HUMAN PRACTICES
OUR INTERACTIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY!
OUR INTERACTIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY!
Our work on Human Practices shows a strong dedication to addressing the practical issues related to PFAS contamination and integrating different points of view. We successfully collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders during the project, including lawmakers, scientists, and local residents. These discussions had a direct impact on our project objectives and methods, demonstrating how their perspectives influenced our strategy for PFAS detection and assisted us in improving our technology to better serve the needs of those impacted by contamination.
Many people are still unaware of PFAS and the risks they pose to public health and the environment. During our time at the KY-INBRE conference, we interacted with researchers and professors who were more educated than the general population, yet even they were unfamiliar with PFAS. Similarly, Henderson County's student research team spoke to members of their community, who also had little to no knowledge of PFAS contamination. To bridge this gap, we took the opportunity to engage with the general public at local car washes, where we could raise awareness about PFAS. Through these conversations, we realized that many people had no prior understanding of the issue, emphasizing the need for broader education and outreach efforts.
A positive example for others is provided by the participation of multiple stakeholders, including Nima Kulkarni and the Henderson County Student-Led PFAS Research Team. Their proactive involvement in environmental issues serves as a reminder of the value of community activism and involvement, inspiring us and maybe others to take on comparable issues in our own communities. We were able to observe the influence that grassroots initiatives can have on more extensive policy discussions by taking note of their experiences.
We have worked hard to record our work using video recordings and transcripts of our interviews, which is essential for other teams to use in the future. Through this transparency, the field of environmental health can benefit from additional research and innovation as others are able to benefit from our methods, insights, and lessons learned. By using our documentation as a guide, others attempting to solve related problems should be able to expand on our discoveries.
We have carefully considered context and reasoning in our Human Practices work. We gave a clear background for our project and underlined the significance of coordinating our technology with current policies and community needs by talking about the legislative obstacles faced by advocates and the worries of nearby communities. In addition to providing context for our work, this background made it clear how urgent it is to meaningfully address PFAS contamination.
We made sure that our grasp of the problem was comprehensive by combining the opinions of many stakeholders. Having discussions with lawmakers, scientists, and neighborhood activists enhanced our project and inspired us to consider novel approaches to the adoption and use of our detection technology. Our development process was guided by the insightful contributions from all stakeholders, resulting in a product that is more relevant and applicable to the target audience.
Our Human Practices initiatives are consistent with a conscientious and moral project development methodology. We are not only tackling a critical environmental issue but also empowering those who have been impacted by PFAS contamination by placing a strong emphasis on community engagement, public awareness, and expert collaboration. We understand that in addition to technology, effective solutions also need the active involvement and support of the communities we hope to serve.
In summary, we believe that the Human Practices work we've done is thoughtfully documented, well-integrated, and represents a responsible way to tackle environmental health issues. This project's foundation lays the groundwork for future initiatives in the ongoing battle against PFAS contamination.
A view of our human-practices events in chronological order!
To better grasp the risks from PFAS contamination on human health, we interviewed Dr. Banrida Whalang. With a background in molecular biology and environmental toxicology, Dr. Whalang brought in a deeper level of understanding regarding how PFAS affects cellular function and then into long-term health outcomes. Her knowledge contributed to a more-precise understanding of the delicacy of the detection of these pollutants and how critical it is to address PFAS exposure from both the environmental and public health perspectives.
At the University of Louisville, Dr. Whalang became known as an environmental toxicologist. She studies how pollutants in the environment-actually PFAS-affects cellular mechanisms and the health of humans. Her research has developed a new way of testing for these carcinogens, and that has shaped not only the scientific methodologies but also the public health policy.
Interviewing Dr. Banrida Whalang helped us become even more aware of PFAS contamination and its greater implications. She had given us scientific insights on the topic, which was very important for us to make the work more comprehensive and evidence-based. Dr. Whalang's explanation of how PFAS disrupts cellular processes helped to refine our technical descriptions and to ensure our project truly conveyed the true gravity of PFAS-related health risks. Her input also helped us enhance our detection strategies in a manner that our approach became scientifically more valid and powerful.
We decided to interview Robert Bates early into our project development for practical insights into the challenges of water contamination and further refinement of our focus on PFAS detection. An affiliate of the Louisville Water Company, Bates has firsthand knowledge about issues regarding water sources, especially microplastics and PFAS. His input helped us narrow the scope of our project to something more focused and specific to water-based PFAS detection. It was through his guidance that we went on to narrow our research with discussions on setting a specific PPB detection limit, an aspect later adopted as pivotal in our work. His contributions shaped our direction and assured us of ensuring our goals matched the pragmatic need.
