STEEP News and Events
New Webinar Series on PFAS & Community Solutions - This webinar series will provide community members, health professionals, and policymakers with up-to-date research, practical solutions, and an opportunity to engage directly with experts. Each one-hour webinar will include presentations and a live Q&A, with recordings available on the STEEP website for those unable to attend. ...Read more
Field and Stream: Confronting PFAS in New England’s Wild and Aquatic Foods workshop - This workshop brought together experts to address the challenges of PFAS contamination in seafood, shellfish, and wild game. Discussions highlighted gaps in research, regulatory hurdles, and the complexities of risk communication, particularly the challenge of providing clear, actionable guidance amid scientific uncertainty. The workshop concluded with a plan to develop a white paper outlining key findings and recommendations,… ...Read more
POSTPONED: Advancing Cosmetics Safety Assessment with Dr. Luísa Camacho - Join Dr. Luísa Camacho, Deputy Director of FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research, as she explores innovative alternative skin models for in vitro permeation testing. Learn about the biology of skin, experimental methodologies, and how this research supports the FDA’s regulatory mission. ...Read more
STEEP SRP Seminar with Dr. Alicia Timme-Laragy: Exploring the Toxicology of PFAS - Join us on Monday, January 8, 2024, at 11:00 AM ET for a STEEP SRP seminar with Dr. Alicia Timme-Laragy as she explores the developmental toxicity of PFAS using zebrafish as a model. Learn how PFAS disrupt critical developmental processes and contribute to toxicological effects, with insights into human health risks. ...Read more
STEEP SRP Seminar with Dr. Philippe Grandjean: PFAS Research: Facts, Fiction, and Fraud - Join us on December 11th at noon or an eye-opening webinar featuring Philippe Grandjean, founding editor of the journal Environmental Health, as he delves into the complex world of PFAS research: Facts, Fiction, and Fraud ...Read more
STEEP SRP Seminar with Dr. Joseph Braun: PFAS Exposure and Health Risks - The STEEP 2024-2025 Seminar Series kicks off with Dr. Joseph Braun, Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University, presenting on the health impacts of PFAS exposure, its sources, and strategies for mitigation. Join us on November 20, 2024, to learn about the link between PFAS and long-term metabolic diseases. ...Read more
May 19: STEEP and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Film Screening and Panel Event - This community event is an opportunity for the Tribal community to meet members of the STEEP team and learn about results of PFAS testing of locally-caught fish and shellfish. A 50-minute documentary film about PFAS will be shown followed by a panel discussion. ...Read more
April 26: Mixtures Biology & Modeling with Applications to PFAS - Talk by Dr. Webster (Boston University) will examine the difficult problem of the biological effects of chemical mixtures using a pharmacodynamic approach. I will discuss the effect of mixtures on receptor activation and the implications for downstream responses. PFAS will provide one example. ...Read more
March 28: Communicating Science in a Crisis - Thursday, March 28th, 3:30PM-4:30PM. GSO, Coastal Institute Auditorium and via livestream. Speaker: Chris Reddy, Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). One of the world's foremost oil spill scientists, GSO alum Chris Reddy, Ph.D. ‘98, is coming… ...Read more
March 13: Canaries of the sea? Baleen whales as sentinels of marine pollution - Presentation by Matthew Savoca, PhD, Research Associate, Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. Lecture Details: Sentinel species can provide insight into ecosystem function, act as leading indicators of risk to human health, and serve as harbingers of future environmental change. Baleen whales… ...Read more
March 8: Exploring early origins of cognitive decline: the St. Louis Baby Tooth Study - Date: Friday, March 8th, 2024. Time: Noon -1:00 PM. Location: URI College of Pharmacy, Avedisian Room #130. Host: University of Rhode Island STEEP Superfund Research Program. Lecture Details: We are building on a landmark… ...Read more
February 28: Careers in Scientific Review and Management - Wednesday, February 28th @ 11am via Zoom. Panelists: Anika Dzierlenga is a scientific program director in the NIEHS Genes, Environment, and Health Branch. Esra Mutlu is a chemist and board-certified toxicologist. ...Read more
