Andrew Thalheimer and Indra Kalinovich presented “PFAS: Beyond the Fundamentals” as part of Environmental Services Association of Alberta 2017 Business Professional Development program. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of compounds resistant to heat, water and oil that have been used in hundreds of industrial applications and consumer products including fire-fighting foam. The course is intended to provide industry, government and other environmental professionals with the basic tools and knowledge to move forward with site management decisions.
Andrew also presented at the 11th Annual Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Chief's and Leadership School Workshop, February 14, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of the industry dissemination component of our Airport Cooperative Research Program project, he presented the research findings to shift commanders, airport operations managers, deputy chiefs and fire chiefs. The study was based on a survey of 167 North American civilian airports. The potential human health and environmental impacts of the active ingredient of Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) - PFASs - were reviewed to provide an understanding for those responsible for AFFF (and firefighting and firefighting training) at airports. The presentation summarizes current industry practices and present best management practices for AFFF procurement, storage, application and disposal.
Andrew is an environmental engineer with over 28 years of experience in contaminated site assessment and remediation. As Dillon’s national remediation and risk control service area lead and leader of Dillon’s emerging contaminant program, he has been advancing the state of the practice in PFAS assessment and risk management. He is currently servicing as a principal investigator for the National Academy of Sciences on the use and potential impacts of AFFF containing PFASs at airports and has been actively raising the awareness of the state of PFASs science within the airport and regulatory communities, as well as the environmental industry.
Indra is a hydrogechemist and environmental engineer specializing in environmental site assessments, site remediation and environmental fate and transport modelling. She has specialized training in hydrogeology and guest-lectures in contaminant hydrology. She remains active in environmental engineering research, authoring and reviewing articles for academic journals on contaminant hydrology, remediation and water resource management. In addition to her role at Dillon, Indra is an adjunct professor with the civil engineering department at the University of Manitoba.