The Smart Human with Dr. Aly Cohen

In this episode, we discuss… ● How the brain controls reproductive hormones and communicates with the endocrine system. ● How endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with brain-hormone communication. ● What EDCs are and how they disrupt normal hormonal signaling. The endocrine system explained through a simple "lock-and-key" hormone model. ● How EDCs can mimic or block natural hormones in the body. ● How EDCs disrupt hormone production, regulation, and overall balance in the body. ● The rise of synthetic chemicals after World War II and links to increasing endocrine and neurological disorders. ● The accidental discovery that BPA leaching from plastic caused reproductive harm in laboratory mice. ● Why endocrine disruption challenged the traditional idea that "the dose makes the poison." ● How chemicals like BPA can affect multiple hormone receptors at very low doses.....and so much more! Dr. Andrea Gore is Professor and Vacek Chair in Pharmacology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research team is investigating fundamental mechanisms of how environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) perturb the developing brain; sex differences in EDC actions; and transgenerational epigenetic effects. Dr. Gore's research has been funded continuously by the NIH, NSF, and foundations since 1992. She has published 4 books and over 200 scientific papers. She was Editor-in-Chief of Endocrinology from 2013-2017 and was lead author of the Endocrine Society's two Scientific Statements on EDCs, and the Endocrine Society-IPEN Guides to EDCs, most recently in 2024. Dr. Gore is very active in advocacy for, mentorship of, and education of trainees. Over 150 undergraduates, graduate students, and fellows have conducted independent research in her laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Gore feels fortunate to have multiple passions beyond her research in environmental health: playing violin in an orchestra and string quartet; running a turtle and tortoise sanctuary; and her rescue dogs. Andrea C. Gore, PhD Professor and Vacek Distinguished University Chair in Pharmacology The University of Texas at Austin andrea.gore@austin.utexas.edu http://sites.utexas.edu/gore/

In this episode, we discuss… What science really is, both as body of knowledge and a constantly evolving process Why one study is never enough and the importance of multiple methods, reproducibility, and scientific consensus over time When "gold standard" research falls short and why fields like nutrition require more flexible, creative approaches Science's built-in caution and how new ideas face a high bar of proof, slowing acceptance but strengthening reliability How doubt is manufactured, from the tobacco era to climate science, using fringe voices to challenge strong consensus The role of ideology, and how "freedom" narratives can shape public resistance to scientific evidence Acting without certainty and why we must make public health decisions even when data isn't 100% complete AI and misinformation and the promise and risk of tools like OpenAI in shaping how we consume science Naomi Oreskes Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences ON LEAVE SPRING 2026 emailoreskes@fas.harvard.edu Faculty Assistant: Yaz Alfata Primary Areas of Research: Agnotology; the Political Economy of Scientific Knowledge; History and Philosophy of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Science and Technology Studies (STS); the History of Climate Change Disinformation Secondary Areas of Interest: Science Policy, Science and Religion, Women and Gender Studies Naomi Oreskes is Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action. Oreskes is author or co-author of 9 books, and over 150 articles, essays and opinion pieces, including Merchants of Doubt (Bloomsbury, 2010), The Collapse of Western Civilization (Columbia University Press, 2014), Discerning Experts (University Chicago Press, 2019), Why Trust Science? (Princeton University Press, 2019), and Science on a Mission: American Oceanography from the Cold War to Climate Change, (University of Chicago Press, 2021). Merchants of Doubt, co-authored with Erik Conway, was the subject of a documentary film of the same name produced by participant Media and distributed by SONY Pictures Classics, and has been translated into nine languages. A new edition of Merchants of Doubt, with an introduction by Al Gore, was published in 2020. Her latest book, with Erik Conway, is The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market, which has been translated to French and Italian. Oreskes wrote the Introduction to the Melville House edition of the Papal Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality, Laudato Si, and her essays and opinion pieces on climate change have appeared in leading newspapers around the globe, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, the