INAUGURAL RYCKMAN LECTURE
LOPATA HALL, Room 101
November 21, 2003
Time: 3 pm

(This Seminar is also a part of the Sesquicentennial Environmental Initiative)
 

Precautionary Approach for Toxic Chemicals in the Environment
 - Experiences and Concepts in the Making

 Perry L. McCarty
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Stanford University

While man-made (anthropogenic) chemicals have greatly improved the quality of life over the past half century, they also have been the root of numerous human health and environmental problems of local to global scale.  Examples of problem chemicals are extensive, and include synthetic detergents, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated solvents, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methyltertiarybutyl ether (MTBE), and perchlorates.  Our use, or in some cases byproduct production, of compounds of natural origin, such as benzene, dioxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and methyl mercury have also created significant environmental difficulties.  Some compounds, such as DDT, PCBs, CFCs, and MTBE, were designed to help solve environmental problems resulting such as disease, fire hazard, toxicity, and air pollution, yet resulted in their own set of difficulties, which were generally unforeseen at the time of their production and widespread distribution.   As yet, we have been unable to adequately predict the environmental fate and affects of many new chemicals, often because the affects are subtle, ecosystems are complex, and our understanding of the many chemical, physical, and biological linkages in the ecosystems comprising the Earth is far from adequate.  What is the nature of this dilemma, and what can be done about it?  The continuing environmental problems resulting from anthropogenic chemicals, the difficulties in forecasting consequences from their introduction, and the need for preventive measures and a precautionary approach will be discussed. 

Brief Biosketch:

    Dr. Perry McCarty received his BS degree from Wayne State University, and his MS and DSc degrees from MIT. He specializes in environmental engineering with emphasis on biological processes for water quality control and the control of hazardous substances in treatment systems and groundwater.
    He is director of the Western Region Hazardous Substance Research Center. His awards include the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (1992), the Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Water Science and Technology (1997), the Walter L. Huber Research Prize (1964) and Simon W. Freeze Lecture Award (1979) of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Harrison P. Eddy (1962 and 1977) and Thomas Camp (1975) Awards of the Water Environment Federation, and the Research Prize (1989) of the American Water Works Association.
    Professor McCarty is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an Honorary member of the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology.

There will be a reception following the event in Lopata Gallery.

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