Buffalo HealthCast
The official health equity podcast of the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Buffalo HealthCast
PFAS: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and AMR: Antimicrobial Resistance
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!
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Welcome to another episode of buffalo healthcast, the official podcast of the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo. I am vennela damarla MPH student and Podcast Producer. Today we have a very special guest, Dr Diana s aga, sunny, distinguished professor and Henry M Woodburn, professor of chemistry at the University at Buffalo. Dr .Aga is also the director of renew Institute, and she is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking research in environmental chemistry, her work which focuses on the fate and transport of contaminants like pharmaceuticals and persistent pollutants in the environment. It plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges such as environmental pollution and antibiotic resistance, known for her innovative use of mass spectroscopy to detect environmental contaminants, Dr. aga has not only contributed immensely to our understanding of these issues, but also has been a mentor to the next generation of environmental scientists. In today's conversations will delve into Dr AGAS work on PFS and often referred to as forever chemicals and antibiotic resistance, exploring the intersection of this environmental health concerns. Dr.aga, thank you so much for joining us today. Could you share with us initially, what drew to study environmental contaminants like PFAs and antimicrobial resistance, and what motivates your research in this critical areas.
Diana Aga:Thank you for inviting me here. Thank you vennela for inviting me in your podcast. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much. Doctor Aga, yeah so PFAs and antimicrobial resistance are two separate issues. I was first drawn to study antimicrobial resistance. Well, growing up in the Philippines, there's always problems with environmental pollution, and some of this pollution actually causes health effects on humans. One of the things that drove me into studying antimicrobial resistance is that I know so many people who do not get cured, even after taking some medications, I learned that one of the issues is that antibiotics have caused antimicrobial resistance, or so called superbugs. These superbugs are pathogenic bacteria that are no longer being affected or being treated by antibiotics that we are currently using in that case, I started thinking about, why is there emergence of antimicrobial resistance? And one of the things I've been finding is that many people, especially in third world countries, are using and misusing and abusing and overusing antibiotics, and this leads to antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. Later in my academic life, I started working on PFAs, which we call forever chemicals. This is a more recent topic of my research. I started working on PFAs as analytical chemist, because one of the biggest challenges on doing research in this persistent forever chemicals is the lack of technologies to detect them in the environment. As analytical chemists, I can contribute to developing methods that are able to detect really small amount of PFAs in the environment.
Vennela Damarla:Thankyou so much. Dr Aga, that was very interesting to know about Super box and your motivation to study the research. Moving on to next question, PFAs are often termed as forever chemicals due to their persistence in the environment. Can you explain the primary source of PFAs contamination and how they enter our water systems?
Diana Aga:Yeah, that's a very good question. PFAs are industrial chemicals as well as components of domestic products that can be found everywhere, when I mean everywhere, we can think about firefighting foams that are used to suppress fires, that are used in military activities to our home products, from non stick cooking wear to make up to clothings. Some of our clothings that are stain resistant or water repellent, like rain coats, contain PFAs, our carpets, our toilet papers and even toys for kids. So how they enter the environment are also various ways in industrial areas, such as semiconductor industries, they use Pfas for etching in military size. They they use Pfas for firefighting activities. And so they enter the environment in. Municipal wastewater treatment plants. They enter these treatment plants through our sewage systems, because when we wash our clothes or when we clean our carpets, most of those PFAs that are released from our domestic products enter our waterways. Seems like PFAs are present everywhere. Your Research Highlights various health impacts of PFAs exposures. Could you elaborate on the most concerning health risk that are associated PFAs and the mechanism by which they affect human health?
Vennela Damarla:Yes, it's actually very interesting, because while PFAs exposure have been associated to various health effects such as kidney cancer, neurodevelopmental delays and immune system suppression. There are actually many other things that PFAs can affect, and unfortunately, the mechanisms by which they affect human and wildlife is still quite unknown, because PFAs appears in the environment as mixtures, and it's very hard to distinguish the toxicity of the various components of PFAs. But for now, what we know and from other research, is that PFAs exposure is associated with various diseases, particularly kidney cancer. It's devastating to know that PFAs, which are present everywhere surrounding us, can cause kidney cancers, immunosuppressions in human beings. So moving on to the next question, one of your studies discusses the use of fluorine magnetic resonance spectroscopy for PFAs quantification. What are the challenges in detecting of PFAs?