Times (London), and Frankfurter Allegemeine. Her numerous awards and prizes include the 2019 Geological Society of American Mary C. Rabbitt Award, the 2016 Stephen Schneider Award for outstanding Climate Science Communication, the 2015 Public Service Award of the Geological Society of America, the 2015 Herbert Feis Prize of the American Historical Association for her contributions to public history, and the 2014 American Geophysical Union Presidential Citation for Science and Society. She is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. In 2018, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow, and in 2019 she was awarded the British Academy Medal. In 2024, she was awarded the Nonino Foundation "Maestro del Nostro Tempo" award. And in 2025, she was awarded the Volvo Environment Prize for her contributions in "shaping our understanding of how scientific knowledge is collectively constructed and addressing the challenges of misinformation in public discourse." Curriculum Vitae Select Publications The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market, 2023 (Bloomsbury Press) Science on a Mission, 2021 (University of Chicago Press) Why Trust Science?, 2019 (Princeton University Press) Science and Technology in the Global Cold War, 2014 (MIT Press) The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future, 2014 (Columbia University Press) Collapse of Western Civilization Home Page Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, 2010. (New York: Bloomsbury Press.) Merchants of Doubt Home Page Merchants of Doubt at the 52nd New York Film Festival, October 8, 2014 Models in Environmental Regulatory Decision Making, Whipple, Chris et al. (fourteen additional authors), 2007. (Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences National Research Council, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology), 287 pp. The Rejection of Continental Drift: Theory and Method in American Earth Science, 1999. (New York: Oxford University Press) In the Media Testimony Before the US Senate Budget Committee, Twitter, June 22, 2023 Science Isn't Always Perfect - But We Should Still Trust It, TIME, October 2019 Climate Change Will Cost Us Even More Than We Think, New York Times, October 2019 Escaping Extinction, World Economic Forum, January 2019 Yes, ExxonMobil Misled the Public, LA Times, September 2017 What Exxon Mobil Didn't Say About Climate Change, The New York Times, August 2017 Assessing ExxonMobil's Climate Change Communications (177-2014), Environment Research Letters, August 2017 Scientists Dive Into the Political Fray, PBS Newshour, April 2017 How to Break the Climate Deadlock, Scientific American, November 2015 What Did Exxon Know?, On The Media, November 2015 The Pope and the Planet, The Open Mind, November 2015 Exxon's Climate Concealment, New York Times, October 2015 Naomi Oreskes, a Lightning Rod in a Changing Climate, New York Times, June 2015 A Chronicler of Warnings Denied, New York Times, October 2014 Merchants of Doubt, Documentary from Sony Pictures Classics, 2014 "Why We Should Trust Scientists," TED Talk, June 2014 The 2014 Vatican Environmental Summit: Can a Pope Help Sustain Humanity and Ecology?, New York Times Interview for Cosmologics Magazine Prof. Oreskes discusses her book, "The Collapse of Western Civilization..." Naomi Oreskes - The Collapse of Western Civilization, Inquiring Minds Podcast "A View From the Climate Change Future," National Public Radio via Boston's WBUR Edited Volumes Oreskes, Naomi, ed., with Homer E. Le Grand, 2001. Plate Tectonics: An Insider's History of the Modern Theory of the Earth (Boulder: Westview Press), paperback edition February 2003. Edited Journal Volumes Oreskes, Naomi and James R. Fleming, eds. 2000. "Perspectives on Geophysics," Special Issue of Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 31B, September 2000.

Ashley Koff, RD is the founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP), the Nutrition Course Director for UC Irvine's Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute's Integrative and Functional Medicine Fellowship, and a faculty member at the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy (IFNA), where she teaches "An Integrative and Functional Nutrition Approach to Obesity and Weight Management." She is also the author of the upcoming book, Your Best Shot (Harper One, January 6, 2026). A practitioner for over 25 years, Koff is leading a transformative movement in personalized nutrition, turning "better, not perfect" choices into practical, sustainable strategies that deliver real health outcomes. Through patient stories and personal experience, she shows that optimal health is not just possible—it's essential to living your fullest life. Koff has been recognized as one of CNN's Top 100 Health Makers, featured in InStyle as "Hollywood's Leading Dietitian," and has been selected as Westin's Global Nutrition Ambassador.

