Green Bay Innovation Group: PFAS: Impact on the Planet and Solutions for the Packaging Industry

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Overview: PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were developed in the 1950s to prevent food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, create effective firefighting foam, and many other applications.  The widespread use and resistance to degradation of these “forever chemicals” have led to increasing levels of air, water, and soil contamination.  Consequently, there is a government-wide approach to identify routes of PFAS exposure, the associated health risks, and means for accelerating cleanup.

Green Bay Innovation Group (GBIG), in partnership with the Iowa State University Polymer and Food Protection Consortium and the University of Wisconsin Grainger Institute for Engineering, have organized an event to cover the cause and extent of the problem, current and impending regulations, and emerging solutions, with emphasis on packaging materials.

Key Speakers and Topics:  This event will feature a group of nationally recognized PFAS subject matter experts, including the following:

• Keith Vorst, Director, Polymer and Food Protection Consortium, Iowa State University – Critical Knowledge Gaps for PFAS in Packaging
• Tom Lee, Partner, Bryan, Cave, Leighton and Paisner LLP – State and Federal Regulation of PFAS in Food Packaging
• Graham Peaslee, Faculty Researcher and Professor, University of Notre Dame – PFAS in packaging, cosmetics, and consumer products
• Saron Koh-Fallet, Branch Director, FDA Division of Food Contact Notifications – PFAS in Food and Food Packaging
• Christopher Zahasky, Asst. Professor, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin – Madison – PFAS Flow Through the Ground
• George Huber, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Director of the Center for Upcycling Waste Plastics – Lunch discussion: CUWP
• Greg Curtzwiler, Faculty Researcher, and Mark Early, Researcher, Polymer and Food Protection Consortium, Iowa State University – Mitigation and Rapid Detection Strategies for PFAS in Packaging