January 3, 2025 • 28 mins
Welcome to Buffalo HealthCast, the official podcast of the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions 🎙️
In this episode of Buffalo HealthCast, we sit down with Dr. Diana Aga, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Henry M. Woodburn Professor of Chemistry at the University at Buffalo. Dr. Aga, an internationally recognized environmental chemist, shares her groundbreaking research on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often called "forever chemicals," and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We explore the sources and health impacts of PFAS, the challenges in detecting and removing them, and their intersection with AMR.
Dr. Aga also highlights innovative technologies, the role of policy and public awareness, and actionable steps we can take to combat these pressing environmental health challenges. Don't miss this fascinating conversation about the intersection of science, policy, and public health!
Follow us!
Official Webpage
Buzzsprout
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Youtube
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Vennela Damarla (00:00):
Welcome to another episode of buffalo
(00:03):
healthcast, the official podcastof the School of Public Health
and Health Professions at theUniversity at Buffalo. I am
vennela damarla MPH student andPodcast Producer. Today we have
a very special guest, Dr Diana saga, sunny, distinguished
professor and Henry M Woodburn,professor of chemistry at the
(00:23):
University at Buffalo. Dr .Agais also the director of renew
Institute, and she isinternationally recognized for
her groundbreaking research inenvironmental chemistry, her
work which focuses on the fateand transport of contaminants
like pharmaceuticals andpersistent pollutants in the
environment. It plays a crucialrole in addressing global
(00:46):
challenges such as environmentalpollution and antibiotic
resistance, known for herinnovative use of mass
spectroscopy to detectenvironmental contaminants, Dr.
aga has not only contributedimmensely to our understanding
of these issues, but also hasbeen a mentor to the next
generation of environmentalscientists. In today's
(01:09):
conversations will delve into DrAGAS work on PFS and often
referred to as forever chemicalsand antibiotic resistance,
exploring the intersection ofthis environmental health
concerns. Dr.aga, thank you somuch for joining us today. Could
you share with us initially,what drew to study environmental
(01:32):
contaminants like PFAs andantimicrobial resistance, and
what motivates your research inthis critical areas.
Diana Aga (01:41):
Thank you for inviting me here. Thank you
vennela for inviting me in yourpodcast. It's a pleasure to be
here. Thank you so much. DoctorAga, yeah so PFAs and
antimicrobial resistance are twoseparate issues. I was first
drawn to study antimicrobialresistance. Well, growing up in
the Philippines, there's alwaysproblems with environmental
(02:04):
pollution, and some of thispollution actually causes health
effects on humans. One of thethings that drove me into
studying antimicrobialresistance is that I know so
many people who do not getcured, even after taking some
medications, I learned that oneof the issues is that
(02:24):
antibiotics have causedantimicrobial resistance, or so
called superbugs. Thesesuperbugs are pathogenic
bacteria that are no longerbeing affected or being treated
by antibiotics that we arecurrently using in that case, I
started thinking about, why isthere emergence of antimicrobial
(02:47):
resistance? And one of thethings I've been finding is that
many people, especially in thirdworld countries, are using and
misusing and abusing andoverusing antibiotics, and this
leads to antimicrobialresistance in bacteria. Later in
my academic life, I startedworking on PFAs, which we call
(03:10):
forever chemicals. This is amore recent topic of my
research. I started working onPFAs as analytical chemist,
because one of the biggestchallenges on doing research in
this persistent foreverchemicals is the lack of
technologies to detect them inthe environment. As analytical
(03:30):
chemists, I can contribute todeveloping methods that are able
to detect really small amount ofPFAs in the environment.
Vennela Damarla (03:38):
Thankyou so much. Dr Aga, that was very
interesting to know about Superbox and your motivation to study
the research. Moving on to nextquestion, PFAs are often termed
as forever chemicals due totheir persistence in the
environment. Can you explain theprimary source of PFAs
contamination and how they enterour water systems?
Diana Aga (03:59):
Yeah, that's a very good question. PFAs are
industrial chemicals as well ascomponents of domestic products
that can be found everywhere,when I mean everywhere, we can
think about firefighting foamsthat are used to suppress fires,
that are used in militaryactivities to our home products,
(04:22):
from non stick cooking wear tomake up to clothings. Some of
our clothings that are stainresistant or water repellent,
like rain coats, contain PFAs,our carpets, our toilet papers
and even toys for kids. So howthey enter the environment are
(04:43):
also various ways in industrialareas, such as semiconductor
industries, they use Pfas foretching in military size. They
they use Pfas for firefightingactivities. And so they enter
the environment in. Municipalwastewater treatment plants.
They enter these treatmentplants through our sewage
(05:06):
systems, because when we washour clothes or when we clean our
carpets, most of those PFAs thatare released from our domestic
products enter our waterways.
Seems like PFAs are presenteverywhere. Your Research
Highlights various healthimpacts of PFAs exposures. Could
(05:26):
you elaborate on the mostconcerning health risk that are
associated PFAs and themechanism by which they affect
human health?