In this episode, we discuss: ●How sleep and diet directly influence each other. ●How specific dietary patterns and specific nutrients can improve sleep, and how processed foods may worsen it. ●Ways you can restore the body through REM support for memory and learning. ●How aging and menopause influence sleep ●How light exposure therapy works and how light at night (LAN) can disrupt sleep cycles ●How common disorders like sleep apnea disrupt sleep cycles and how they can be managed effectively. ●How consistent routines, stress reduction, and a healthy environment improve sleep quality. ●If naps are a good idea….and under which circumstances you can maximize their benefits? ●How adequate sleep quality & quantity supports weight regulation, metabolism, and overall heart health. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D, CCSH, FAHA Professor of Nutritional Medicine Director, Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Irving Medical Center Address: 622 West- 168 th Street, PH9-103H New York, NY 10032 E-mail: ms2554@cumc.columbia.edu Dr. St-Onge is the founding Director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep Circadian Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The overall focus of her research is the study of the impact of lifestyle, specifically sleep and diet, on cardio-metabolic risk factors. Dr. St-Onge has been NIH-funded since 2008, conducting innovative, cutting-edge clinical research combining her expertise on sleep, nutrition, and energy balance regulation to address questions related to the role of circadian rhythms, including sleep duration and timing as well as meal timing and eating patterns, on cardiometabolic risk. She has strong expertise in the conduct of controlled inpatient and outpatient studies of sleep and dietary manipulations. Dr. St-Onge was Center Director for the American Heart Association funded Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Center, aimed at determining the causality of the relation between sleep and cardiovascular disease and the specific role that sleep plays in the health of women throughout the life cycle. She is a pioneer in this field, having chaired the first scientific statements endorsed by the AHA on sleep and cardiometabolic health as well as meal timing and frequency and cardiovascular disease risk prevention. She is the recipient of an NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award and a standing member of the Human Studies of Diabetes and Obesity Study Section at the NIH.

Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. is the former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). After retirement, she was granted scientist emeritus status and still maintains a laboratory. As a board-certified toxicologist, Birnbaum served as a federal scientist for 40 years. Prior to her appointment as NIEHS and NTP Director in 2009, she spent 19 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she directed the largest division focusing on environmental health research. Birnbaum has received many awards and recognitions. In 2016, she was awarded the North Carolina Award in Science. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health. She was also elected to the Collegium Ramazzini, an independent, international academy comprised of internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health and received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Rochester and a Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Illinois. She has also received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Rhode Island, Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and Amity University, India; the Surgeon General's Medallion 2014; and 14 Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards, which reflect the recommendations of EPA's external Science Advisory Board, for specific publications. Dr. Birnbaum recently received the Winslow Award, the highest honor from the Yale School of Public Health and was elected an AAAS Fellow. She has also received numerous awards from professional societies and citizen's groups. Birnbaum is an active member of the scientific community. She was vice president of the International Union of Toxicology, the umbrella organization for toxicology societies in more than 50 countries, and former president of the Society of Toxicology, the largest professional organization of toxicologists in the world. She is the author of more than 1000 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts, and reports. Birnbaum's own research focuses on the pharmacokinetic behavior of environmental chemicals, mechanisms of action of toxicants including endocrine disruption, and linking of real-world exposures to health effects. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, the School of Public Health of Yale University, the Gillings School of Global Public Health, the Curriculum in Toxicology, and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program at Duke University where she is also a Scholar in Residence. A native of New Jersey, Birnbaum received her M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Joel Warsh, MD, MSc aka DrJoelGator https://www.instagram.com/drjoelgator/ of the popular parenting Instagram account is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in Los Angeles, California who specializes in Parenting, Wellness and Integrative Medicine. He is the author of Parenting at Your Child's Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician's Guide to the First Three Years. #parenting #wellness #medical