Robert Bates is an affiliate of the Louisville Water Company who we were able to get into contact with in the early stages of our project for further development.
Our meeting with Robert Bates happened so early in our project development, and speaking with him allowed us to mold our topic of focus to hone in on PFAS detection precisely. Since he is affiliated with the Louisville Water Company, he did mention that one of the major problems within our water source and filtration is the presence of microplastics and PFAS. He helped us make it more water-based and specific enough to continue following. Later, keeping in touch with the development of our work, at the stage when we came up to him with the idea of a PPB detection limit, he asked where its usage would be. The discussions which went on during laying down the exact limit were similar to ones we had on the limit itself.
We decided to go on a Louisville Water Company tour as a means of understanding the current efforts and challenges in PFAS treatment within our community. In that tour, we learned that conventional water treatment systems can not remove PFAS. Although Louisville Water meets the PFAS standards, they decided to implement an advanced treatment, called powdered activated carbon, to further reduce the small amounts of PFAS in their water. The insight into the current water quality analytic methods revealed a dire need for an update of PFAS testing methods. In this interview, we have garnered information on the amount of money that is put towards PFAS treatment, reliance on other states to help them out in testing, and even how creative they had been in using activated charcoal treatment. The talk gave us better insight into the bounds locally and how it would affect the wider world in terms of smaller water companies. This eventually set a core foundation for what our project entailed.
The LWC tour allowed us to get more information on the current motions towards the screening and research for PFAS and water treatment methods within our community. This tour answered many of our questions about the different perspectives on contamination through PFAS and their impacts. We also found that, due to the high costs of the machines needed to detect PFAS, our city currently sent water samples out of the state for detection with LC-MS Assays. Although LWC is getting a machine in the coming year, there are few locations around us that can actually test for PFAS properly because the complicated methods and expensive instruments. However, the Louisville Water Company is doing a remarkable job in removing PFAS with activated charcoal. The problem is that smaller water companies may not be able to do this due to lack of resources and support.
The tour of the Louisville Water Company really enhanced our project by providing real-world challenges and methods in PFAS removal. Being able to see their use of activated charcoal and understand the restrictions in place for smaller water companies helped ground our project in more practical realities. It also explained the very high costs involved with testing and mitigating PFAS, thus reinforcing again how these need to be something that is doable and affordable. More importantly, knowing that the analytical support for the city came from outside states really made us think critically about how scalable our methods of detection were. It convinced us to continue on the same project idea into the next season.
We interviewed the Henderson County Student-Led PFAS Research Team to understand how to remediate PFAS contamination at the local level and how grassroots efforts serve in detection and raising awareness. Its work-which began when residents found toxic waste being dumped into their soil-showed just how determined individuals could follow contamination using available tools, even within resource-poor areas. Given the testing of soil and water samples, and given the close working relationship with local utilities, their experiences in community-driven initiatives furthered our aim to make PFAS detection more user-friendly and scalable. Their successes further motivated us to consider how community-based engagement and public outreach played an integral role in creating awareness and driving testing at broad scales.
The Henderson County Student-Led PFAS Research Team are a group of high school students who attend Henderson County High School who have been researching the effects of PFAS in their community after realizing a factory was dumping all sorts of toxic waste into their soil. A couple years ago, a company was going to be built in their community and with the introduction of this company, the community would have a highly beneficial economic impact. However, the company was not allowed to be built due to the toxicity in the soil. Therefore, this group of students took testing kits (courtesy of Dr. Jamie Young from the University of Louisville) and measured PFAS concentrations in soil samples from all of their community.
This interview deepened our understanding of PFAS contamination to that of a local level. With the support of UofL, the students were able to track PFAS contamination in their community through special sampling kits and portable X-ray fluorescence machines that measured the concentration of FPAS in soil and water.
The Henderson team’s initiative of testing soil and well water samples across their county was just one stark example of how local communities can take matters into their own hands when contamination jeopardizes the health of a population. This case was due to the potential Shamrock Industries site that had alarmingly high levels of PFAS, prompting them to pull out their building, thereby preventing any economic benefit for the community.
