Dr. Rula Deeb, an Athenian parent and environmental chemist, talked to environmental science students today about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals known to cause a variety of cancers, ulcerative colitis and high cholesterol.

“I wanted students to know we had a person of this expertise in our community,” Upper School Science teacher Catherine Corey said.

Her students are studying both environmental health and human health and the presentation opened their eyes to a toxin in plain sight. PFAS is everywhere, and it’s not going away – the extremely stable compound is found in 99 percent of all American and Western Europeans’ blood. It latches onto proteins, so exposure can come from touching the chemicals but also from eating proteins like milk and eggs. Students were asked to do a PFAS count of items in their homes containing the toxin – clothing, carpets, food wrappings, and even the food they eat.

“So it was really both educational as well as alarming, because it’s so ubiquitous,” Ms. Corey said.