Presenting at ACS Fall Conference

Our Executive Director, Dr. Charlie Rolsky, will be presenting our research at the prestigious ACS conference.

Laundry and dish detergent pods are incredibly popular, but they introduce a “water-soluble” plastic called Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) into our wastewater. While often considered biodegradable, new research reveals that PVA often survives conventional wastewater treatment processes. Our study specifically investigated PVA’s presence in biosolids, the treated wastewater byproduct commonly used as agricultural fertilizer.

Using advanced analytical techniques, we’ve confirmed that PVA persists through waste management and contaminates these biosolids, establishing them as a direct source of environmental PVA pollution. This research challenges existing assumptions about PVA’s fate and raises significant concerns about its potential impact on soil, plant, and environmental health.

Join us at the upcoming ACS conference to learn more about these critical findings and discuss the implications of persistent PVA in our environment. This research adds a vital piece to the growing puzzle of plastic pollution and calls for a re-evaluation of current practices.