November 8th Seminar PFAS and Diabetes: Links via the Human Metabolome - Dr. Dania Valvi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health and the Co-director of the MS in Epidemiology program at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research is focused on the impacts of the exposome on the initiation and progression of metabolic diseases in childhood… ...Read more
Sept 8: Emergence of PFAS as an Environmental Toxicant - Friday, September 8, 11am to Noon: This lecture will address the delay of crucial information about perfluorinated alkylate substances (PFAS) toxicity and the implications for human health. Recent research has identified adverse effects at lower and lower exposures. While… ...Read more
May 4: “BURNED: Protecting the Protectors” short film screening & panel discussion - BURNED Protecting the Protectors, from Ethereal Films and produced by Mark Ruffalo, documents the true story of how the spouse of a firefighter revealed significant exposure to PFAS affecting the fire community. Please join us for this short film, followed by a panel discussion featuring Professor Rainer Lohmann (URI Graduate School of… ...Read more
Passive Sampling: A Simple Solution to A Complex Problem - The world of PFAS is not an easy one to traverse, even for those of us who are so-called experts. PFAS is an abbreviation for a family of thousands of compounds called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These compounds share common features… ...Read more
STEEP Steps on National Stage: Informs House Subcommittees on needed PFAS research and findings - STEEP researcher Elsie Sunderland was among four expert witnesses to testify before a House subcommittee hearing on PFAS. The testimonies highlighted knowledge gaps and technological needs in PFAS research and mitigation, and subcommittee members asked the experts many questions to learn what the federal government can do… ...Read more
Former STEEP trainee Cindy Hu awarded “Women in Science Incentive Prize” to continue work focused on climate change and the water crisis - Cindy Hu is one of five winners of the first annual Women In Science Incentive Prize. Created in celebration of its 10th anniversary, The Story Exchange announced the winners of this new grant program that recognizes innovative female scientists working in the area of climate change mitigation and adaptation ...Read more
PFAS advisory: State asks people to limit or not eat fish caught at 5 Cape Cod ponds - After finding fish containing PFAS, Massachusetts public health officials are recommending that people limit or avoid consumption of fish from five ponds near Joint Base Cape Cod, a known source of PFAS from firefighting foams. STEEP researcher Laurel Schaider weighed in on the advisory, commenting on how it relates to drinking water PFAS detections ...Read more
Does PFAS exposure affect COVID-19 illness and vaccine effectiveness? Researchers want to know - STEEP researchers and scientists across the country are working to find out whether PFAS exposure reduces… ...Read more
State expert recommends blood testing for PFAS contaminant - At a Massachusetts state taskforce meeting last month, experts met to investigate the health effects of PFAS and provide their recommendations to prevent and manage exposure to the chemicals, with a particular emphasis on blood testing for communities with known… ...Read more
More communities are finding toxic chemicals in their drinking water - Since Massachusetts enacted a new drinking water standard last fall, many communities have found elevated PFAS levels in their drinking water which is raising concerns among municipal water suppliers regarding the cost for… ...Read more
June 23: Let’s Talk About PFAS: The Case of the Missing Contaminants - In this installment of the “Let’s Talk About PFAS” webinar series, STEEP scientists will discuss efforts to track down PFAS chemicals in the environment, including previously undetected PFAS on Cape Cod. Their findings raise… ...Read more
April 14: Let’s Talk About PFAS: Don’t Need It, Don’t Use It - webinar on the essential and non-essential uses of PFAS chemicals in consumer products. Organized by the STEEP Superfund Research Program Center and hosted by the Town of Barnstable. Speaker presentations followed by Q&A with the public. The virtual event is… ...Read more
RI legislative action urged on ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging - Rhode Island regulators have renewed efforts to pass legislation to ban PFAS in food packaging and set a state drinking water standard. STEEP scientists Dr. Laurel Schaider and Dr. Angela Slitt speak out in favor… ...Read more