The project taken upon by the Henderson team was hands-on and it really led us to consider how our own project might benefit from some direct community engagement. Their success in gathering 50+ samples and collaborating with local utility companies showed the importance of a community-driven testing effort. That made us understand that the detection solution should be easily accessible and user-friendly, particularly for rural areas such as Henderson, where resources and awareness are so limited.
Moreover, the outreach effort of the Henderson team-from appearances in local news to creating YouTube videos-pointed out the need for public awareness. These inspired us in thinking of ways we could also promote our biosensor technology through various media channels, taking their approach as a model in public trust and building towards more wide testing. In learning from the team at Henderson County, a sense was developed that the detection of PFAS requires so much more than just technology; it necessitates deep community involvement and education. Their ability to raise awareness regarding PFAS in their community provided a vital reminder that knowledge of contamination is not enough; people need to have knowledge so they can take action.
We decided to interview James Marshall because he has a wide experience in the field of analytical chemistry and works for Metrohm, a company operating in the design of very high-degree-of-precision measurement instruments. Among these is the detection of PFAS. His experience in the refinement of measurement methods for PFAS, along with cooperation with regulating agencies for the understanding of the challenges and technological advancements in the area, was of value. Whereas current detection technologies for PFAS are expensive and highly complex, we aimed at more feasible and accessible methods; thus, the work of Marshall will directly fall under that scope. He actually provided the knowledge instrumental in the development of our understanding regarding the gaps in the current methods of detection and how to develop cost-effective and reliable alternatives.
James Marshall works at a company called Metrohm which works with making measurement devices more accurate. Since his work at Metrohm works closely with PFAS substances, he has profound knowledge in analytical chemistry and the development of high-precision instruments in order to be detected and measured. The contributions of Marshall and his work with Metrohm has gone into refining technologies in certain PFAS measurement methods in the analysis of various aspects whether it be water or soil. He helps with the creation of more sensitive and reliable methods for PFAS detection, enabling scientists and environmental genices to improve their understanding regarding contamination issues and related risks, along with ways of mitigating them.
This work is especially crucial in affording the best possible opportunities for industries and regulatory bodies to identify contamination from PFAS as quickly as possible with the most accuracy, thereby safeguarding public health and the environment against all these dangerous toxicants.
During our interview with Mr Marshall, he explained Metrohm’s critical role in shaping the current FPAS detection method, including their new method with the EPA that allows for both targeted and non-targeted measurements via ion chromatography.
According to Marshall, the issue with current PFAS detection technologies is their affordability. Current instruments range in price from $250,000 to over a million dollars. That makes smaller firms rely on third-party labs, thus driving the cost up and delaying results. He emphasized most definitely that there should be less expensive and easy-to-access techniques for detection, since currently the lack of it limits frequent testing and may negatively impact public health. About the myths surrounding PFAS, Marshall remarked that even though PFAS is a rather new topic, scientifically, its harming effects are clear. He went on to say that improved low-cost detection methods would help industries themselves, which will make sure they fall under the limits of regulatory concern and have a much safer product.
Marshall also emphasized the importance of reliability in industry-standard PFAS detectors. This inspired us to include more replicates in our testing procedure to ensure any results are not flukes.
Marshall closed by showing optimism for the future in PFAS detection technologies; this should be inexpensive and more available through continued research. His insights have greatly informed our project by highlighting the urgent need for low-cost PFAS detection and the long-term benefits that could bring to industries and public health.
We chose to interview Dr. Bryan Berger and Madison Mann as they are professionals in this field. We interviewed them primarily to give us opinions on the detection methodology of PFAS using the hlFABP-GFP construct. Given his vast background in environmental science and engineering and combining that with Madison, who has practical work experience in the development of biotechnology solutions, they were ideal people to further refine our goals and methodologies for the project. Their expertise brought invaluable insights into the critical need for specificity in protein interactions and the problems of protein expression so essential to refining our biosensor design. Discussion of pragmatic issues and pitfalls allowed for reevaluation of our experimental design and stimulated new ideas towards an improved method of detection, such as combining computational modeling with practical lab efforts. This has not only enlightened us on how to approach it but also challenged our view on the impediments at our projects in a more knowledgeable and creative manner.
Dr. Berger has been a professional in environmental science and engineering, with a notable focus on emerging environmental contaminants such as PFAS. He is currently affiliated with the University of Virginia, as an associate professor in chemical engineering and running his own lab focused on environmental toxicants.
