Table to Farm: How toxic PFAS chemicals end up in our food and water
Notre Dame researcher Graham Peaslee reveals how man-made PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—commonly known as forever chemicals—end up in our food and, eventually, the environment. These chemicals persist for thousands of years, posing a significant environmental threat and health risk.In the first of a three-part video series titled "PFAS: The Forever Problem," we discuss how PFAS is quickly becoming one of the largest environmental problems the U.S. has ever faced and the cutting-edge techniques the University of Notre Dame is developing to measure and mitigate their impact on our environment and health.
More from Notre Dame Videos
- 0:49Notre Dame is deeply engaged with communities and cultures around the worldGlobal engagement is not an aspiration, it’s an expectation. Whether it’s international experiences on campus or research halfway across the world, our programs, faculty, and students are learning from the world… and learning for the world.https://www.nd.edu/global/
- 36:30Rev. Nate Wills, C.S.C.: Pray like a champion todayIn this episode of NDWorks Podcast, host Natalie Davis Miller sits down with Rev. Nate Wills, C.S.C., associate professor, priest-in-residence in Keough Hall, and football chaplain. Father Wills talks about his various roles and about his new book, Pray Like a Champion Today.This episode of NDWorks Podcast was edited by Michael Wiens, with original music by Alex Mansour and additional music provided by Universal Production Music.
- 1:25Notre Dame's Poverty InitiativePoverty. It’s one of humankind’s greatest challenges. No century or country has escaped its reach. At Notre Dame, we’re working to understand why. Because, here, researching poverty is both an academic priority and a moral imperative. It’s not only what we do, it’s what we stand for. And stand against.We’re deploying unprecedented resources, a robust range of research methodologies, and some of our University’s brightest minds to better comprehend what causes poverty, and how to end it. From passionate students to world-class academics from every discipline, the Notre Dame community is partnering with communities around the world to study poverty from every angle, and help find what works to build lasting opportunity.More: https://go.nd.edu/Poverty
- 11:27On War and Peace: The Role of a University in the 21st CenturyUniversity of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., traveled to Japan as part of a “Pilgrimage of Peace,” to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.He offered remarks at the Elisabeth University of Music as a guest of its president, Yuji Kawano, and Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Hiroshima. Father Dowd focused on the role that universities can play in addressing the current nuclear predicament and the wider challenges of peace in today’s world.
- 3:39Still fighting to cure peanut allergiesWhen 12-year-old Lauren Eglite saw a "What Would You Fight For?" feature about groundbreaking peanut allergy research, she asked her father, a pharmaceutical executive and Notre Dame alumnus, if he could help.That question sparked a unique partnership with Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Professor Basar Bilgicer, leading to the creation of Artin Immunology—a startup determined to transform Bilgicer’s research into a revolutionary drug. Unlike existing treatments, Bilgicer’s approach blocks peanut allergens before they can trigger dangerous immune overreactions, without compromising the immune system itself.Now a Notre Dame student, Lauren is fighting alongside Bilgicer to advance this research, hoping to create a safer future for millions living with peanut and other allergies.Learn more at https://go.nd.edu/557f19
- 2:24Transforming Spinal Surgery in South Bend, IndianaA partnership between a Notre Dame engineer and a neurosurgeon at Beacon Health System’s Memorial Hospital has led to a novel implant for spinal fusion surgeries. The product was named a Best New Spine Technology of 2023 by Orthopedics This Week.This implant has two important features—first, its porous structure allows bone to grow into it rather than around it. And second, its cell-friendly surface encourages bone to attach to it, creating a more robust, faster-healing graft.By the spring of 2025, it has improved outcomes for more than 600 patients with 1,200 implants.