Science Café: Toxic compounds topic of talk

Published 2:30 am Wednesday, September 7, 2016

The environment has a number of toxic compounds found everywhere from indoor dust to food, particularly seafood.

Dr. Irv Schultz gives an introduction to polybrominated diphenyl ethers — a class of persistent organic compounds that were widely used as flame retardants and have become ubiquitous waterway contaminants — at the next Science Café, set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Paradise Restaurant in Sequim.

In his presentation “Flame Retardants, Oceans & Human Health,” Schultz talks about the problem of persistent organic compounds in the environment and then describe results of a recent study of toxin levels in seafood and indoor dust in the Puget Sound region. Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers, Schultz says, is worrisome due to potential effects on the thyroid system and juvenile development in addition to other toxicological effects that have been described in laboratory studies.

Schultz has been involved in toxicological research since 1986 with interests associated with both ecological and human health problems. His areas of expertise are in bioaccumulation, toxicokinetics and computational biological modeling, biotransformation, analytical chemistry and environmental and human toxicological issues such as endocrine disruption and carcinogenesis.

Schultz has worked for the Battelle Pacific NW National Laboratory since 1996. His lab originally was based at the Richland site and then subsequently based at the Marine Science Lab in Sequim since 2001. Schultz also holds an adjunct assistant professorship position with the University of Idaho.

Schultz received a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries Biology from Oregon State University in 1986. He went on to earn a Ph.D. from Washington State University in Pharmacology/Toxicology in 1990.

The Science Café is a community service of the Sequim Education Foundation. Programs present expert speakers for adult and young adult audiences interested in current developments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Science Café events are held on the second Tuesday of the month at the Paradise Restaurant. Admission is free and food and beverages are available for purchase.

Learn more about the Sequim Education Foundation at www.sequimeducationfoundation.org.