His research involves assessing the environmental and health impacts of PFAS, and developing new technologies for their detection, analysis, and remediation. One of the key advances in the field of environmental science was led by Dr. Bryan Berger and his team as they developed the hlFABP-GFP construct that combines the human live fatty-acid binding protein with the green fluorescent protein to create a highly sensitive and specific tool for detecting and studying certain molecules. This construct proves useful for detecting and monitoring environmental contaminants like PFAS.
Madison Mann is a postdoctoral fellow who received her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2023 from the University of Virginia. She was on the team that worked with Dr. Berger to develop the hlFABP-GFP construct. Currently, she is working on further developing biotechnology solutions to detect and remove “forever chemicals".
Interviewing Dr. Bryan Berger and Madison Mann provided us with key insights that furthered our project's development in better detecting PFAS. Dr. Berger’s explanations of the hlFABP-GFP construct shed light on the innovative approaches necessary for sensitive detection of PFAS, which allowed us to refine our project goals and methodologies. He provided background on how important the specificity of protein interactions is, thus giving a better understanding of the optimization of the biosensor design.
Madison Mann walked us through the design and mechanism of the FAB-GFP protein as well as their testing procedures.
Our discussion of practical problems with protein expression in various bacterial systems drew out the possible pitfalls in our experiments. This again set down the importance of choosing the right type of promoter and the expression system, since both are capable of directly influencing the success of our detection strategy.
Madison's inputs on background fluorescence issues and the need for controls really helped point out the complicated nature of proteins' behaviors according to their milieus and fostered further re-evaluation of experimental design and analysis methods. Further, the discussions indeed inspired ideas about how to optimize our biosensor. For example, Madison's discussion about point mutations, which potentially can increase the binding affinity, is what we needed to follow this approach in optimizing our biosensor. We know that with the same delta fluorescence, higher binding affinity can give better detection limits for our biosensor. These insights shifted our focus toward theoretical optimization in tandem with our experimental work: integrating computational modeling into our practical lab efforts.
This interview ultimately encouraged us to view our challenges from a different perspective and allowed us to make more changes to our methodology. We hope to redo our FAB-GFP testing with a stronger, inducible promoter and also make sure our protein is identical to theirs.
We interviewed Nima Kulkarni because she was able to provide insight into what legislative efforts were being put forth on PFAS contamination in Kentucky, specifically as it relates to our project: developing better methods for the detection of PFAS. Representative Kulkarni truly is a champion of environmental protection and has focused most on issues related to social justice and public health since her work got her elected as the first Indian-American to the Kentucky General Assembly. She spoke, during our discussion, to the challenges legislators face regarding PFAS contamination and the importance of bipartisan efforts in dealing with the issue, such as the resolution she co-sponsored to monitor levels of PFAS in water. Her comments powerfully underlined how our technology needs to be matched by current policy changes if our detection methods are to get traction and support. Furthermore, Kulkarni elaborated on the issues of public awareness and concerns from farmers about testing for PFAS, which really made us consider how to frame our technology in a way to encourage testing without any legal liability. She provided fantastic context for our project through the use of her personal stories and what is occurring in other states such as Maine to reinforce that any approach to PFAS contamination should be preventative to prevent long-term environmental and economic costs.
Nima Kulkarni is a dedicated attorney and politician serving as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the 40th district, which includes parts of Louisville (our community). As the first Indian-American elected to the Kentucky General Assembly, Kulkarni has made significant steps in advocating for social justice, workers’ rights, and comprehensive immigration reform.
A strong advocate for environmental protection, Kulkarni has focused on the pressing issue of PFAS contamination, which poses serious risks to public health and the environment. Understanding the dangers that these “forever chemicals” present, she has championed legislation aimed at stricter regulation of PFAS in Kentucky’s water supplies. Kulkarni’s efforts include advocating for thorough testing, clean-up initiatives, and increased transparency from industries responsible for PFAS pollution. Her work is pivotal in safeguarding Kentucky’s communities from the long-term impacts of these hazardous substances.
Talking to Ms. Kulkarni allowed us to learn more about the work she was engaged in and what she mainly focused on. One of her key focuses aligned with our project goal of developing a better way to detect PFAS in Kentucky’s water supply. Throughout the discussion, Kulkarni shared a lot of the challenges regarding contamination with PFAS that legislators face when working on the issue. For instance, she mentioned a bipartisan resolution that she cosponsored in order to monitor the levels of PFAS in water.
Learning about this topic from a legislative perspective has shown us the importance of our technology falling in line with efforts and policy changes within the government, therefore making it probable that our detection method could likely gain more traction.