Vennela Damarla (05:34):
Yes, it's actually very interesting,
because while PFAs exposure havebeen associated to various
health effects such as kidneycancer, neurodevelopmental
delays and immune systemsuppression. There are actually
many other things that PFAs canaffect, and unfortunately, the
(05:58):
mechanisms by which they affecthuman and wildlife is still
quite unknown, because PFAsappears in the environment as
mixtures, and it's very hard todistinguish the toxicity of the
various components of PFAs. Butfor now, what we know and from
other research, is that PFAsexposure is associated with
(06:20):
various diseases, particularlykidney cancer.
It's devastating to know thatPFAs, which are present
everywhere surrounding us, cancause kidney cancers,
immunosuppressions in humanbeings. So moving on to the next
question, one of your studiesdiscusses the use of fluorine
magnetic resonance spectroscopyfor PFAs quantification. What
(06:43):
are the challenges in detectingof PFAs?
Diana Aga (06:46):
Yes, PFAs composed of more than 12,000 different types
of molecules, so to detect allof them is already very
challenging. In fact, theEnvironmental Protection Agency
approved method can only detect40 PFAs, so that alone is not
(07:06):
enough. The current method fordetecting PFAs is called liquid
chromatography mass spectrometryor LCMS, and that has a
limitation, because it can onlydetect certain set of PFAs and
many of the other PFAs moleculesremain undetected. So we are
(07:28):
looking for other ways that willcomplement LCMS. And one of the
things that we can use is this,fluorine, nuclear magnetic
resonance, or NMR for PFAsquantification. This is a very
good tool, because can measureall types of PFAs, whether they
are positively charged,negatively charged or neutral.
(07:51):
The only limitation of NMR isthat you need to have high
quantities of PFAs in the sampleto be able to detect them. So
both of these methods, LCMS andNMR, have their own set of
limitations, but they also havetheir own unique advantages.
Vennela Damarla (08:10):
Thank you. Dr aga, it was interesting to know
about LC ms as well as fluorine,nuclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy. So what are thescientists doing in removing the
PFAs?
Diana Aga (08:23):
Yes, that's a very good question. Many, many
scientists are racing towardsthe perfect method to remove
PFAs in water and in solids. Butup to now, there is no perfect
method yet, but we are movingalong our group ourselves. We
are looking for bacteria in thewastewater and in the
(08:43):
environment that we can use tobiodegrade PFAs. We are also
looking at so callednanotechnology, which use
synthesized compounds that arenanomaterials to degrade PFAs.
Other people are using plasmaand supercritical water and all
(09:06):
kinds of high energy treatmentsystems, while we are finding
that they can sometimes removePFAs, they are not yet perfect.
They're only partially degradePFAs, and most of them, they
just convert them to smallermolecules that are still called
(09:26):
PFAs. So it's basically, you cansay you are treating bigger PFAs
in chopping them into smallerPFAs. So the ideal treatment
system is to figure out a way tocompletely mineralize PFAs,
meaning to completely break downthe carbon and fluorine bonds
(09:46):
and make them into a non harmfulchemicals.
Vennela Damarla (09:50):
Well, that's a lot of work the scientists have
been doing in removing PFAs.
Moving on to the next questionin your publication, in one or
you emphasize. Solution focusedcommunication and regulation for
addressing PFAs pollution. Whatkey strategies should policy
makers and communities adapt toeffectively manage and mitigate
(10:10):
PFAs risk?
Diana Aga (10:13):
Yes, one of the things that I think should be
implemented by policy makers isto label all products that
consumers use and label them ifthey contain PFAs. And also
provide communities, some factsheets or some easy to use
(10:35):
information that will identifyany products that we use that
has PFAs. For example, I don'tthink that many people know that
some toilet papers actuallycontain PFAs. I'm not sure how
many people know that packagingmaterials for some of the
sandwiches or the microwavablepopcorn may contain PFAs. So
(11:00):
having that knowledge beinstalled or be be translated to
communities will help us manageour risks, as well as find ways
to manage the these products,these packaging materials, and
properly dispose them instead ofputting them in mixed with other
(11:22):
waste products that will end upin the environment.
Vennela Damarla (11:25):
Well, it's surprising to know they are even
present in the popcorn packagesand even in our food items.
Moving on to the next question,can you explain how
environmental drivers of Amr,which is antimicrobial
resistance, have influence,especially in agriculture
settings.
Diana Aga (11:43):
Yeah, so in agriculture, especially in big
animal feeding operations, wenormally use antibiotics to
treat diseases so that theanimals don't spread their
infections to others. However,sometimes the manure contain
(12:04):
residues of antibiotics, whichare then spread to the field to
fertilize crop plants, becausemanure is a very good source for
fertilizer. So some of theseantibiotics that persist in the
environment can affectmicroorganisms, and they might
acquire antimicrobial resistancegenes. So these are some drivers
(12:26):
of AMR that can be mitigated inthe agricultural setting. There
are ways to treat manure, forexample, composting, but some
some farms do not implementthis, and so there are ways also
to reduce the use of antibioticsin agriculture. And while there
(12:47):
are now regulations in the US,many other countries, especially
in the developing countries,still use antibiotics without
the approval of veterinaryveterinarians, and that creates
an environment to develop andproliferate Amr.