March 11th: Let’s Talk About PFAS: Taking Action to Protect Your Health - webinar on the health of effects of PFAS in drinking water. Organized by the STEEP Superfund Research Program Center and hosted by the Town of Barnstable. Speaker presentations followed by Q&A with the public. The… ...Read more
All Nonessential PFAS Should Be Phased Out, Scientists Advise - A team of scientists, including STEEP director Dr. Rainer Lohmann, published another article discussing the high persistence of PFAS and further urge all nonessential use to be phased out. They state that the continual release… ...Read more
PFAS Chemical Associated With Severe Covid-19 - STEEP co-lead Dr. Philippe Grandjean conducted a recent study analyzing the association between PFAS exposure and Covid-19, finding that people with elevated levels of the PFAS compound PFBA were more than twice as likely to… ...Read more
February 3rd: Let’s Talk About PFAS: How Can I Tell if PFAS Are in My Drinking Water? - webinar on PFAS contaminants in drinking water, organized by the STEEP Superfund Research Program Center and hosted by the Town of Barnstable. Speaker presentations followed by Q&A with the public. The virtual event is free… ...Read more
URI student finds PFAS in seabirds from Narragansett Bay, Mass Bay, Cape Fear - A recent study by STEEP’s Anna Robuck finds PFAS in seabirds from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and North Carolina. These important findings mark the first time novel PFAS compounds have been discovered in liver tissue and… ...Read more
Newer PFAS compound detected for first time in Arctic seawater - As concerns rise about pervasiveness of PFAS in the environment, scientists examine the most remote regions on Earth. A new research study investigating 29 PFAS compounds in the Arctic Ocean finds HFPO-DA for the first… ...Read more
Pressure builds to study PFAS, COVID-19 link - Public health experts, including STEEP co-lead and Harvard Professor Dr. Philippe Grandjean, begin research on the relationship between PFAS exposure and COVID-19. ...Read more
Catch the Highlights: Learn how Policy, health, and justice took center stage at “PFAS In Our World: What We Know and What We Can Do” conference - Policy, health, and justice served as lenses through which PFAS contaminants in drinking water were examined via the recent virtual conference, “PFAS In Our World: What We Know and What We Can Do.” The event,… ...Read more
Postponed: “FLUOROS 2021 – An International Symposium on Fluorinated Compounds and Their Impacts on Human and Environmental Health” - Opportunity for unbiased, multidisciplinary exchange on PFAS. The FLUOROS symposium dedicated to sharing the latest science on PFAS, “silent” and harmful chemicals often present in common household and business settings, is postponed from October of… ...Read more
Engaging communities in learning about exposures to PFAS in drinking water - As states across the country move to regulate PFAS contaminants in public water supplies, Laurel Schaider worries about another source of drinking water that is often overlooked: private wells. Approximately 44 million people in the… ...Read more
State Regulations for Harmful PFAS Expected in May - Efforts are underway in Rhode Island to regulate PFAS in drinking water and food packaging. At a recent Statehouse hearing, the RI Department of Health indicated that preliminary regulations will be released by May. ...Read more
STEEP Shares Key Finding of Private Well Study at Science Day - STEEP’s Science Day 2019 featured presentations and Q&A with researchers and trainees, the Superintendent of the Hyannis Water System, and staff from Joint Base Cape Cod. View material from the event including a summary of… ...Read more
Activists including Actor Mark Ruffalo help launch awareness campaign on PFAS chemicals - Health advocates concerned about the health effects of PFAS organized the Fight Forever Chemicals campaign to spread awareness about the widespread public health issue. The campaign was launched to coincide with the release of a… ...Read more
What Are PFAS Chemicals, and Should I Be Freaking Out About Them? - Knowledge of PFAS chemicals continues to expand as researchers investigate ways to deal with the contaminants. This family of chemicals consists entirely of manmade compounds, each held together by one of the strongest bonds found… ...Read more
STEEP researcher Dr. Pál Weihe recipient of prestigious 2019 Ramazzini Special Award - The Collegium Ramazzini and the Town of Carpi, Italy proudly recognized Dr. Pál Weihe as the Ramazzini Special Award recipient for 2019. Dr. Pál Weihe is Chair and Chief Physician of the Department of Occupational… ...Read more