Diana Aga:Yes, PFAs composed of more than 12,000 different types of molecules, so to detect all of them is already very challenging. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency approved method can only detect 40 PFAs, so that alone is not enough. The current method for detecting PFAs is called liquid chromatography mass spectrometry or LCMS, and that has a limitation, because it can only detect certain set of PFAs and many of the other PFAs molecules remain undetected. So we are looking for other ways that will complement LCMS. And one of the things that we can use is this, fluorine, nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR for PFAs quantification. This is a very good tool, because can measure all types of PFAs, whether they are positively charged, negatively charged or neutral. The only limitation of NMR is that you need to have high quantities of PFAs in the sample to be able to detect them. So both of these methods, LCMS and NMR, have their own set of limitations, but they also have their own unique advantages.
Vennela Damarla:Thank you. Dr aga, it was interesting to know about LC ms as well as fluorine, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. So what are the scientists doing in removing the PFAs?
Diana Aga:Yes, that's a very good question. Many, many scientists are racing towards the perfect method to remove PFAs in water and in solids. But up to now, there is no perfect method yet, but we are moving along our group ourselves. We are looking for bacteria in the wastewater and in the environment that we can use to biodegrade PFAs. We are also looking at so called nanotechnology, which use synthesized compounds that are nanomaterials to degrade PFAs. Other people are using plasma and supercritical water and all kinds of high energy treatment systems, while we are finding that they can sometimes remove PFAs, they are not yet perfect. They're only partially degrade PFAs, and most of them, they just convert them to smaller molecules that are still called PFAs. So it's basically, you can say you are treating bigger PFAs in chopping them into smaller PFAs. So the ideal treatment system is to figure out a way to completely mineralize PFAs, meaning to completely break down the carbon and fluorine bonds and make them into a non harmful chemicals.
Vennela Damarla:Well, that's a lot of work the scientists have been doing in removing PFAs. Moving on to the next question in your publication, in one or you emphasize. Solution focused communication and regulation for addressing PFAs pollution. What key strategies should policy makers and communities adapt to effectively manage and mitigate PFAs risk?
Diana Aga:Yes, one of the things that I think should be implemented by policy makers is to label all products that consumers use and label them if they contain PFAs. And also provide communities, some fact sheets or some easy to use information that will identify any products that we use that has PFAs. For example, I don't think that many people know that some toilet papers actually contain PFAs. I'm not sure how many people know that packaging materials for some of the sandwiches or the microwavable popcorn may contain PFAs. So having that knowledge be installed or be be translated to communities will help us manage our risks, as well as find ways to manage the these products, these packaging materials, and properly dispose them instead of putting them in mixed with other waste products that will end up in the environment.
Vennela Damarla:Well, it's surprising to know they are even present in the popcorn packages and 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:Yeah, so in agriculture, especially in big animal feeding operations, we normally use antibiotics to treat diseases so that the animals don't spread their infections to others. However, sometimes the manure contain residues of antibiotics, which are then spread to the field to fertilize crop plants, because manure is a very good source for fertilizer. So some of these antibiotics that persist in the environment can affect microorganisms, and they might acquire antimicrobial resistance genes. So these are some drivers of AMR that can be mitigated in the agricultural setting. There are ways to treat manure, for example, composting, but some some farms do not implement this, and so there are ways also to reduce the use of antibiotics in agriculture. And while there are now regulations in the US, many other countries, especially in the developing countries, still use antibiotics without the approval of veterinary veterinarians, and that creates an environment to develop and proliferate Amr.
Vennela Damarla:Okay, while PFAs and AMR are distinct issues, both are critical environment health concerns. Is there any intersection between PFAs and contamination and the development or spread of antimicrobial resistance that your research has uncovered?