Vennela Damarla (13:06):
Okay, while PFAs and AMR are distinct
issues, both are criticalenvironment health concerns. Is
there any intersection betweenPFAs and contamination and the
development or spread ofantimicrobial resistance that
your research has uncovered?
Diana Aga (13:25):
Yes, that's a very interesting question. So
typically, Amr or antimicrobialresistance is thought to be
created because of the lowlevels of antibiotics in the
environment where bacteria areexposed to. So most research
have really only looked atconcentrations of antibiotics in
(13:46):
the environment that's causingAMR however, in the presence of
PFAs and really other chemicalcontaminants, such as pesticides
metals, they exert additionalpressure to bacteria that will
make the bacteria be strong andkind of develop a way to persist
(14:09):
even at conditions that are notconducive for their growth.
Sometimes they release genesthat may include anti microbial
resistance genes to survive. Sothis mechanism of survival of
the fittest creates AMR in theenvironment and can be
exacerbated by the presence ofPFAs and other chemicals.
Vennela Damarla (14:33):
Moving on to the next question, what emerging
technologies or methodologies Doyou foresee playing a pivotal
role in combining PFAs pollutionand antimicrobial resistance in
the next decade.
Diana Aga (14:49):
Yeah. So these are two very different problems, so
they will require differenttechnologies. I first talk about
PFAs, one. One of the thingsthat we can do combat PFAs
pollution is to find goodreplacement. So right now, PFAs
is really necessary for manyindustries. For example, the
(15:13):
semiconductor industries that weneed for manufacturing here in
the US still need to use PFAsuntil now, there are no good
alternatives. People are alsolooking for fluorine free
components of firefightingfoams, and we still need to
figure out how to make ourclothing water repellent or how
(15:37):
to make our packaging better.
But I think there are now bigadvancements in this area. So
basically, finding a goodreplacement for PFAs is number
one solution to PFAs pollution.
Second, we also find costeffective way to destroy PFAs.
(15:58):
Right now, the ones that candestroy PFAs are requiring so
much energy to implement, andthat is not sustainable. The
next thing I want to talk aboutis antimicrobial resistance. So
you ask about what emergingtechnologies we can use to
combat AMR that's a little biteasier actually, because right
(16:19):
now, we have already implementedsome measures to reduce the use
of antibiotics and to properlydispose of them, so that has
actually improved a lot, atleast in the US. In other
countries where antibiotics aremanufactured, we need to find a
way to treat the anti microbialwastes, or the manufacturing
(16:44):
wastes for companies that createin terms of antimicrobial
resistance, that's actually alittle bit easier, because in
the US, there are alreadypolicies that have reduced the
use of antibiotics inagriculture, and also most
people are now aware thatantibiotics should not be
overused, and when we are donewith drugs, we can also now
(17:09):
dispose them properly. I thinkthe problem still exists in
other developing countries,especially where antibiotics are
manufactured. Some of thesemanufacturing companies do not
have proper way of disposingwastes that contains residues of
high concentrations ofantibiotics. So those are things
(17:32):
that needs to be addressed. Ithink the World Health
Organization are now trying toregulate some of these waste so
that the residues of antibioticsdo not end up in the
environment.
Vennela Damarla (17:46):
Well, it's good to know that World Health
Organization is also playing animportant role in eliminating
the PFAs. Moving on to the nextquestion, how important is
public awareness in tacklingenvironmental contaminants like
PFAs and Amr, and what role canscientists play in educating
(18:06):
communities?
Diana Aga (18:08):
Oh, it is very important. Public awareness is
critical to tackling theproblems of PFAs and Amr,
because if the public is awareof the dangers of PFAs and Amr,
they can make choices. Forexample, they can make choices
not to consume microwavablepopcorn, not to buy non stick
(18:31):
pots and pans, or make sure thatthe products that they use, the
personal care products, likemakeup, toilet paper and others
that they use, do not containPFAs in terms of Amr, I think
sometimes some people do notknow that when you have a viral
infection, you should not useantibiotics, because that is not
(18:53):
going to cure viral infections.
So simple things like that willhelp combat AMR in terms of the
role that scientists can play ineducating communities, I think
it is important for scientiststo engage with public and be
able to communicate in layman'sterms, not in very scientific
terms. Unlike what they write inscientific articles, they can
(19:18):
communicate in layman's terms,what PFAs are and what they do
to the body or what AMR is, andhow we can prevent them from
happening. We can start witheducating our children, and also
public schools so that they canstart early in the education to
educate our next generationpeople and be aware of PFAs in
(19:44):
Amr.
Vennela Damarla (19:48):
Well, that's an excellent strategy, such as
implementing the education tothe children, so that the
communities, as well aschildren, right from the
childhood are aware of the PFAs.
Well, your work is highlyinterdisciplinary, involving
chemistry, toxicology andenvironmental science. How
important are collaborativeefforts across different
(20:09):
scientific disciplines inaddressing complex environmental
health issues?