Another point that Kulkarni brought up was the place that public awareness plays in this issue. She spoke of how not a lot of people are aware about environmental toxicants (for instance, lead contamination) and how this in turn led to slower government action on regulation. Kulkarni also explained how so many farmers were very apprehensive to test for PFAS due to the liability it could cause. This made us reflect upon how our technology could be modified in a way to give farmers incentives such as potential tax benefits or liability protection, to test for PFAS without any legal challenges. The insight helped us to think creatively about positioning our technology within the agricultural community so that it could be adopted without any adverse impact on farmers' livelihoods.
Kulkarni also highlighted Maine's strategy as exemplary for Kentucky. In fact, looking at how other states address PFAS will help us contextualize our technology's impact within the ongoing legislative work to better position it for policy impact. Her discussion about possible litigation specifically due to PFAS contamination, which might take place when infrastructure is inadequate to deal with an increase in health claims, furthered the pressing need for a preventative approach, indeed one which might avoid long-term environmental economic burdens.
We decided to interview Dr. Eric Zhu to gain expert insights into the challenges and solutions surrounding PFAS contamination within the context of water treatment and environmental engineering. As the Manager of Water Research and Development at the Louisville Water Company, Dr. Zhu had great experience with PFAS detection and mitigation initiatives and was a useful asset to learn about current strategies to keep our community's drinking water safe. By knowing these advanced technologies of treatment, such as granular activated carbon and anion exchange, he allowed us to delve into practical implications and their limitations, especially with respect to costs and residual disposal issues. Furthermore, Zhu provided insight into the difficulties of smaller utilities in affording the costly mitigation technologies, hence further increasing our need for more accessible detection solutions. His emphasis on the need for quicker, real-time detection methods further guided us to refine our project goals so that our work addresses regulatory standards in relation to operational efficiency in water treatment plants.
Eric Zhu works with the Louisville Water Company in figuring out remedies to the problems of water quality present, such as PFAS contamination. As a professional in water treatment and environmental engineering, Dr. Zhu works toward safe drinking water supplies in Louisville, aiming to keep it free of contaminations.
Dr. Zhu works on PFAS detection and mitigation initiatives for the Louisville Water Company, with advanced treatment technologies and associated monitoring practices in place that reduce PFAS levels in the water supply and minimize the risk to public health. His knowledge and depth in the subject matter are critical for developing effective response strategies related to the “forever chemicals” in our environment and bodies. Dr. Zhu and his colleagues contribute to the idea of continuing to strive for high-quality drinking water and ensuring that communities have safe, clean water.
Interviewing Eric Zhu improved our project by providing expert insight into the real-world challenges surrounding PFAS contamination and helped us to refine the direction of our project. His explanations of the best available technologies (i.e. granular activated carbon, anion exchange, and high-pressure membranes) provided a better understanding of the current strategies used to address PFAS contamination.
We analyzed the practical problems that arise from using such technologies, mainly the cost involved and the problems related to residual disposal. This has allowed us to better fine-tune our project goals with real-world limitations so that the solution would remain practical and cost-effective.
Zhu's perspective on the specific difficulties in each of the larger and smaller utilities also challenged us to consider how our product might serve to bridge some of the existing gaps in PFAS monitoring.
He described how many smaller utilities, especially in rural settings, could ill afford the expensive mitigation technologies being developed, making more widely applicable and less expensive detection systems very desirable. This encouraged us further to focus on developing a product which could cater to communities regardless of size and budget, thereby increasing the sphere of influence of our work. Additionally, Dr. Zhu stressed the need for quicker and more responsive methods for detection, especially in waste stream monitoring and treatment adjustment. The turnaround times of 1-2 weeks from commercial labs now are inadequate for real-time adjustments. Thus, this input encouraged us to consider less sensitive but quicker development of a detection system that could provide timely data. This shift of focus enables the project to come up with a solution that would meet not just the regulatory standards but also be helpful in operational efficiency at water treatment plants. After all, Zhu's expertise ensured our project was grounded in real-world needs with the potential to deliver practical solutions to the PFAS contamination crisis.
Dr. Zhu clarified that although water utilities will need PFAS sensors with parts per trillion level accuracy to be used for regulatory purposes, sensors with higher detection limits could be used to monitor waste streams from reverse osmosis filtering or potentially from industrial discharge. Thus, the utility of any sensor we develop will fully depend on its lower detection limit.