PFAS-free Firefighting Foam - Webinar June 23: What GreenScreen Certified means for firefighters
{file:2327:url}Join us on June 23rd at 3:00PM EDT (7:00PM GMT) for presentations by and a discussion with Arlene Nuñez, Holly Davies, and Shari Franjevic on the value of PFAS-free firefighting foam and GreenScreen Certified.
- Arlene Nuñez is an active firefighter with the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) and serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation (SFFCPF).
- Holly Davies is a Senior Toxicologist with the Washington State Department of Health.
- Shari Franjevic is the GreenScreen Program Manager with Clean Production Action.
For decades, chemical manufacturers have manufactured PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), and firefighters have unknowingly been exposed to them during use in petroleum-based fires, training, and testing of equipment. PFAS use in firefighting foam has contaminated drinking water for millions of people across the planet. Today nearly every US resident and place in the world is contaminated with PFAS chemicals. Upstream users like firefighters, experience increased rates of cancer diagnosis and death.
We look forward to continuing to implement solutions that transform the toxic chemicals economy into one that is safe, healthy, and just for all people and the planet. Register for the webinar!
Speaker Bios
Holly Davies | Senior Toxicologist, Washington State Department of Health
Holly Davies is a senior toxicologist at the Washington State Department of Health. She previously worked for King Co and the Dept. of Ecology. Washington State is a leader in innovative strategies for preventing exposure to toxic chemicals, including chemicals of emerging concern. Her work focuses on assessing chemical hazards and risks and identifying safer alternatives for businesses and residential uses of hazardous chemicals. She also has expertise in chemical policy, scientific research, and teaching. She is a member of EPA’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Chemicals, which provides advice under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Holly has a B.S. in Biology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Washington.
Shari Franjevic | GreenScreen Program Manager
For the last ten years Shari Franjevic served as the owner and principal consultant for Transform to Green LLC, advancing the selection and use of inherently safer ingredients in the design of materials, products, and processes. Her primary client for the most recent six years was Clean Production Action, in support of the GreenScreen® Program. Franjevic supported continual improvement of the method by facilitating the Technical Advisory Committee, developing the GreenScreen List Translator™, and managing a public peer review and revision process supporting the release of GreenScreen® version 1.2 (2011). She has a unique understanding of the industry clients she serves from her experience working for Procter & Gamble for the first five years of her career, where she designed consumer products, specified raw materials, and served as the global material owner for the manufacture of chemicals used in cleaning products. Franjevic holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.
Arlene Nuñez | Firefighter & Board member of the San Francisco Firefighter Cancer Prevention Foundation
I am Arlene Nuñez. I am currently a firefighter on Engine 40 and on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Firefighter Cancer Prevention Foundation since July 2019. I joined SFFD on April 24, 2017. I was a probationary firefighter on T6 and E23, and I spent 1.5 years at Station 13 as a vacation relief firefighter. That is where Matt Alba, my high school classmate (Go Wildcats!), was a detailed boss for the day. Matt and I were catching up on old high school memories and friends when my previous career caught his interest.Prior to becoming a firefighter, I was a research scientist for about 20 years. My field of expertise and my Master’s degree is in Molecular Microbiology. I can detect human, animal and plant pathogens from their DNA/RNA, and I am also able to culture the pathogens to show they are alive and infectious. I have worked at UCSF on HIV/AIDS research, the CDC on Bio Warfare detection and WMD surveillance, and multiple local Biotechnology Companies in their R&D Divisions as a Sr. Scientist. I worked closely with the FBI, EPA Special Agents and the Military while working for the CDC and Biotechs to design and develop robust and reliable detection systems/devices for deadly human pathogens/diseases. I hold many Intellectual Property filings and a US patent in Salmonella enteritidis detection on surfaces.
The question I get asked frequently is “What made me want to become a firefighter if I already had a career?” The answer is simple: The two professions are very similar from my perspective. They are both exciting and dangerous jobs. One is just a lot more physical than the other. Both molecular microbiology and firefighting are also heavily science based, where it seems as though I cannot get away from science.
As much as I thought that I hung up my research scientist hat for good, Matt Alba presented my background knowledge to the SFFCPF Board and presented to me what the Foundation does. The SFFCPF was starting to participate in more cancer research studies. I was highly impressed with everyone and their roles on the Board of Directors. My first introduction to SFFCPF was participating in the Bladder Cancer screening for the entire fire department. I was able to negotiate with a Biotech company to sponsor a noninvasive confirmatory test for bladder cancer. I’m hoping to do the same for colon cancer, breast cancer and other early cancer screening tests. My role in the Foundation has morphed into the technical expert in navigating through new research information/studies and talking to universities and Biotechs on new and improved cancer detection tests.
Besides helping in the SFFCPF, I was able to help SFFD and many other fire departments and local agencies, including BART and High-Rise buildings, in the US and Canada to navigate through their COVID-19 pandemic response. My close ties with the CDC and FDA have given me a broad understanding of the misinformation being spread and the crucial data that is not being relayed accurately to the general public. I also spearheaded and helped execute the collaboration between SFFD and UCSF to test all active members of SFFD for COVID-19 antibodies. It’s helpful to understand research study needs and fire department operations to successfully plan a big study like this. As much as I love firefighting, I can only imagine how exciting research labs are right now. To add to all the excitement I’ve had in the last 3.5 years in SFFD, I decided to join the US Army Medical Reserves where I will be a Scientist working in US Army Research facilities.
Remarkably, aside from working and volunteering my time in fire, I do have spare time that I spend with my husband and two kids (ages 10 and 8) playing sports, swimming, card games, baking, etc. I am also a CSTI Hazmat instructor where I love sharing how exciting science can be. I was just recently informed that I am currently the only uniformed personnel in Northern California who is CSTI qualified as a HazMat 1A Technician Instructor. My kids help me decide which experiments to perform for my classes as I teach them about both chemistry and firefighting. I hope my struggles, accomplishments, and passions help teach my kids to always find what makes them happy. I can literally say that I have the best jobs in the world: wife, mom, scientist and firefighter!