Diana Aga (20:16):
It is actually critical to collaborate with
many different scientificdisciplines. So as analytical
chemists, I work closely withpeople in the epidemiology, in
toxicology, in engineering, inpolicy, because I can detect
PFAs and antibiotics in allkinds of matrices. But what do I
(20:40):
do with the data? So it isreally important for me to know
what the other disciplines need.
For example, when I collaboratewith scientists from the
epidemiology department, theywant to know what levels of PFAs
are in the blood or in the humanbreast milk, so that they can be
informed on how to associatewealth, health and well being of
(21:04):
people with the environmentallevels of PFAs. When I
collaborate with the engineers,I need to know what kind of
technologies they are using totreat and destroy PFAs, and they
want to know if theirtechnologies are indeed
effectively removing PFAs bymeasuring what is left. So these
(21:27):
are really important for all thedisciplines to collaborate
together. Lastly, for example,in the toxic for toxicologists,
we want to know how to measurethe toxic effects of the PFAs in
the environment.
Vennela Damarla (21:43):
Thank you. Dr aga, this is truly motivating
for students and youngprofessionals interested in
pursuing environmental health,particularly in areas like PFAs
and Amr. What advice would youoffer?
Diana Aga (21:57):
I think the best way to do is to have a general
knowledge of all kinds of thisenvironmental pollution issues,
and not be very specific to aparticular topic. For example,
if you're a chemist, you shouldnot only study chemistry. You
should attend seminars invarious departments, you should
(22:22):
listen to podcasts or webinarsor read scientific magazines
that cover various disciplinesso that you can apply your
chemistry knowledge in areasoutside chemistry. If you are an
epidemiologist, make sure youattend interdisciplinary
programs and talk to otherscientists in the field. This is
(22:46):
why I think training programsthat require interdisciplinary
interactions is reallyimportant. Some of the National
Science Foundation programs arenow encouraging many disciplines
to interact, through seminars,through communities of practice,
(23:06):
through other ways that are nottraditional.
Vennela Damarla (23:10):
Okay, so it's important to focus on multiple
areas rather than sticking on tothe one focus itself, moving on
to the next question, could youshare a particularly rewarding
moment or breakthrough in yourresearch journey that has
significantly impacted your workor perceptive?
Diana Aga (23:29):
Yes, I can go back to way during my PhD studies. So my
research during my graduateschool is to look at pesticides
in the environment, and one ofthe things that I found is when
pesticides degrade, they don'tnecessarily mean that the
(23:50):
environment is clean, that it'sfree of contaminants. Through my
research, I actually found thatsometimes chemicals are only
transformed to a different typeof molecule, which may or may
not still have toxicity orenvironmental impacts. So one of
the most rewarding thing that Ifound is I found through my
(24:13):
graduate research that achemical, in particular, it's a
pesticide called alachlor, isactually transformed to an
alachlor sulfonic acidmetabolite that is actually very
polar, so it actually getsleached down to groundwater and
stays in groundwater for a longtime. Now, this chemical that I
(24:38):
discovered is included in theEPA contaminant list, so people
are monitoring it to figure outif this chemical may lead to
environmental degradation orecological impacts. So for me,
that is very rewarding to seethat something that I found.
(25:00):
Through my graduate work is nowbeing monitored or included in
the candidate contaminant listof the EPA.
Vennela Damarla (25:07):
Well, this is truly inspiring. Dr.Aga, moving
on to the next question, whatupcoming projects or research
initiatives are you excitedabout, and how do you hope they
will contribute to the field ofenvironmental health.
Diana Aga (25:21):
Yes, one of I'm into many different research
activities, but one of thethings I'm really excited about
is finding a way to measuremixture toxicity. I'm
collaborating with toxicologistsin Germany, and we just
published a paper together withmy students and my collaborator
(25:45):
in the chemistry department, wefound out that we can now
predict mixture toxicity of PFAsthrough our results for high
throughput in vitro assays. Wecan extend this research to
develop new mechanisms or newways to measure unknown
(26:07):
chemicals as well. By knowingthe toxicity and having the
ability to predict toxicity ofdifferent chemicals, we can
really determine the true impactof chemical pollutants that we
find in the environment thatexist in mixtures.
Vennela Damarla (26:26):
This is really exciting. Dr Aga. And moving on
to our final question, what lastadvice would you give to our
listeners in order to helpmitigate the risk associated
with the PFAs and antimicrobialresistance in their communities.
Diana Aga (26:42):
Well, again, these are two different things. So in
terms of PFAs, make sure youknow which of the products that
you're using contain PFAs. Thereis actually a website that will
tell you some of the products inthe trademark that contain PFAs.
So this is a good start. Then Iwould also say, if you are
(27:05):
concerned that your drinkingwater may contain PFAs, you
could put filters home, filtersto make sure that your water is
free of PFAs. In terms ofantimicrobial resistance. One
simple thing you can do is thatif you have drugs that are
leftovers or you're no longerusing don't flush it to your
(27:27):
toilet, because if you do that,the drugs will end up in our
water supplies. They they go tothe surface water, which may be
used as a source for drinkingwater. So those are simple
things that we can do to helpmitigate this environmental
pollutants.
