For the second time this year, the State University of New York at Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth is bringing its conversations about the intersection of environmental and human health to audiences across the country through a national broadcast special distributed by American Public Media (APM).
“The Collaborative for the Earth exists to engage the public in understanding science that affects all of us,” said Reuben Kline, interim associate provost for climate and sustainability programming and interim director of the Collaborative for the Earth. “That way we can find innovative solutions to existential risks threatening Earth’s planetary and human health — starting with the significance of research right here at Stony Brook.”
The production examines widespread contamination of PFAS — the “forever chemicals” used in everything from firefighting foam to nonstick pans — found in America’s drinking water and food supply.
Host Heather Lynch explores how PFAS is a rare issue uniting political opposites: the Make America Healthy Again movement’s concerns about environmental toxins and progressive environmentalists’ fight against corporate pollution. Against this background of potential political unity lies a problem of technical and economic complexity — washing the planet of a chemical that is both toxic and ubiquitous.
The special will be available to public radio stations this month, with digital distribution in September. The podcast C4E Presents, offering in-depth conversations about climate change research and solutions, is available wherever you stream audio.
“From communities burdened by contaminated drinking water to the halls of Congress where regulations to protect public health take shape, this special asks: why has it taken so long to confront the chemical crisis hiding in plain sight?” said Lynch, who serves as endowed chair for ecology and evolution in the Institute for Advanced Computational Science. “The Collaborative for the Earth is once again fostering important conversations about environmental challenges that are meaningful to Long Island and to a national audience.”
Collaborative for the Earth investigates the growing body of evidence linking PFAS to skyrocketing cancer rates among younger adults, and other unexplained health trends that can be traced to occupational hazards, common household appliances and fulfilling a basic human need: consuming food and water.
The special draws on leading research from Yale University, University of Southern California, University of Notre Dame and Stony Brook University to examine how air pollution, water contaminants and climate-related hazards impact human health in specific populations — featuring Stony Brook faculty: Mary Collins, associate professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences; and Lokesh Padhye, associate professor and associate director of emerging contaminant research at the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology; and support from the center’s Senior Research Support Specialist Kevin Shaffer and Jaymie Meliker, professor in the Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine and Program in Public Health.
“It is incredibly important that we share our understanding of science where people are: in car radios, ear buds and smart devices across America, in addition to the lecture halls here on campus,” said Kline, associate professor in the Department of Political Science.
The Collaborative for the Earth’s first national broadcast special on the future of nuclear energy in early 2026 reached almost 90 total stations across nearly 20 states, with 29 percent in the top 50 markets — a successful result, according to our distributor, American Public Media Group. Locations included New York City, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Tucson, Arizona; Fairfield, Connecticut; Des Moines, Iowa; Tallahassee, Florida; Missoula, Montana; and Commerce, Texas.
The production team spans multiple departments and areas of expertise:
- J.D. Allen, graduate program director in the School of Communication and Journalism and climate communication specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Stony Brook, reported and produced the special.
- Terry Sheridan, lecturer in the Department of Journalism and senior director of news and education at WSHU Public Radio, provided editing alongside Lori Kie, communications manager in Stony Brook’s Office of the Provost.
- Melanie Formosa, a 2023 journalism graduate who serves as communications and strategy officer at the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting, mixed the stories.
- Graduate journalism student Jordan Vallone contributed fact-checking and research.
- The university’s visual storyteller Dennis Murray created the sound design.
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