Plastics are an integral part of our lives. Plastic brings ease, flexibility, and durability to countless articles we use and count upon every day. But have you ever wondered if you could live without plastic? And what exactly is plastic anyway? Come learn about the chemicals in different kinds of plastic, and what happens to plastic chemicals during use of items and after disposal. Join your local “tox docs”, Dr. Shirlee Tan and Dr. Elinor Fanning, for a conversation about chemicals in plastics, micro- and nano-plastic particles, and why they are so complicated to understand and regulate. What are the impacts on human health and the environment of all this plastic, and what can we do at the state, local and individual level to protect ourselves?
Dr. Shirlee Tan is the Senior Toxicologist for the Seattle & King County Public Health Department where she serves as a technical advisor on issues related to chemical exposures, impacts and policies. She is the Chair of EPA’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC), and serves on numerous advisory groups for WA State, focused on chemical policy, regulation, and environmental justice. Dr. Tan previously worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the US EPA on the development of regulatory assays for endocrine disrupting chemicals, and for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park studying pesticide misuse in Southeast Asia. Dr. Tan holds a PhD in cell and molecular biology from the University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA | Dr. Elinor Fanning is a senior toxicologist at the Washington State Department of Health. She has over 10 years of experience in academic and government environmental public health programs evaluating toxic substances and exposure scenarios. At the Department of Health, she provides toxicological expertise to evaluate exposure and public health impacts of toxic chemicals in consumer products and the environment. Dr. Fanning recently led her state health agency’s contribution to Washington’s statewide action plan for phthalates. She evaluated current science on health hazards of ortho-phthalates, sources, and routes of exposure that may contribute to cumulative health impacts and developed recommendations for reducing disproportionate exposure and health impacts in the state. Dr. Fanning holds a PhD in Environmental Health Science and a MA in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