Vennela Damarla (27:44):
Thank you so much, Dr.Aga For enlisting all
the things that we can do inorder to mitigate the risk
associated with the PFAs andantimicrobial resistance in
their community. Well, thank youso much for your time. We are
honored to have you as a guestin Buffalo Health Cast, see you
in another episode of buffalohealth cast. Thank you.
Welcome to another episode of buffalo
(00:03):
healthcast, the official podcastof the School of Public Health
and Health Professions at theUniversity at Buffalo. I am
vennela damarla MPH student andPodcast Producer. Today we have
a very special guest, Dr Diana saga, sunny, distinguished
professor and Henry M Woodburn,professor of chemistry at the
(00:23):
University at Buffalo. Dr .Agais also the director of renew
Institute, and she isinternationally recognized for
her groundbreaking research inenvironmental chemistry, her
work which focuses on the fateand transport of contaminants
like pharmaceuticals andpersistent pollutants in the
environment. It plays a crucialrole in addressing global
(00:46):
challenges such as environmentalpollution and antibiotic
resistance, known for herinnovative use of mass
spectroscopy to detectenvironmental contaminants, Dr.
aga has not only contributedimmensely to our understanding
of these issues, but also hasbeen a mentor to the next
generation of environmentalscientists. In today's
(01:09):
conversations will delve into DrAGAS work on PFS and often
referred to as forever chemicalsand antibiotic resistance,
exploring the intersection ofthis environmental health
concerns. Dr.aga, thank you somuch for joining us today. Could
you share with us initially,what drew to study environmental
(01:32):
contaminants like PFAs andantimicrobial resistance, and
what motivates your research inthis critical areas.
Diana Aga (01:41):
Thank you for inviting me here. Thank you
vennela for inviting me in yourpodcast. It's a pleasure to be
here. Thank you so much. DoctorAga, yeah so PFAs and
antimicrobial resistance are twoseparate issues. I was first
drawn to study antimicrobialresistance. Well, growing up in
the Philippines, there's alwaysproblems with environmental
(02:04):
pollution, and some of thispollution actually causes health
effects on humans. One of thethings that drove me into
studying antimicrobialresistance is that I know so
many people who do not getcured, even after taking some
medications, I learned that oneof the issues is that
(02:24):
antibiotics have causedantimicrobial resistance, or so
called superbugs. Thesesuperbugs are pathogenic
bacteria that are no longerbeing affected or being treated
by antibiotics that we arecurrently using in that case, I
started thinking about, why isthere emergence of antimicrobial
(02:47):
resistance? And one of thethings I've been finding is that
many people, especially in thirdworld countries, are using and
misusing and abusing andoverusing antibiotics, and this
leads to antimicrobialresistance in bacteria. Later in
my academic life, I startedworking on PFAs, which we call
(03:10):
forever chemicals. This is amore recent topic of my
research. I started working onPFAs as analytical chemist,
because one of the biggestchallenges on doing research in
this persistent foreverchemicals is the lack of
technologies to detect them inthe environment. As analytical
(03:30):
chemists, I can contribute todeveloping methods that are able
to detect really small amount ofPFAs in the environment.
Vennela Damarla (03:38):
Thankyou so much. Dr Aga, that was very
interesting to know about Superbox and your motivation to study
the research. Moving on to nextquestion, PFAs are often termed
as forever chemicals due totheir persistence in the
environment. Can you explain theprimary source of PFAs
contamination and how they enterour water systems?
Diana Aga (03:59):
Yeah, that's a very good question. PFAs are
industrial chemicals as well ascomponents of domestic products
that can be found everywhere,when I mean everywhere, we can
think about firefighting foamsthat are used to suppress fires,
that are used in militaryactivities to our home products,
(04:22):
from non stick cooking wear tomake up to clothings. Some of
our clothings that are stainresistant or water repellent,
like rain coats, contain PFAs,our carpets, our toilet papers
and even toys for kids. So howthey enter the environment are
(04:43):
also various ways in industrialareas, such as semiconductor
industries, they use Pfas foretching in military size. They
they use Pfas for firefightingactivities. And so they enter
the environment in. Municipalwastewater treatment plants.
They enter these treatmentplants through our sewage
(05:06):
systems, because when we washour clothes or when we clean our
carpets, most of those PFAs thatare released from our domestic
products enter our waterways.
Seems like PFAs are presenteverywhere. Your Research
Highlights various healthimpacts of PFAs exposures. Could
(05:26):
you elaborate on the mostconcerning health risk that are
associated PFAs and themechanism by which they affect
human health?
Vennela Damarla (05:34):
Yes, it's actually very interesting,
because while PFAs exposure havebeen associated to various
health effects such as kidneycancer, neurodevelopmental
delays and immune systemsuppression. There are actually
many other things that PFAs canaffect, and unfortunately, the
(05:58):
mechanisms by which they affecthuman and wildlife is still
quite unknown, because PFAsappears in the environment as
mixtures, and it's very hard todistinguish the toxicity of the
various components of PFAs. Butfor now, what we know and from
other research, is that PFAsexposure is associated with
(06:20):
various diseases, particularlykidney cancer.