Jeanne Lenzer is an award-winning independent medical investigative journalist and author whose hard-hitting investigations and analyses have appeared in medical journals, such as The BMJ and the Journal of Family Practice, and in outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, the Atlantic, Washington Monthly, Newsweek Japan, Mother Jones, and Discover. Her first book, The Danger Within Us: America's Untested, Unregulated Medical Device Industry and One Man's Battle to Survive It, explores themes that have been at the heart of Lenzer's work over the past three decades: the intersection of money and medicine and how profiteering distorts medical science and undermines the public health, often by gaming or misrepresenting research to obtain a desired outcome. The book served as a basis for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' award-winning Implant Files project on medical devices and for the Netflix show, Bleeding Edge . It was used by John Oliver for his segment on medical devices as well as by the television show, The Resident for segments on the vagus nerve stimulator. It was favorably reviewed by Jerome Groopman in The New Yorker. Her investigations have revealed hidden financial ties between industry and public institutions, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. In each instance, she documented flawed scientific recommendations that serve to protect profits over public health. Examples include the CDC's recommendation for oseltamivir (Roche, Tamiflu), a campaign that was paid for by Roche; and the FDA's approval of drugs over the (sometimes unanimous) recommendations of their own scientists - after being contacted by politicians beholden to manufacturers. http://www.jeannelenzer.com/

… it's back to school and work time! Lots of people buying personal care products and cosmetics…listen to my podcast guest @dryvonneburkart (link in bio) and learn: Why we need to care about the cosmetics/personal care/cleaning products that we use The known health effects of many toxic chemicals used in everyday products…ex. fertility, weight gain, hormone disruption and immune health How certain populations/demographics are more vulnerable to the health effects from toxic chemicals How many toxic chemicals contribute to weight gain Why teens are experiencing puberty years earlier than the generations before us How to understand product labels ….and so much more! Dr. Yvonne Burkart is a PhD Toxicologist, Mom of two, and Consultant. She is a 23-year veteran of Toxicology with expertise in reproductive toxicity, particularly endocrine disruption, infertility, cancer, and glutathione homeostasis. She has also served as a Senior Toxicologist in the flavor and fragrance chemical industry where she helped to ensure the safety of flavor ingredients. After experiencing the power of a low tox lifestyle, Dr. Yvonne began a mission to help consumers slash their toxic exposure with confidence and ease. She is extremely passionate about helping parents protect their children from toxic exposure. Dr. Yvonne lives in California with her husband and two children. LINKS My website https://dryvonneburkart.com/ YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@dryvonneburkart/videos Hormone Disrupting Ingredient Cheatsheet and Training https://info.safeingredientacademy.com/3738-9693

Ken Cook, president and co-founder of Environmental Working Group, is widely recognized as one of the environmental community's most prominent and effective critics of establishment agriculture and U.S. farm policy. On November 2, food policy authority Michael Pollan named Cook one of "the world's 7 most powerful foodies", along with First Lady Michelle Obama, nutritionist Marion Nestle and The New York Times' columnist Mark Bittman. On November 19, The Times' Bittman listed EWG among 25 people and organizations for whom he was thankful as Thanksgiving approached. In its 2011 roster of Washington's top lobbyists, The Hill, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, said Cook "is at the forefront of challenges to corn ethanol and subsidies for Big Agriculture, upcoming hot-button issues as Congress tackles energy matters and starts work on a new farm bill." Cook was voted the "Ultimate Green Game Changer" in 2009 by the readers of The Huffington Post. As Arianna Huffington put it, "The EWG is an environmental superhero with