PFAS
SYMPOSIUM
September 19 | 12:00 - 2:00 PM | Virtual
September 20 | 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM | In Person
Red Rose Convention Centre
1233 Derry Road East, Mississauga, ON
EVENT OVERVIEW
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and what to do about them is a major and escalating issue for the environment industry. To help members understand the PFAS landscape, ONEIA is holding a PFAS-focused symposium looking at the current state of PFAS regulation and exploring practical approaches to understanding and mitigating PFAS risks.
The event kicks off on September 19 with a virtual Government Regulatory Panel discussion on the current state of PFAS regulation in Canada, the United States, and other jurisdictions.
The in-person symposium on September 20 will bring together environment industry leaders and PFAS experts to share case studies, research, and technical advances related to PFAS and PFAS remediation. Sessions will address legal implications for PFAS, due diligence including when and how do we look for PFAS? interpreting PFAS data – what does it mean, and PFAS remediation. The event will include an update on ONEIA PFAS advocacy and will conclude with a panel discussion on where PFAS regulation and mitigation seems to be headed.
Who Should Attend?
- Environmental engineers
- Consultants
- Waste management professionals
- Toxicologists
- Risk Assessors
- Contractors
- Developers
- Environmental planners
- Regulators
- Lawyers
- Laboratory technicians
- Water and wastewater professionals
- Chemists
- Municipalities
Reasons to Attend
- Receive up-to-date information on PFAS regulation in Canada and around the world
- Learn about the legal implications of PFAS testing
- Find out how and when to test for PFAS
- Hear the latest approaches to PFAS remediation and data interpretation
- Discover innovative technologies being used to study and treat PFAS
- Listen to PFAS experts and industry leaders discuss approaches to PFAS management
- Certificate of attendance available
PRESENTING SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSORS
Contact us to learn more about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities at info@oneia.ca
EVENT SUPPORTERS
EXHIBITORS
PROGRAM
Government Regulatory Update
The Current State of PFAS Regulation
Tuesday, September 19 | 12:00 – 2:00 pm EST
Virtual on Zoom
12:00 - 2:00
Regulatory Panel Discussion on PFAS
- Don Gutzman | Manager, Ecological Assessment Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Virginie Bergeron | Manager, Health Canada
- Maya Berci | Executive Director, Chemicals Management Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Stephanie McFadyen | Manager, Water Quality Division, Health Canada
- Matthew Klasen | PFAS Council Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency
- Bojana Nanic | PFAS Lead - Chemicals Programme, Environment Agency (UK)
- Jen Martin | Deputy Chief Environmental Scientist - Environmental Science, Environment Protection Authority Victoria (Australia)
- Antti Mikkonen | Principal Health Risk Advisor - Chemicals,
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (Australia)
Scientific Symposium
Practical Approaches to Understanding and Mitigating PFAS Risks
Wednesday, September 20 | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
8:30 - 9:00
Registration, networking, and continental breakfast
9:00 - 9:30
Keynote Address
Legal implications for PFAS - To sample or not to sample?
- Janet Bobechko | Partner, Certified Specialist in Environmental Law, WeirFoulds LLP
9:30 - 10:45
Session 1
Due Diligence - when and how do we look for PFAS?
Identifying PFAS Handlers in Environmental Due Diligence Records Searches
- Melanie Veltman | Director of Research and Data, ERIS
Pushing the Boundaries on Quantitative PFAS Analysis – Interpreting Data
- Katrina Zwambag | Laboratory Manager, ALS Global
Building your PFAS Conceptual Site Model – Tools, Approaches and Considerations
- Matt Vanderkooy | Principal Contaminant Hydrogeologist, Geosyntec
10:45 - 11:00
Networking Break - Exhibitor Area Open
11:00 - 11:10
ONEIA PFAS Committee Report
11:10 - 12:30
Session 2
PFAS Data - what does it mean?
