Plastics & PFAS Register

Date and Time:
Mon, Oct 26, 2026; 7:00 PM (Eastern)

Organized By: Zero Waste

Location: Virtual

Event Organizers:
Celeste Venolia
   celeste.venolia@sierraclub.org

Sponsored By: Single-Use Plastic Plus Subteam of Zero Waste Team & Toxics Team


Artificial turf carpet - view from underside. 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and plastics are often thought of as separate issues, but they are strongly linked with combined health and environmental impacts. Many plastics called fluoropolymers are PFAS including the well-known brand Teflon™. These synthetic, high-performance specialty petrochemicals are used in consumer and industrial products such as non-stick cookware, carpeting, upholstery, paints and coatings, belting, tubing, cabling, rechargeable batteries,  and virtually all electronics. PFAS are also frequently used as manufacturing aids in the production of all plastics (e.g., in molding), which can leave behind residues in the resin or finished product. This webinar will discuss why PFAS are so widely used in these applications along with the challenges of replacing these "forever chemicals" in the marketplace.

Speakers:
Clint Richmond, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club Massachusetts
Heather Tenney,  Science & Policy Director, & Dr. Gabriel Salierno, Green Chemist at Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute

Zoom link to be added closer to the event.


Chemical structure of PTFE (Polytetrafluorethylene).