It's devastating to know thatPFAs, which are present
everywhere surrounding us, cancause kidney cancers,
immunosuppressions in humanbeings. So moving on to the next
question, one of your studiesdiscusses the use of fluorine
magnetic resonance spectroscopyfor PFAs quantification. What
(06:43):
are the challenges in detectingof PFAs?
Diana Aga (06:46):
Yes, PFAs composed of more than 12,000 different types
of molecules, so to detect allof them is already very
challenging. In fact, theEnvironmental Protection Agency
approved method can only detect40 PFAs, so that alone is not
(07:06):
enough. The current method fordetecting PFAs is called liquid
chromatography mass spectrometryor LCMS, and that has a
limitation, because it can onlydetect certain set of PFAs and
many of the other PFAs moleculesremain undetected. So we are
(07:28):
looking for other ways that willcomplement LCMS. And one of the
things that we can use is this,fluorine, nuclear magnetic
resonance, or NMR for PFAsquantification. This is a very
good tool, because can measureall types of PFAs, whether they
are positively charged,negatively charged or neutral.
(07:51):
The only limitation of NMR isthat you need to have high
quantities of PFAs in the sampleto be able to detect them. So
both of these methods, LCMS andNMR, have their own set of
limitations, but they also havetheir own unique advantages.
Vennela Damarla (08:10):
Thank you. Dr aga, it was interesting to know
about LC ms as well as fluorine,nuclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy. So what are thescientists doing in removing the
PFAs?
Diana Aga (08:23):
Yes, that's a very good question. Many, many
scientists are racing towardsthe perfect method to remove
PFAs in water and in solids. Butup to now, there is no perfect
method yet, but we are movingalong our group ourselves. We
are looking for bacteria in thewastewater and in the
(08:43):
environment that we can use tobiodegrade PFAs. We are also
looking at so callednanotechnology, which use
synthesized compounds that arenanomaterials to degrade PFAs.
Other people are using plasmaand supercritical water and all
(09:06):
kinds of high energy treatmentsystems, while we are finding
that they can sometimes removePFAs, they are not yet perfect.
They're only partially degradePFAs, and most of them, they
just convert them to smallermolecules that are still called
(09:26):
PFAs. So it's basically, you cansay you are treating bigger PFAs
in chopping them into smallerPFAs. So the ideal treatment
system is to figure out a way tocompletely mineralize PFAs,
meaning to completely break downthe carbon and fluorine bonds
(09:46):
and make them into a non harmfulchemicals.
Vennela Damarla (09:50):
Well, that's a lot of work the scientists have
been doing in removing PFAs.
Moving on to the next questionin your publication, in one or
you emphasize. Solution focusedcommunication and regulation for
addressing PFAs pollution. Whatkey strategies should policy
makers and communities adapt toeffectively manage and mitigate
(10:10):
PFAs risk?
Diana Aga (10:13):
Yes, one of the things that I think should be
implemented by policy makers isto label all products that
consumers use and label them ifthey contain PFAs. And also
provide communities, some factsheets or some easy to use
(10:35):
information that will identifyany products that we use that
has PFAs. For example, I don'tthink that many people know that
some toilet papers actuallycontain PFAs. I'm not sure how
many people know that packagingmaterials for some of the
sandwiches or the microwavablepopcorn may contain PFAs. So
(11:00):
having that knowledge beinstalled or be be translated to
communities will help us manageour risks, as well as find ways
to manage the these products,these packaging materials, and
properly dispose them instead ofputting them in mixed with other
(11:22):
waste products that will end upin the environment.
Vennela Damarla (11:25):
Well, it's surprising to know they are even
present in the popcorn packagesand even in our food items.
Moving on to the next question,can you explain how
environmental drivers of Amr,which is antimicrobial
resistance, have influence,especially in agriculture
settings.
Diana Aga (11:43):
Yeah, so in agriculture, especially in big
animal feeding operations, wenormally use antibiotics to
treat diseases so that theanimals don't spread their
infections to others. However,sometimes the manure contain
(12:04):
residues of antibiotics, whichare then spread to the field to
fertilize crop plants, becausemanure is a very good source for
fertilizer. So some of theseantibiotics that persist in the
environment can affectmicroorganisms, and they might
acquire antimicrobial resistancegenes. So these are some drivers
(12:26):
of AMR that can be mitigated inthe agricultural setting. There
are ways to treat manure, forexample, composting, but some
some farms do not implementthis, and so there are ways also
to reduce the use of antibioticsin agriculture. And while there
(12:47):
are now regulations in the US,many other countries, especially
in the developing countries,still use antibiotics without
the approval of veterinaryveterinarians, and that creates
an environment to develop andproliferate Amr.
Vennela Damarla (13:06):
Okay, while PFAs and AMR are distinct
issues, both are criticalenvironment health concerns. Is
there any intersection betweenPFAs and contamination and the
development or spread ofantimicrobial resistance that
your research has uncovered?