Fast food increases exposure to a ‘forever chemical’ called PFAS - PFAS are a class of chemicals used in many household items and have desirable chemical properties that can make objects water, fire, or stain resistant. They are also used in food packaging materials, but often… ...Read more
Nearly half of private wells sampled on Cape have PFAS - This study was done by the STEEP Superfund Research Program at the University of Rhode Island and was a collaborative effort with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the state Department of Environmental… ...Read more
STEEP Science Day October 2, 2019 - The Cape Cod community is invited to connect with STEEP Center scientists, learn about research on PFAS, ask questions, and voice their concerns. STEEP researchers will discuss the science of hazardous chemicals called PFAS and… ...Read more
N.H. Approves Unprecedented Limits For PFAS Chemicals In Drinking Water - New Hampshire has adopted stringent maximum contaminant levels and ambient groundwater quality standards for 4 PFAS compounds. Environmental groups are lauding the standards while many in the industry feel that they are moving too quickly… ...Read more
STEEP Trainee Anna Robuck Named 2019 Switzer Fellow - The University of Rhode Island Superfund Research Program is pleased to announce that Trainee Anna Ruth Robuck, a URI doctoral candidate, has been selected as one of the 2019 Switzer Fellows. STEEP Trainee Robuck expressed… ...Read more
R.I. Balks at Call for Stricter Drinking-Water Standards - Rhode Island environmentalists, scientists, and health advocates say the EPA’s current 70 parts-per-trillion threshold for PFAS is too high. In an R.I. House bill (H6064) they are asking for an interim state standard of 20… ...Read more
A Lurking Danger for R.I.’s Drinking Water - In September 2017, the Rhode Island Department of Health discovered that 35 wells in Oakland village were contaminated with a class of widely used chemicals that many experts believe is contributing to a global public-health… ...Read more
Public health experts aim to stop spreading of sludge - Dairy farmer Fred Stone said he never knew the sludge from sewage treatment plants that he applied to his hayfields for decades could be contaminated by PFAS - chemicals increasingly linked to cancer, liver damage,… ...Read more
Arlene Blum — biophysical chemist, author, and mountaineer — to speak on how to reduce exposure to PFAS on April 17th - Dr. Blum’s science and policy work has drawn attention to the use of and ways to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, including PFAS. In recognition of her contributions, she was recently inducted to the California… ...Read more
URI Coastal Institute hosts lecture by STEEP researcher, Dr. Pál Weihe - The Coastal Institute has selected Dr. Pál Weihe as the invited guest for the 7th Annual Scott W. Nixon Lecture, to be held Thursday, April 11th at 3:30 PM at URI's Graduate School of Oceanography.… ...Read more
Second National Conference on PFAS to be held in Boston - The Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Second National Conference will be held at Northeastern University on June 10-12, 2019. Organized by a broad coalition of partners, including the STEEP Superfund Research Program and the Northeastern Superfund… ...Read more
The Chemistry of David and Goliath - Every environmental crisis needs a hero. DDT had Rachel Carson, the author and scientist who exposed the perils of the pesticide DDT. Hexavelent chromium had Erin Brockovich, a law clerk who helped bring about the… ...Read more
Tainted water: the scientists tracing thousands of fluorinated chemicals in our environment - Last October in Providence, RI, STEEP Trainee Christine Gardiner learned that PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam was sprayed over a tanker truck spill of more than 12,500 gallons of petrol. She quickly contacted the Rhode Island Department… ...Read more
EPA releases draft safety levels for GenX, a PFAS chemical manufactured in North Carolina - Long-term exposure to GenX—a PFAS chemical compound made in North Carolina and used for making nonstick coatings—appears to be dangerous, even in minute amounts, according to draft findings released Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.… ...Read more
Fish School STEEP Scientists - If you have cast a line in a freshwater pond or stream on Cape Cod, there is a good chance you baited your hook with a fathead minnow to lure in a trophy trout or… ...Read more