Using Groundwater Plume Analytics® Tools to study PFAS plumes’ behavior, support risk based remedial approaches and act as a beacon for climate change assessment
- Joe A. Ricker | Senior Technical Principal, WSP
A New Science Risk Assessment to Support a Record of Site Condition at a PFAS-Impacted Site – Discussion of the Approach, Challenges and Uncertainties Encountered
- Steve Russell | Manager, Toxicology and Risk Assessment, MTE
Whose PFAS and How Much? Totals, Fingerprinting and Forensics for Source Attribution and Characterization
- Ivana Vukovic | Product Manager - Specialty Laboratories, SGS
Lunch
12:30 - 1:30
Session 3
Remediation and Waste Management - what do we do about it?
1:30 - 3:10
Evolution of Physical-Chemical PFAS Soil Treatment
- Colin Morrell | Chief Technology Officer, TUQ4
Innovative In-situ Remediation Approach to Treat PFAS-Impacted Groundwater
- Matt Pourabadehei | Senior Environmental Engineer, SNC Lavalin
Current In-Situ Remediation Approaches for Treating PFAS
- Bruce Tunnicliffe | President, Vertex Environmental
Effective Removal or Transfer of PFAS in Biosolids Using High-Temperature Pyrolysis (HTP): A Thermochemical Approach
- Shokooh Karami | Environmental Engineer, Altech Environmental
3:10 - 3:30
Networking Break
3:30 - 5:00
Concluding Panel
Where are we going from here?
Moderated by Terry Obal, Chief Science Officer, Metiri Group
- David Hyndman | Chief Science Officer, FireRein
- Egemen Aydin | Senior Scientific Advisor, AGAT
- Sumon Chatterjee | Environmental Engineer, Arcadis
- Ryan Thomas | Emerging Contaminants Principal, Parsons
- Mary Ellen Starodub | National Lead, Risk Assessment, AECOM
- Jessica Boily | Partner, Gowling WLG
SPEAKERS
Regulatory Panel
Maya Berci
Executive Director, Chemicals Management Division
ECCC
Maya began her public service career in 1998 at Health Canada conducting human exposure assessments of existing substances. She then spent 17 years at ECCC in risk assessment and management of new and existing substances. She now helps the Chemicals Management Plan risk management activities.
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Virginie Bergeron
Manager
Health Canada
Virginie is a manager working for Health Canada in the field of chemical risk assessment. She is currently working on the State of PFAS Report, a draft of which was recently published for a 60-day public consultation.
Stéphanie McFadyen
Manager, Water Quality Division
Water and Air Quality Bureau
Health Canada
Stéphanie has been working on water quality and human health issues for more than 25 years. Her focus is on understanding and dealing with the health risks from substances in drinking and recreational water.
Don Gutzman
Manager, Ecological Assessment Division
ECCC
Don has over 25 years of experience in the field of ecological risk assessment. He is the responsible manager for the ecological assessment aspects of the draft State of PFAS report that was released in May 2023.
Bojana Nanic
PFAS Lead -
Chemicals Programme
Environment Agency (UK)
Matthew Klasen
PFAS Council Manager
US EPA
Matthew joined the EPA's PFAS Council after serving for five years in the EPA’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations as the Congressional lead for EPA’s drinking water, water finance, and PFAS activities. In his federal career, Matt has worked on diverse issues including environmental indicators and energy and climate measures.
Antti Mikkonen
Principal Health Risk Advisor for Chemicals
EPA Victoria, Australia
Antti is an experienced environmental scientist and risk assessor with over 15 years' experience in environmental consulting, research, and regulation. His research is focused on the integration of models to improve on our understanding of pollutant exposures.
Jen Martin
Deputy Chief Environmental Scientist, Environmental Science
EPA Victoria, Australia
Bojana oversees the PFAS Work Programme, coordinating multiple workstream areas and delivering strategic decisions on PFAS work priorities. The focus of the PFAS Programme is on mapping the legacy PFAS pollution, gathering environmental monitoring data and identifying evidence gaps.
Jen leads a diverse team of scientists providing regulatory advice and research services to EPA Victoria, including provision of technical support for Australia PFAS National Environment Management Plan.
Scientific Symposium
Janet Bobechko
Partner
WeirFoulds LLP
Janet is a Certified Specialist in Environmental Law. She is a nationally recognized senior practitioner with over 30 years of experience in all aspects of environmental and natural resources law.