Diana Aga (13:25):
Yes, that's a very interesting question. So
typically, Amr or antimicrobialresistance is thought to be
created because of the lowlevels of antibiotics in the
environment where bacteria areexposed to. So most research
have really only looked atconcentrations of antibiotics in
(13:46):
the environment that's causingAMR however, in the presence of
PFAs and really other chemicalcontaminants, such as pesticides
metals, they exert additionalpressure to bacteria that will
make the bacteria be strong andkind of develop a way to persist
(14:09):
even at conditions that are notconducive for their growth.
Sometimes they release genesthat may include anti microbial
resistance genes to survive. Sothis mechanism of survival of
the fittest creates AMR in theenvironment and can be
exacerbated by the presence ofPFAs and other chemicals.
Vennela Damarla (14:33):
Moving on to the next question, what emerging
technologies or methodologies Doyou foresee playing a pivotal
role in combining PFAs pollutionand antimicrobial resistance in
the next decade.
Diana Aga (14:49):
Yeah. So these are two very different problems, so
they will require differenttechnologies. I first talk about
PFAs, one. One of the thingsthat we can do combat PFAs
pollution is to find goodreplacement. So right now, PFAs
is really necessary for manyindustries. For example, the
(15:13):
semiconductor industries that weneed for manufacturing here in
the US still need to use PFAsuntil now, there are no good
alternatives. People are alsolooking for fluorine free
components of firefightingfoams, and we still need to
figure out how to make ourclothing water repellent or how
(15:37):
to make our packaging better.
But I think there are now bigadvancements in this area. So
basically, finding a goodreplacement for PFAs is number
one solution to PFAs pollution.
Second, we also find costeffective way to destroy PFAs.
(15:58):
Right now, the ones that candestroy PFAs are requiring so
much energy to implement, andthat is not sustainable. The
next thing I want to talk aboutis antimicrobial resistance. So
you ask about what emergingtechnologies we can use to
combat AMR that's a little biteasier actually, because right
(16:19):
now, we have already implementedsome measures to reduce the use
of antibiotics and to properlydispose of them, so that has
actually improved a lot, atleast in the US. In other
countries where antibiotics aremanufactured, we need to find a
way to treat the anti microbialwastes, or the manufacturing
(16:44):
wastes for companies that createin terms of antimicrobial
resistance, that's actually alittle bit easier, because in
the US, there are alreadypolicies that have reduced the
use of antibiotics inagriculture, and also most
people are now aware thatantibiotics should not be
overused, and when we are donewith drugs, we can also now
(17:09):
dispose them properly. I thinkthe problem still exists in
other developing countries,especially where antibiotics are
manufactured. Some of thesemanufacturing companies do not
have proper way of disposingwastes that contains residues of
high concentrations ofantibiotics. So those are things
(17:32):
that needs to be addressed. Ithink the World Health
Organization are now trying toregulate some of these waste so
that the residues of antibioticsdo not end up in the
environment.
Vennela Damarla (17:46):
Well, it's good to know that World Health
Organization is also playing animportant role in eliminating
the PFAs. Moving on to the nextquestion, how important is
public awareness in tacklingenvironmental contaminants like
PFAs and Amr, and what role canscientists play in educating
(18:06):
communities?
Diana Aga (18:08):
Oh, it is very important. Public awareness is
critical to tackling theproblems of PFAs and Amr,
because if the public is awareof the dangers of PFAs and Amr,
they can make choices. Forexample, they can make choices
not to consume microwavablepopcorn, not to buy non stick
(18:31):
pots and pans, or make sure thatthe products that they use, the
personal care products, likemakeup, toilet paper and others
that they use, do not containPFAs in terms of Amr, I think
sometimes some people do notknow that when you have a viral
infection, you should not useantibiotics, because that is not
(18:53):
going to cure viral infections.
So simple things like that willhelp combat AMR in terms of the
role that scientists can play ineducating communities, I think
it is important for scientiststo engage with public and be
able to communicate in layman'sterms, not in very scientific
terms. Unlike what they write inscientific articles, they can
(19:18):
communicate in layman's terms,what PFAs are and what they do
to the body or what AMR is, andhow we can prevent them from
happening. We can start witheducating our children, and also
public schools so that they canstart early in the education to
educate our next generationpeople and be aware of PFAs in
(19:44):
Amr.
Vennela Damarla (19:48):
Well, that's an excellent strategy, such as
implementing the education tothe children, so that the
communities, as well aschildren, right from the
childhood are aware of the PFAs.
Well, your work is highlyinterdisciplinary, involving
chemistry, toxicology andenvironmental science. How
important are collaborativeefforts across different
(20:09):
scientific disciplines inaddressing complex environmental
health issues?
Diana Aga (20:16):
It is actually critical to collaborate with
many different scientificdisciplines. So as analytical
chemists, I work closely withpeople in the epidemiology, in
toxicology, in engineering, inpolicy, because I can detect
PFAs and antibiotics in allkinds of matrices. But what do I
(20:40):
do with the data? So it isreally important for me to know
what the other disciplines need.
