Methods and Tools to Support Aquatic and Human Health Webinar

About the Webinar

PFAS chemical structure against a blue backgroun

Watch the webinar (October 25, 2023
Water Research Webinar Series

1. How Does Chemical Structure Affect the Toxicity of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) to Aquatic Life?

This presentation will discuss recent findings that sublethal toxicity is strongly related to both fluorinated chain length and the structure of the non-fluorinated “head” group. These findings, combined with information on bioaccumulation, suggest that multiple mechanisms of toxic action exist. Mixture experiments to date have indicated additive, but not synergistic, interactions of PFASs within and between classes. Implications of these findings are discussed, along with ongoing research directions to better understand risks to aquatic life.

Presenter: Sarah Kadlec, Ph.D.
Sarah is a biologist in EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division in Duluth, MN. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2017, where she studied the relationships between estrogenic exposure and developmental abnormalities in smallmouth bass. Her current research focuses on the effects of emerging and legacy contaminants on freshwater organisms in support of ecological risk assessment.

2. RapidTox Workflows for Chemical Decision-Making

RapidTox has been developed as a standalone tool consisting of targeted workflows that draw from various databases and existent datastreams, such as ToxValDB, ToxCast, and ExpoCast, to deliver fit-for-purpose information in support of decision-maker needs such as emergency response, human health assessment, and chemical mixtures assessment. RapidTox workflows provide a flexible decision-based logic that surfaces and rapidly assembles chemistry, biology/toxicology, and exposure data while incorporating expert input in the evaluation of chemicals of potential concern.

Presenter: Jason Lambert, Ph.D., DABT
Jason is currently a senior science advisor in EPA's Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE) in the Office of Research and Development. Prior to joining CCTE, he spent 14 years with the EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) where he served as chemical manager for over 30 human health risk assessments. In 2007, Jason established NCEA’s Alternative Methods team, which led the integration of read-across into assessments for data-poor chemicals. From 2008-2013, he co-led a collaboration with industry toxicologists pertaining to the application of transcriptomics in human health risk assessment. He has also co-authored multiple EPA methods and approaches documents for evaluating chemical mixtures. Prior to coming to the EPA, Jason received his B.S. degree from Western Kentucky University with a double major in recombinant genetics and chemistry. He then earned an M.S. and a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Louisville and subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Since 2006 Jason has been a diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.