It’s widely recognized that many persistent chemicals pose risks to both environmental and human health. Addressing this significant global challenge requires innovative solutions. One of these is the groundbreaking concept of ‘Treatable by Design’.
In this episode of Balancing the Future, Chai and Micah sit down with Dr. Gabriel Sigmund, Associate Professor at Wageningen University & Research to discuss his approach for developing safer chemicals that are intentionally designed to degrade rapidly and exhibit low toxicity.
His strategy targets substances such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are commonly used for their water- and oil-resistant properties but are, as a result, extremely hard to break down. Gabriel describes this as a cascade: if a chemical cannot be made safe by design, the first step is to look for a safer alternative. If no alternative exists, the chemical should be made treatable by design. Failing that, the search returns to finding an alternative that is treatable. This cycle repeats through several stages before arriving at the final case, one where the chemical simply cannot be dealt with. At that point, Gabriel argues, the real question becomes whether the chemical is necessary at all. More often than not, he suggests, the answer is no.
A second line of defense for addressing toxic chemicals involves removing them from the environment through techniques such as water filtration and incineration. Although remediation efforts are underway, their pace remains insufficient. Gabriel emphasizes that even if affluent nations allocated all available resources, it would still be impossible to eliminate every hazardous chemical from the environment.
Overall, Gabriel advocates for a pragmatic approach: reducing the production of harmful chemicals now will decrease the need for future remediation.
LINKS:
EPISODE SOURCES:
A concept for the molecular design of readily treatable chemicals – Royal Society of Chemistry
With over 100 new alternatives to PFAS, ChemSec Marketplace becomes key industry resource – ChemSec
Persistence Assessment of Chemicals: Trajectories toward New Approach Methodologies (P-NAMs) – ACS Publications
Support for EU-wide PFAS restriction with targeted derogations: what happens next? – CMS Law
Europe’s PFAS restriction proposal is moving forward – White and Case
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