Tackling Toxics: Safer Alternatives to PFAs and Antimicrobials through Green Chemistry

PFAS, flame retardants, and antimicrobials are classes of potentially hazardous organohalogen chemicals that are widely used in consumer products and industrial processes, leading to concerns about their human and environmental health harm.  To reduce such harm, the Six Classes framework developed by the Green Science Policy Institute groups chemicals with similar structure, function, and hazard into a class or family.   This can prevent a cycle of “regrettable substitution,” whereby a phased out harmful chemical is replaced with a closely related “chemical cousin” which is likely to cause similar harm. This talk will explore the application of the Six Classes approach as a tool to support informed chemical decision-making in both policy and product development.

We will also present work from the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, which brings together chemists, toxicologists, and materials scientists to identify and prototype safer chemical alternatives through applied research and cross-sector partnerships. Case studies involving PFAS and antimicrobials will illustrate how mechanistic understanding, hazard assessment, and systems thinking can lead to viable, scalable alternatives that meet both performance and safety criteria. Together, these efforts demonstrate how chemists can play a central role in driving innovation toward safer, more sustainable chemistries and products.

Please register HERE by September 8th.

Cost includes lunch

Speakers: Arlene Blum, Green Science Policy Institute; Megan Arnett, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry