WSU’s Patricia Hunt is an international expert on how plastics—such as BPA—impact reproductive mechanisms in humans and other animals. She will share her knowledge at a Common Reading Tuesdays lecture today (2/3) at 7 p.m. in the Smith Center for Undergraduate Education, Room 203.
The public is welcome to the free presentation.
“Our disposable society generates tons of plastic trash that pollutes our oceans, fills our landfills, and litters our daily environment, and it’s more than a garbage problem—it’s a health hazard,” she says.
Hunt is a Meyer Distinguished Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, on faculty in the School of Molecular Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and researches mammalian germ cells in the Center for Reproductive Biology.
In her presentation she will discuss evidence gathered over years of her scientific research that the chemicals that migrate out of plastics are impacting reproductive health including sperm counts and egg development. Can plastics be responsible to some degree event for the behavior of our children?
Hunt has proven that even exposure to low doses (that mimic current levels of human exposure) cause significant changes in a developing fetus. There is also good evidence that BPA has led to an increase in diseases like breast and prostate cancers in adults.
Legislation has banned BPA-containing food and beverage containers in much of the U.S.
Hunt’s lecture ties to topics raised in this year’s Common Reading book, “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash,” by Edward Humes. WSU students encounter the book in several first-year and other classes in disciplines across campus. The Common Reading is designed to create a common academic ground and dialogue for all participants, including students, faculty, staff, and the community.
“Garbology” is the eighth Common Reading book in as many years at the university. Hunt was also a guest speaker for the 2013-14 lecture series on the Common Reading book “Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error,” by Kathryn Schulz.
For more information about the program and upcoming events, visit CommonReading.wsu.edu.