Diana Aga:Yes, that's a very interesting question. So typically, Amr or antimicrobial resistance is thought to be created because of the low levels of antibiotics in the environment where bacteria are exposed to. So most research have really only looked at concentrations of antibiotics in the environment that's causing AMR however, in the presence of PFAs and really other chemical contaminants, such as pesticides metals, they exert additional pressure to bacteria that will make the bacteria be strong and kind of develop a way to persist even at conditions that are not conducive for their growth. Sometimes they release genes that may include anti microbial resistance genes to survive. So this mechanism of survival of the fittest creates AMR in the environment and can be exacerbated by the presence of PFAs and other chemicals.
Vennela Damarla:Moving on to the next question, what emerging technologies or methodologies Do you foresee playing a pivotal role in combining PFAs pollution and antimicrobial resistance in the next decade.
Diana Aga:Yeah. So these are two very different problems, so they will require different technologies. I first talk about PFAs, one. One of the things that we can do combat PFAs pollution is to find good replacement. So right now, PFAs is really necessary for many industries. For example, the semiconductor industries that we need for manufacturing here in the US still need to use PFAs until now, there are no good alternatives. People are also looking for fluorine free components of firefighting foams, and we still need to figure out how to make our clothing water repellent or how to make our packaging better. But I think there are now big advancements in this area. So basically, finding a good replacement for PFAs is number one solution to PFAs pollution. Second, we also find cost effective way to destroy PFAs. Right now, the ones that can destroy PFAs are requiring so much energy to implement, and that is not sustainable. The next thing I want to talk about is antimicrobial resistance. So you ask about what emerging technologies we can use to combat AMR that's a little bit easier actually, because right now, we have already implemented some measures to reduce the use of antibiotics and to properly dispose of them, so that has actually improved a lot, at least in the US. In other countries where antibiotics are manufactured, we need to find a way to treat the anti microbial wastes, or the manufacturing wastes for companies that create in terms of antimicrobial resistance, that's actually a little bit easier, because in the US, there are already policies that have reduced the use of antibiotics in agriculture, and also most people are now aware that antibiotics should not be overused, and when we are done with drugs, we can also now dispose them properly. I think the problem still exists in other developing countries, especially where antibiotics are manufactured. Some of these manufacturing companies do not have proper way of disposing wastes that contains residues of high concentrations of antibiotics. So those are things that needs to be addressed. I think the World Health Organization are now trying to regulate some of these waste so that the residues of antibiotics do not end up in the environment.
Vennela Damarla:Well, it's good to know that World Health Organization is also playing an important role in eliminating the PFAs. Moving on to the next question, how important is public awareness in tackling environmental contaminants like PFAs and Amr, and what role can scientists play in educating communities?
Diana Aga:Oh, it is very important. Public awareness is critical to tackling the problems of PFAs and Amr, because if the public is aware of the dangers of PFAs and Amr, they can make choices. For example, they can make choices not to consume microwavable popcorn, not to buy non stick pots and pans, or make sure that the products that they use, the personal care products, like makeup, toilet paper and others that they use, do not contain PFAs in terms of Amr, I think sometimes some people do not know that when you have a viral infection, you should not use antibiotics, because that is not going to cure viral infections. So simple things like that will help combat AMR in terms of the role that scientists can play in educating communities, I think it is important for scientists to engage with public and be able to communicate in layman's terms, not in very scientific terms. Unlike what they write in scientific articles, they can communicate in layman's terms, what PFAs are and what they do to the body or what AMR is, and how we can prevent them from happening. We can start with educating our children, and also public schools so that they can start early in the education to educate our next generation people and be aware of PFAs in Amr.
Vennela Damarla:Well, that's an excellent strategy, such as implementing the education to the children, so that the communities, as well as children, right from the childhood are aware of the PFAs. Well, your work is highly interdisciplinary, involving chemistry, toxicology and environmental science. How important are collaborative efforts across different scientific disciplines in addressing complex environmental health issues?
Diana Aga:It is actually critical to collaborate with many different scientific disciplines. So as analytical chemists, I work closely with people in the epidemiology, in toxicology, in engineering, in policy, because I can detect PFAs and antibiotics in all kinds of matrices. But what do I do with the data? So it is really important for me to know what the other disciplines need. For example, when I collaborate with scientists from the epidemiology department, they want to know what levels of PFAs are in the blood or in the human breast milk, so that they can be informed on how to associate wealth, health and well being of people with the environmental levels of PFAs. When I collaborate with the engineers, I need to know what kind of technologies they are using to treat and destroy PFAs, and they want to know if their technologies are indeed effectively removing PFAs by measuring what is left. So these are really important for all the disciplines to collaborate together. Lastly, for example, in the toxic for toxicologists, we want to know how to measure the toxic effects of the PFAs in the environment.
