By Beverly Makhani, Office of Undergraduate Education
PULLMAN, Wash. – Patricia Hunt is an expert on how plastics impact reproductive mechanisms in humans and other animals. She will discuss “Are We Trashing Our Reproductive Health” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, in CUE 203 at Washington State University.
The Common Reading Tuesdays talk is free to the public.
Hunt is a world-renowned researcher into the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA). She has proven that exposure to low doses can cause significant changes in a developing fetus. Legislation has banned BPA-containing food and beverage containers in much of the U.S.
She will discuss evidence that the chemicals that migrate out of plastics are impacting reproductive health including sperm counts and egg development.
“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 just a garbage problem – it’s a health hazard,” Hunt said.
The lecture ties in with topics raised in this year’s WSU common reading book, “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash,” by Edward Humes.
Hunt is a Meyer Distinguished Professor in the WSU 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.
“Garbology” is the eighth common reading book in as many years at the university. For more information about the program and upcoming events, visit http://commonreading.wsu.edu.
Contact:
Karen Weathermon, WSU common reading, 509-335-5488, kweathermon@wsu.edu