PFAS in North Carolina Drinking Water | Carolina Science Cafe

Community impacts and interventions to reduce human exposure.

Join us for our next instalment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For February, we will be joined by Dr. Detlef Knappe from NC State to discuss Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in North Carolina drinking water.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic organic chemicals that are widely used in industry and in consumer products. Many PFAS are persistent, bioaccumulative, mobile, and toxic, and PFAS occur widely in drinking water. The talk will include an overview of (1) PFAS occurrence in NC drinking water, (2) efforts to eliminate sources of PFAS pollution, and (3) interventions to reduce human exposure to PFAS. 

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, February 6th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

About Detlef

Detlef Knappe is the S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University. In 1985, he moved from a small Black Forest town in Germany to a small prairie town in Illinois, where he began his undergraduate studies. In 1996, he received his PhD degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and joined the faculty at North Carolina State University. Detlef’s research interests broadly encompass drinking water quality and treatment with the goal of reducing human exposure to organic contaminants.

He is the Deputy Director of NC State’s Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS, and he serves on the North Carolina Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board (jointly convened by the NC Departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services). Apart from his passion for clean drinking water, Detlef enjoys kayaking, gardening, and brewing beer in his somewhat limited spare time.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Resource Links

• CompTox Chemicals Dashboard (epa.gov)
• Home – SixClasses.org
• PFAS-Free Products – PFAS Central
• Contact Email: knappe@ncsu.edu