a full set of digital tools in its arsenal." Cook is a principal architect of the landmark conservation provisions of the 1985 farm bill, which for the first time attempted to shift U.S. farm policy from a narrow focus on maximum crop production to conservation of land, water, wetlands and wildlife. The legislation was the most important environmental farm policy reform of recent years, affecting more than 400 million acres of privately owned - and publicly subsidized - farmland. EWG's online database listing every farm subsidy recipient in the nation and the amount of money each receives has generated thousands of stories about America's broken farm policy. A New York Times profile of Cook said the website helped "transform the [2002] farm bill into a question about equity and whether the country's wealthiest farmers should be paid to grow commodity crops while many smaller family farms receive nothing and are going out of business." Cook and EWG played a similarly prominent role during the crafting of the 2008 farm bill. In the 1990s, EWG's research on pesticides was a major factor in the passage of the landmark pesticide reform law, the Food Quality Protection Act. EWG was among the first organizations to draw attention to the health threat posed by the weed-killer atrazine, conducting the first extensive tests for the chemical in tap water in 29 Midwestern cities. Cook has addressed food and agriculture policy in numerous interviews, including 60 Minutes, the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX Business News, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, The Los Angeles Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. Cook testifies regularly before House and Senate committees, has briefed top Congressional staff and has met with senior Obama administration officials, including Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and Environmental Protection Administration chief Lisa Jackson. Cook earned a B.A. in history, B.S. in agriculture and M.S. in soil science from the University of Missouri Columbia. He is a board member of The Organic Center and the Amazon Conservation Team. He is married to Deb Callahan and lives in northern California with their young son, Callahan. Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/ Skin Deep Database: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ Tap Water Database: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ State of American drinking water: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/state-of-american-drinking-water.php The 2024 Dirty Dozen: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php Ken Cook's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kencookspodcast/and HEADQUARTERS 1436 U St. NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20009 ❘ P: 202.667.6982 F: 202.232.2592 CALIFORNIA OFFICE 2201 Broadway, Suite 308 Oakland, CA 94612 ❘ P: 510.444.0973 F: 510.444.0982 MIDWEST OFFICE 103 E. 6th Street, Suite 201 Ames, IA 50010 ❘ P: 515.598.2221

Dr. Goodson grew up in Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri Columbia and Harvard Medical School. He trained as a general surgeon and specialized in breast surgery before it was a recognized field. He was a member of the research group that established breast conservation, i.e., lumpectomy, as the preferred treatment for early breast cancer. Recognizing that he was treating more young women with breast cancer, he joined with Dr. Shanaz Dairkee in 2005 to investigate how common environmental chemicals such as BPA, methylparaben, PFOA, etc. disrupt the normal biology of non-cancerous, human breasts. He has been a professor at the University of California San Francisco and a Senior Scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, and a spokesperson for The Halifax Project. In addition to research, he enjoys photography, writing, and creating hand-drawn animation as on his website, www.drwilliamgoodson.com A Ternary Mixture of Common Chemicals Perturbs Benign Human Breast Epithelial Cells More Than the Same Chemicals Do Individually. Dairkee SH, Luciani-Torres G, Moore DH, Jaffee IM, Goodson WH 3rd. Toxicol Sci. 2018 Sep 1;165(1):131-144. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfy126. PMID: 29846718 Free PMC article. Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead. Goodson WH 3rd, Lowe L, Carpenter DO, Gilbertson M, Manaf Ali A, Lopez de Cerain Salsamendi A, Lasfar A, Carnero A, Azqueta A, Amedei A, Charles AK, Collins AR, Ward A, Salzberg AC, Colacci A, Olsen AK, Berg A, Barclay BJ, Zhou BP, Blanco-Aparicio C... See abstract for full author list ➔ Carcinogenesis. 2015 Jun;36 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S254-96. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgv039. PMID: 26106142 Free PMC article. Consensus on the key characteristics of endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a basis for hazard identification. La Merrill MA, Vandenberg LN, Smith MT, Goodson W, Browne P, Patisaul HB, Guyton KZ, Kortenkamp A, Cogliano VJ, Woodruff TJ, Rieswijk L, Sone H, Korach KS, Gore AC, Zeise L, Zoeller RT. