump and treat, sub-slab mitigation, and dual phase treatment systems. Tyler was one of the lead engineers for the design and implementation of two groundwater pump and treat systems at the Pease Air Force Base (Portsmouth, NH) utilizing various adsorption medias to treat PFAS contamination in the groundwater. Tyler now uses his background in remedial process engineering and emerging contaminants to help solve complex project problems for the solid waste industry.

Andrew Thalheimer, P.Eng., Partner, Dillon Consulting Limited

Dillon Consulting

Andrew Thalheimer, Dillon’s national Remediation Leader, is a senior technical expert with over 30 years of experience in contaminated site assessment and remediation in Canada and the US. Andrew leads Dillon’s emerging contaminant program advancing the state of the practice in PFAS assessment, risk management, and remediation. For more than a decade, he has worked as a senior PFAS expert on numerous sites across Canada that have involved PFAS characterization, remedial options analysis, remediation, and PFAS management strategy development. Andrew was the Principal Investigator for the National Academy of Sciences on the use and potential impacts of AFFF containing PFASs at airports (ACRP Research Paper 137), which included significant focus on addressing PFAS legacy environmental impacts. As a recognized expert, Andrew has presented PFAS-related topics to various stakeholders at countless conferences across North America. He has co-presented a one-day training course on PFAS fundamentals; was a contributing expert in the update of Transport Canada’s PFAS Field Sampling Procedures; and has served as a contributing author to NGWA’s “Groundwater and PFAS: State of Knowledge and Practice” guidance document. Andrew has significant experience conducting site investigations involving PFAS, characterizing source zones and downgradient plume impacts, including the evaluation of precursors and modelling the fate and transport of PFAS in groundwater. Currently, Andrew is serving as the Qualified PFAS Professional for a large-scale PFAS stabilization and destruction remediation project on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.