The Devil We Know Screening at URI - The Devil We Know—a 2018 Sundance Film Festival Selection—chronicles a group of West Virginians as they take on a powerful corporation that dumped PFAS into their drinking water supply. The film will be followed by… ...Read more
Public Health v. Big Chemicals: A Case of Social Justice - Hear Robert Bilott, a nationally recognized environmental attorney, speak about representing thousands of individuals with serious disease claims due to exposure to PFAS released into their drinking water by DuPont in West Virginia. Thursday, November… ...Read more
STEEP’s Laurel Schaider Spoke to NPR About PFAS Health Risks - Schaider highlights that PFAS chemicals have been linked to a wide range of health effects, including cancer, low birth weight, thyroid disease, elevated cholesterol and effects on the immune system. Manufacturers have agreed to stop… ...Read more
Co-director Philippe Grandjean talks to Science for the Public about industry PFAS data - Scientists like Dr. Grandjean point out that they need access to data collected by the industries that produce PFAS-containing chemicals. Scientists who have studied the impact of PFAS have recently learned that the producers of… ...Read more
STEEP Director Lohmann discusses well water testing on Cape Cod with RI Public Radio - Lohmann is concerned that well water may have been contaminated by residue from firefighting foam that entered the groundwater following military training exercises at Joint Base Cape Cod. Since May, more than 150 households in… ...Read more
STEEP Scientists Track PFAS - The STEEP Superfund Program exists to assess public health risks from a group of chemicals developed to fight aeronautic fires, create nonstick pans, no-iron shirts, non-stain carpets and upholstery, water repellent hiking gear, and even… ...Read more
Editorial by STEEP’s Dr. Philippe Grandjean - In a recent editorial in Environmental Health, Dr. Philippe Grandjean argues that chemical substitutes for PFAS should be subjected to research scrutiny prior to widespread usage and highlights the substantial delay learning the negative health… ...Read more
Dr. Philippe Grandjean takes STEEP concerns to Capitol Hill - STEEP co-director Philippe Grandjean joined Arlene Blum and Tom Bruton (Green Science Policy Institute) and Robert Bilott (Taft, Stettinius and Hollister, LLP) in Washington DC to discuss protecting America's drinking water from PFAS with Congressional… ...Read more
Cape Cod residents attended STEEP Science Day in Hyannis at the Barnstable Town Hall - Cape Cod residents were invited to meet the STEEP team and hear research updates at STEEP Science Day. Community members were encouraged to voice concerns, ask for clarification of research, learn about PFAS-linked adverse health… ...Read more
Dr. Philippe Grandjean discusses ~20 year delay before PFAS toxicity known to public. - (May 27-30, 2018, The Faroe Islands) STEEP researcher, Dr. Philippe Grandjean, serves as co-chair of international conference focused on the impacts of toxic chemicals – including PFAS – on prenatal health. The conference be held… ...Read more
Notes from the Field - STEEP trainee and NOAA Nancy Foster Scholar Anna Robuck is aboard the R/V Warren Jr. collecting passive samplers for PFAS from across Massachusetts Bay on a series of acoustic moorings, as well as gathering water… ...Read more
STEEP trainees wins KC Donnelly Externship Award - Congratulations to STEEP trainee Dr. Jitka Bacanova on her NIEHS Superfund Research Program KC Donnelly Externship. Dr. Bacanova will be working at the R. Hurt laboratory at Brown University testing passive samplers for PFAS in… ...Read more
STEEP launches well water testing study - Cape Cod residents have been invited to have private well water tested for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as part of new STEEP study. The findings will help researchers understand the extent of PFAS exposure… ...Read more
STEEP on the Move - Nine STEEP researchers and eight trainees attended the 2018 Northeast Superfund Research Program (SRP) Meeting in Woods Hole, MA on March 26-27. The URI-led STEEP center includes partners from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of… ...Read more
STEEP researcher served as expert witness in settled Minnesota v. 3M lawsuit - 3M used PFAS since the late ‘40s, continued disposing of them in Minnesota dumpsites until the ‘70s, and completely phased them out in ’02. STEEP researcher Philippe Grandjean, stated experiments on lab specimens and surveys… ...Read more
Past STEEP News and Events
