Earth Month Webinar – Assessing Illness Risk from PFAS Drinking Water Exposures in Wisconsin

The Center for Water Policy hosted a virtual Earth Month event featuring its 2022-2023 Water Policy Scholar Dr. Laura Suppes who spoke on assessing illness risk from PFAS drinking water exposures in Wisconsin.

Suppes is an associate professor of Public Health and Environmental Studies at UW-Eau Claire. She was joined by her students Alex Barker and Camille Tilden, who are candidates for the bachelor of science in Environmental Public Health. Melissa Scanlan, director of the Center for Water Policy at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences, provided an introduction.

PFAS are harmful chemicals that are being found in many of Wisconsin’s drinking water supplies. These chemicals can cause problems with our organs, hormones, development, and can even lead to reproductive complications. Dr. Suppes’ study assesses how dangerous it is for people to drink water contaminated with PFAS. Her research centers on people in Eau Claire but provides a risk assessment tool that can be customized for other communities.

April 2023 PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies Policy Brief

You can watch the full webinar here.