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2020 Jan;16(1):45-57. doi: 10.1038/s41574-019-0273-8. Epub 2019 Nov 12. PMID: 31719706 Free PMC article. Exposure to the polyester PET precursor--terephthalic acid induces and perpetuates DNA damage-harboring non-malignant human breast cells. Luciani-Torres MG, Moore DH, Goodson WH 3rd, Dairkee SH. Carcinogenesis. 2015 Jan;36(1):168-76. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgu234. Epub 2014 Nov 19. PMID: 25411358 Free PMC article. The Key Characteristics of Carcinogens: Relationship to the Hallmarks of Cancer, Relevant Biomarkers, and Assays to Measure Them. Smith MT, Guyton KZ, Kleinstreuer N, Borrel A, Cardenas A, Chiu WA, Felsher DW, Gibbons CF, Goodson WH 3rd, Houck KA, Kane AB, La Merrill MA, Lebrec H, Lowe L, McHale CM, Minocherhomji S, Rieswijk L, Sandy MS, Sone H, Wang A, Zhang L, Zeise L, Fielden M. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020 Oct;29(10):1887-1903. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-19-1346. Epub 2020 Mar 9. PMID: 32152214 Free PMC article. Testing the low dose mixtures hypothesis from the Halifax project. Goodson WH, Lowe L, Gilbertson M, Carpenter DO. Rev Environ Health. 2020 Aug 24;35(4):333-357. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2020-0033. Print 2020 Nov 18. PMID: 32833669 Review. Using the Key Characteristics of Carcinogens to Develop Research on Chemical Mixtures and Cancer. Rider CV, McHale CM, Webster TF, Lowe L, Goodson WH 3rd, La Merrill MA, Rice G, Zeise L, Zhang L, Smith MT. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 Mar;129(3):35003. doi: 10.1289/EHP8525. Epub 2021 Mar 30. PMID: 33784186 Free PMC article. Bisphenol-A-induced inactivation of the p53 axis underlying deregulation of proliferation kinetics, and cell death in non-malignant human breast epithelial cells. Dairkee SH, Luciani-Torres MG, Moore DH, Goodson WH 3rd. Carcinogenesis. 2013 Mar;34(3):703-12. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgs379. Epub 2012 Dec 7. PMID: 23222814 Free PMC article. Activation of the mTOR pathway by low levels of xenoestrogens in breast epithelial cells from high-risk women. Goodson WH 3rd, Luciani MG, Sayeed SA, Jaffee IM, Moore DH 2nd, Dairkee SH. Carcinogenesis. 2011 Nov;32(11):1724-33. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgr196. Epub 2011 Sep 1. PMID: 21890461 Free PMC article.

Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Smart Human Podcast. Today, I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Rachel Massey, who is Senior Science and Policy Advisor at the Collaborative for Health and Environment and a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts. Today, we are talking about a very important topic to me, artificial sports turf. We talk about materials, health effects, alternatives, and ways to stay safe. So stay tuned. Rachel Massey is Senior Science and Policy Advisory at the Collaborative for Health and Environment, and a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has over two decades of experience working at the intersection of public interest science and policy making in state, national and international arenas. Until recently she served as Senior Associate Director at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where her projects included state, federal and international chemicals policy initiatives, analyzing toxics use reduction opportunities for businesses and communities, and working in partnership with small businesses and grassroots organizations addressing toxics at the community level. In 2022 she received the Ken Zarker Memorial Pollution Prevention Champion Award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. She has authored numerous reports and articles on chemicals policy and safer alternatives, including reports for European government agencies and the United Nations on chemicals and development, chemicals in consumer products, and other topics. Rachel received a Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University, a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a Doctor of Science in Work Environment from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Here are some suggested links/resources: Blog posts through the Collaborative for Health and Environment: https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/playing-on-plastic-artificial-turf-hazards-and-safer-alternatives https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/6ppd-in-tires-a-concern-for-playgrounds-artificial-turf-and-more https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/playground-surfacing-fall-protection-and-fun-without-toxic-chemicals Resources from the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell: https://www.uml.edu/research/lowell-center/athletic-playing-fields/ One-page overview of artificial turf concerns: https://www.turi.org/content/download/13559/206802/file/ArtificialTurfConcerns_flyer_April2021.pdf Extended fact sheet on athletic fields (2020): https://www.turi.org/content/download/13271/203906/file/Factsheet.Artificial_Turf.September2020.pdf.pdf Report on athletic fields (2018-2019): https://www.turi.org/content/download/11980/188623/file/TURI+Report+2018-002+June+2019.