Endocrine Disruption and Unconventional Oil and Gas Production: A Teleconference Series

TEDX is pleased to announce a spring teleconference series on how chemicals associated with unconventional oil and gas development (known as fracking) may be affecting endocrine function, reproduction and prenatal development. Learn directly from scientists presenting their recent research on this emerging issue. Sign up below to hear our first presentation:

Unconventional oil and gas extraction and endocrine disruptors: Implications for human and animal health

Join us Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:00 pm Eastern, to hear Dr. Chris Kassotis discuss his recently published research demonstrating increased endocrine disrupting activity in surface and ground water near fracking wastewater spill sites, as well as nuclear receptor antagonism for 23 commonly used fracking chemicals. His studies have shown prenatal exposure to a mixture of those chemicals at likely environmentally relevant concentrations resulted in adverse health effects in both male and female mice, including decreased sperm counts, modulated hormone levels, increased body weights, and more. Dr. Kassotis will also discuss his recent work showing increased receptor antagonism downstream from a wastewater injection disposal site. See the call's webpage for more information.

Register now for the teleconference call!

Dr. Kassotis is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. He completed his PhD at the University of Missouri working with Susan Nagel to assess unconventional oil and gas operations as a novel source of endocrine disrupting chemicals in water, and the potential for adverse human and animal health outcomes from exposure. He is now working in Heather Stapleton's lab at Duke University to assess the adipogenic activity of complex chemical mixtures present in indoor house dust as well as to develop new assays to isolate and characterize novel endocrine disruptors in complex mixtures.

Stayed tuned for upcoming calls in May and June:

Thursday May 5, 2016, 2:00 pm Eastern - Dr. Shaina Stacy will discuss "Perinatal outcomes and unconventional natural gas development in Southwest Pennsylvania"

Thursday June 2, 2016, 2:00 pm Eastern - Dr. Nicole Deziel will discuss "A systematic evaluation of chemicals in hydraulic-fracturing fluids and wastewater for reproductive and developmental toxicity"