November 10th at 12pm (ET): Abby Fleisch, MD, MPH and Rachel Criswell, MD, MS will be presenting “From Sludge to Blood: Community-based Research and Clinical Care of Patients Impacted by PFAS Contamination in Maine”. Dr. Fleisch is a pediatric endocrinologist at Maine Medical Center, environmental health researcher at Maine Health Institute for Research, and a Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is also adjunct faculty in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Criswell is a full-spectrum family medicine physician and environmental health researcher practicing at the rural critical access facility Franklin Memorial Hospital in central Maine.
This talk will describe a community per and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination in central Maine from biosolids (treated sewage sludge) reused as fertilizer on farmland. Drs. Criswell and Fleisch will describe their formation of a community-academic partnership to identify exposure pathways and mental health impacts of PFAS-contaminated biosolids. Finally, they will describe their clinical care of patients affected by PFAS and use of the medication cholestyramine to reduce serum concentrations of PFAS.