Vennela Damarla:Thank you. Dr aga, this is truly motivating for students and young professionals interested in pursuing environmental health, particularly in areas like PFAs and Amr. What advice would you offer?
Diana Aga:I think the best way to do is to have a general knowledge of all kinds of this environmental pollution issues, and not be very specific to a particular topic. For example, if you're a chemist, you should not only study chemistry. You should attend seminars in various departments, you should listen to podcasts or webinars or read scientific magazines that cover various disciplines so that you can apply your chemistry knowledge in areas outside chemistry. If you are an epidemiologist, make sure you attend interdisciplinary programs and talk to other scientists in the field. This is why I think training programs that require interdisciplinary interactions is really important. Some of the National Science Foundation programs are now encouraging many disciplines to interact, through seminars, through communities of practice, through other ways that are not traditional.
Vennela Damarla:Okay, so it's important to focus on multiple areas rather than sticking on to the one focus itself, moving on to the next question, could you share a particularly rewarding moment or breakthrough in your research journey that has significantly impacted your work or perceptive?
Diana Aga:Yes, I can go back to way during my PhD studies. So my research during my graduate school is to look at pesticides in the environment, and one of the things that I found is when pesticides degrade, they don't necessarily mean that the environment is clean, that it's free of contaminants. Through my research, I actually found that sometimes chemicals are only transformed to a different type of molecule, which may or may not still have toxicity or environmental impacts. So one of the most rewarding thing that I found is I found through my graduate research that a chemical, in particular, it's a pesticide called alachlor, is actually transformed to an alachlor sulfonic acid metabolite that is actually very polar, so it actually gets leached down to groundwater and stays in groundwater for a long time. Now, this chemical that I discovered is included in the EPA contaminant list, so people are monitoring it to figure out if this chemical may lead to environmental degradation or ecological impacts. So for me, that is very rewarding to see that something that I found. Through my graduate work is now being monitored or included in the candidate contaminant list of the EPA.
Vennela Damarla:Well, this is truly inspiring. Dr.Aga, moving on to the next question, what upcoming projects or research initiatives are you excited about, and how do you hope they will contribute to the field of environmental health.
Diana Aga:Yes, one of I'm into many different research activities, but one of the things I'm really excited about is finding a way to measure mixture toxicity. I'm collaborating with toxicologists in Germany, and we just published a paper together with my students and my collaborator in the chemistry department, we found out that we can now predict mixture toxicity of PFAs through our results for high throughput in vitro assays. We can extend this research to develop new mechanisms or new ways to measure unknown chemicals as well. By knowing the toxicity and having the ability to predict toxicity of different chemicals, we can really determine the true impact of chemical pollutants that we find in the environment that exist in mixtures.
Vennela Damarla:This is really exciting. Dr Aga. And moving on to our final question, what last advice would you give to our listeners in order to help mitigate the risk associated with the PFAs and antimicrobial resistance in their communities.
Diana Aga:Well, again, these are two different things. So in terms of PFAs, make sure you know which of the products that you're using contain PFAs. There is actually a website that will tell you some of the products in the trademark that contain PFAs. So this is a good start. Then I would also say, if you are concerned that your drinking water may contain PFAs, you could put filters home, filters to make sure that your water is free of PFAs. In terms of antimicrobial resistance. One simple thing you can do is that if you have drugs that are leftovers or you're no longer using don't flush it to your toilet, because if you do that, the drugs will end up in our water supplies. They they go to the surface water, which may be used as a source for drinking water. So those are simple things that we can do to help mitigate this environmental pollutants.
Vennela Damarla:Thank you so much, Dr.Aga For enlisting all the things that we can do in order to mitigate the risk associated with the PFAs and antimicrobial resistance in their community. Well, thank you so much for your time. We are honored to have you as a guest in Buffalo Health Cast, see you in another episode of buffalo health cast. Thank you.