Steve Russell
Manager, Toxicology and
Risk Assessment
MTE Consultants
Steve has 16 years of professional experience as a Senior Risk Assessment Specialist and Toxicologist at MTE. He oversees risk assessments, helps coordinate and design vapour intrusion investigations, and manages risk assessment and toxicology work.
Melanie Veltman
Director of Research and Data
ERIS
Melanie's initiatives to develop data policies and streamline data processes have empowered ERIS’ team of data specialists to research, analyze, collect, and load tens of millions of environmental risk records for the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Joe A. Ricker
Senior Technical Principal
WSP
Joe has more than 29 years of experience and is a subject matter expert in groundwater data analytics. He is the author of the Ricker Method® Plume Stability Analysis and is lead author for three U.S. patents related to groundwater plume analytics.
Katrina Zwambag
Laboratory Manager
ALS Global
Katrina's role involves extensive work in the research and method development of PFAS compounds. Katrina’s responsibilities are focused on coordination of the LCMS department, method validations, quality control and maintenance of instrumentation.
Ivana Vukovic
Product Manager -
Specialty Laboratories
SGS
Ivana has over 18 years of experience in the environmental industry. Her contributions center around impacting positive environmental change through PFAS identification and research. Her expertise encompasses additional emerging contaminants on a global scale in groundwater, soil, emissions and more.
Matt Vanderkooy
Principal Contaminant Hydrogeologist
Geosyntec
Matt is an expert in PFAS CSM building, fate and transport, and remediation. Matt leads characterization programs of PFAS in surface water, sediment, groundwater, air, stormwater and soils.
Colin Morrell
Chief Technology Officer
TUQ4
Colin has over 20 years of experience with ex-situ and in-situ soil recycling/treatment and specialty water treatment systems. He has developed methodologies to enhance the performance of soil washing technologies which have been used to treat PFAS-contaminated soil.
Matt Pourabadehei
Senior Environmental Engineer
SNC Lavalin
Matt's areas of expertise are in phased environmental site assessments and remediation of impacted soil and groundwater. He is a PFAS technical expert and has worked on site assessment and remediation projects for PFAS impacted sites.
Bruce Tunnicliffe
President
Vertex Environmental
Bruce has over 20 years of experience designing and implementing remediation programs for chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons and emerging contaminants such as PFAS/PFOA.
Shokooh Karami
Environmental Engineer
Altech Environmental
Shokooh completed her Master's at the Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources at Western University. She currently works on the R&D team focusing on biocarbon research and development at CharTech Solutions.
Ryan Thomas
Emerging Contaminants Principal
Parsons
Ryan has provided technical solutions for clients, published technical peerreviewed articles, and delivered presentations at national conferences. At Parsons, he supports client solutions and technology development related to emerging contaminants such as PFAS.
Terry Obal
Chief Science Officer
Metiri Group
Terry has over 35 years of experience in analytical chemistry, laboratory management and environmental chemical consulting. He has led the development and commercialization of robust, reliable, and defensible methods for the determination of PFAS in a diverse range of environmental matrices.
Egemen Aydin
Senior Scientific Advisor
AGAT
Egeman is an established expert on method development for quantitative and non-targeted analysis of environmental contaminants. He has extensive R&D experience in environmental analytical chemistry.
Sumon Chatterjee
Environmental Engineer
Arcadis
Sumon has over nine years of experience in environmental consulting services in environmental investigation, soil and groundwater remediation, and emerging contaminants. He provides technical and project management expertise to the investigation and remediation of PFAS.
David Hyndman
Chief Science Officer
FireRein
David has over 30 years of technology development and research management experience. He is currently leading FireRein’s technology development and production efforts of products that will replace PFAS-containing fire foams.
Mary Ellen Starodub
Project Director
AECOM
Mary Ellen Starodub is a risk assessor, toxicologist and microbiologist with more than 25 years of work experience. She has led human health and ecological risk assessments, and projects on water, soil and air quality, priority pollutants, and emerging contaminants of concern.
