Housatonic-River.com

Housatonic River Initiative / Housatonic Riverkeeper

presents

*PCBs in the Housatonic River: *

*What Are The Human and Ecological Risks? *
*Join Dr. Peter deFur one of the world’s leading experts on health and ecological risks from PCBs. Housatonic fish, waterfowl and sediment have some of the highest levels of PCBs in the world. In 2008 the USEPA will issue another decision on whether GE has to clean more of the Housatonic River. *

* Why does everyone have PCBs in their bodies?
* Why do women have PCBs in their breast milk?
* What are PCBs doing to the wildlife?
* What is the Precautionary Principle?
* How persistent are PCBs in the food chain?
* Why are there still fish advisories in Massachusetts and Connecticut?

The free event will be held on *Wednesday, March 5th at 7 pm at the Lenox, Massachusetts Community Center* on Walker Street. For additional information contact: Tim Gray/HRI, 413-446-2520, housriverkeeper@verizon.net, or Judy Herkimer, HEAL, 860-672-6867, healct@snet.net <mailto:healct@snet.net>

*Dr. DeFur is the HRI technical advisor for the human health and ecological risk assessment fro the Housatonic River. He is chair of the Board of the Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN), President of the Association for Science in the Public Interest, and recently completed a term on the National Research Council Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST). Dr. deFur is an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. *

*Dr. deFur received Ph.D. in Biology (1980) from the University of Calgary, Alberta. He was a postdoctoral fellow in neurophysiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Dr. deFur held faculty positions at George Mason University and Southeastern Louisiana University before joining the staff of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in Washington, DC. At EDF, deFur was involved in policy issues that include habitat preservation and quality, wetlands regulations, water quality analysis and risk assessment.
*

*Dr. Peter L. deFur* has extensive experience in ecological risk assessment regulations, guidance and policy. He is chair of the Board of the Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN), President of the Association for Science in the Public Interest, and recently completed a term on the National Research Council Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST). He served on the NAS/NRC Risk Characterization Committee, completed numerous reviews of EPA ecological and human health risk assessments, and EPA’s Ecological Risk Assessment Guidelines. He also served on EPA’s Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC), and presently serves on the task force implementing EDSTAC recommendations.*

*Dr. deFur has participated in workshops on the Precautionary Principle and published book chapters and journal articles on the Principle. He is presently involved in several projects for SEHN on the Precautionary Principle.
He is on the Board of Directors of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and peer reviewer for several professional journals. He has published numerous peer reviewed articles, invited perspectives and review articles for the public on subjects ranging from habitat quality to wetlands, toxic chemical and risk assessment. *

*Dr. deFur has experience in the area of endocrine disrupting chemicals, specifically dioxin and related compounds and comparative endocrinology. During the past ten years, deFur has been extensively involved in scientific, regulatory and policy concerning the generation, release and discharge of dioxin related compounds. He has published a number of papers on regulation and policy aspects of these compounds, considered in many ways prototype endocrine disruptors. Dr. deFur has been extensively involved in the EPA reassessment of dioxin since 1991.*

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