For example, when I collaboratewith scientists from the
epidemiology department, theywant to know what levels of PFAs
are in the blood or in the humanbreast milk, so that they can be
informed on how to associatewealth, health and well being of
(21:04):
people with the environmentallevels of PFAs. When I
collaborate with the engineers,I need to know what kind of
technologies they are using totreat and destroy PFAs, and they
want to know if theirtechnologies are indeed
effectively removing PFAs bymeasuring what is left. So these
(21:27):
are really important for all thedisciplines to collaborate
together. Lastly, for example,in the toxic for toxicologists,
we want to know how to measurethe toxic effects of the PFAs in
the environment.
Vennela Damarla (21:43):
Thank you. Dr aga, this is truly motivating
for students and youngprofessionals interested in
pursuing environmental health,particularly in areas like PFAs
and Amr. What advice would youoffer?
Diana Aga (21:57):
I think the best way to do is to have a general
knowledge of all kinds of thisenvironmental pollution issues,
and not be very specific to aparticular topic. For example,
if you're a chemist, you shouldnot only study chemistry. You
should attend seminars invarious departments, you should
(22:22):
listen to podcasts or webinarsor read scientific magazines
that cover various disciplinesso that you can apply your
chemistry knowledge in areasoutside chemistry. If you are an
epidemiologist, make sure youattend interdisciplinary
programs and talk to otherscientists in the field. This is
(22:46):
why I think training programsthat require interdisciplinary
interactions is reallyimportant. Some of the National
Science Foundation programs arenow encouraging many disciplines
to interact, through seminars,through communities of practice,
(23:06):
through other ways that are nottraditional.
Vennela Damarla (23:10):
Okay, so it's important to focus on multiple
areas rather than sticking on tothe one focus itself, moving on
to the next question, could youshare a particularly rewarding
moment or breakthrough in yourresearch journey that has
significantly impacted your workor perceptive?
Diana Aga (23:29):
Yes, I can go back to way during my PhD studies. So my
research during my graduateschool is to look at pesticides
in the environment, and one ofthe things that I found is when
pesticides degrade, they don'tnecessarily mean that the
(23:50):
environment is clean, that it'sfree of contaminants. Through my
research, I actually found thatsometimes chemicals are only
transformed to a different typeof molecule, which may or may
not still have toxicity orenvironmental impacts. So one of
the most rewarding thing that Ifound is I found through my
(24:13):
graduate research that achemical, in particular, it's a
pesticide called alachlor, isactually transformed to an
alachlor sulfonic acidmetabolite that is actually very
polar, so it actually getsleached down to groundwater and
stays in groundwater for a longtime. Now, this chemical that I
(24:38):
discovered is included in theEPA contaminant list, so people
are monitoring it to figure outif this chemical may lead to
environmental degradation orecological impacts. So for me,
that is very rewarding to seethat something that I found.
(25:00):
Through my graduate work is nowbeing monitored or included in
the candidate contaminant listof the EPA.
Vennela Damarla (25:07):
Well, this is truly inspiring. Dr.Aga, moving
on to the next question, whatupcoming projects or research
initiatives are you excitedabout, and how do you hope they
will contribute to the field ofenvironmental health.
Diana Aga (25:21):
Yes, one of I'm into many different research
activities, but one of thethings I'm really excited about
is finding a way to measuremixture toxicity. I'm
collaborating with toxicologistsin Germany, and we just
published a paper together withmy students and my collaborator
(25:45):
in the chemistry department, wefound out that we can now
predict mixture toxicity of PFAsthrough our results for high
throughput in vitro assays. Wecan extend this research to
develop new mechanisms or newways to measure unknown
(26:07):
chemicals as well. By knowingthe toxicity and having the
ability to predict toxicity ofdifferent chemicals, we can
really determine the true impactof chemical pollutants that we
find in the environment thatexist in mixtures.
Vennela Damarla (26:26):
This is really exciting. Dr Aga. And moving on
to our final question, what lastadvice would you give to our
listeners in order to helpmitigate the risk associated
with the PFAs and antimicrobialresistance in their communities.
Diana Aga (26:42):
Well, again, these are two different things. So in
terms of PFAs, make sure youknow which of the products that
you're using contain PFAs. Thereis actually a website that will
tell you some of the products inthe trademark that contain PFAs.
So this is a good start. Then Iwould also say, if you are
(27:05):
concerned that your drinkingwater may contain PFAs, you
could put filters home, filtersto make sure that your water is
free of PFAs. In terms ofantimicrobial resistance. One
simple thing you can do is thatif you have drugs that are
leftovers or you're no longerusing don't flush it to your
(27:27):
toilet, because if you do that,the drugs will end up in our
water supplies. They they go tothe surface water, which may be
used as a source for drinkingwater. So those are simple
things that we can do to helpmitigate this environmental
pollutants.
Vennela Damarla (27:44):
Thank you so much, Dr.Aga For enlisting all
the things that we can do inorder to mitigate the risk
associated with the PFAs andantimicrobial resistance in
their community. Well, thank youso much for your time. We are
honored to have you as a guestin Buffalo Health Cast, see you
in another episode of buffalohealth cast. Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!