+Athletic+Playing+Fields.pdf PFAS in artificial turf carpet: https://www.turi.org/content/download/12963/201149/file/TURI+fact+sheet+-+PFAS+in+artificial+turf.pdf Natural grass field case studies: turi.org/organicgrasscasestudies Short videos on natural grass fields in MA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmjv1qteLho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nws-ZpeaQJc Resources from Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai: https://mountsinaiexposomics.org/artificial-turf/ https://icahn.mssm.edu/files/ISMMS/Assets/Departments/Environmental%20Medicine%20and%20Public%20Health/CEHC/CEHC%20Artificial%20Turf%20Consumer%20Guide%205.2017.pdf https://icahn.mssm.edu/files/ISMMS/Assets/Departments/Environmental%20Medicine%20and%20Public%20Health/CEHC/CEHC%20Artificial%20Turf%20Position%20Statement%205.2017.pdf Healthy Playing Surfaces website, housed at Mt. Sinai: https://www.healthyplayingsurfaces.org/ Other: CHE webinar: https://www.healthandenvironment.org/webinars/96595 Webinar Q&A: https://www.healthandenvironment.org/assets/images/webinarimages/Artificial%20Turf%20Q&A_FINAL.pdf Healthy Building Network: https://healthybuilding.net/products/11-turf Webinar by CCE and PEER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCi6-8JI8zE Non Toxic Communities: https://www.nontoxiccommunities.com/

Barry H Cohen, M.D., F.A.C.P. Dr. Cohen is one of the founders and medical directors of Mercer Kidney Institute, in New Jersey, specializing in the treatment of kidney disease and hypertension for over 51 years. He is board certified in Nephrology and is a Fellow of American College of Physicians. He was Director of Dialysis Services at Capital Health Regional Center and St. Francis hospital and Chairman of the Nephrology section at Capital Health System in New Jersey for over 45 years. He has been past president of the Capital Health medical staff and is currently the Medical Director at FMC Princeton Dialysis Unit. Dr. Cohen was instrumental in bringing dialysis to New Jersey over 50 years ago, when he started the first chronic outpatient dialysis program in Trenton in 1977, soon after its introduction into mainstream medical care. He has trained hundreds of young physicians as a founder and chairperson of continuing medical education for over 40 years has held countless conferences for continuing medical education (CME), and remains ones of the most highly respected clinicians in the east coast for his profound knowledge of medicine, his humility, warmth, gentle demeaner.

Rob is a partner in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices of the law firm, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he has practiced in the Environmental and Litigation Practice Groups for over 31 years. During that time, Rob has handled and led some of the most novel and complex cases in the country involving damage from exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS"), including the first individual, class action, mass tort, and multi-district litigation proceedings involving PFAS, recovering over $1 billion for clients impacted by the chemicals. In 2017, Rob received the Right Livelihood Award, known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize," for his decades of work on behalf of those injured by PFAS chemical contamination. Rob is the author of the book, "Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont," and his story is the inspiration for the 2019 motion picture, "Dark Waters," starring Mark Ruffalo as Rob. Rob's story and work is also featured in the documentary, "The Devil We Know." Rob is a 1987 graduate of New College in Sarasota, Florida, and a 1990 graduate of the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Rob also serves on the Boards of Less Cancer and Green Umbrella and is frequently invited to provide keynote lectures and talks at law schools, universities, colleges, communities and other organizations all over the world. Rob is a fellow in the Right Livelihood College, a Lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and an Honorary Professor at the National University of Cordoba in Argentina. Rob also has received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from both Ohio State University and New College. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-explained https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/01/pfas-forever-chemicals-rob-bilott-lawyer-interview https://time.com/5737451/dark-waters-true-story-rob-bilott/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html https://www.taftlaw.com/people/robert-a-bilott