CCEE professor Dr. Detlef Knappe was featured on a CBS program focused on the negative effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds, which have been linked to several health issues such as cancer, liver damage and thyroid disease.

Knappe, a S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor whose research focuses on source water protection by identifying contaminants through targeted and non-targeted analyses and on the development of treatment approaches for the removal of unregulated contaminants, led the CCEE research team that discovered and traced GenX, a man-made chemical compound, and other PFAS in the Cape Fear River basin in eastern North Carolina.

Knappe is now researching how much PFAS is present in the food grown in the area, as highlighted by CBS.

“We have analyzed some of the produce from backyard gardens in that area that suggests the levels can be quite high,” he said in the interview.

Watch the full video here.