Is Your Underwear Toxic? Surely Not! Thanks to Advances in Science and Technology You Can

Is your underwear toxic? Surely not! Thanks to advances in science and technology you can now wear sustainable underwear made from recycled or organic materials — be it silk, cotton, hemp or bamboo — and wash it with biodegradable, garden friendly detergents from recycled cardboard boxes.

But, did you realise your socks might have an antimicrobial nanosilver lining, or that some washing machines emit biocidal silver ions into each load and must be registered as pesticides in the USA?Dr Samuel N.Luoma, author of highly regarded works such as Silver Nanotechnologies and the Environment: Old Problems or New Challengesand Metal Contamination in Aquatic Environments: Science and Lateral Management, found that ionic silver, tested in the laboratory, is one of the most toxic metals to aquatic organisms. This is just one area in whichSamuel is an international authority, having published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications on topics from the speciation and analysisof metals through to metalsbioavailability, toxicity and policy for environmental protection,

Dr Samuel N Luoma has spent 34 years as a senior research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. At present he is a Research Professor in the John Muir Institute of the Environment at the University of California, Davis and holds several other prestigious roles including, Scientific Associate with The Natural History Museum in London andeditorial advisor for Marine Ecology Progress Series. Hehas acted as expert advisor to national and international bodies and has successfully straddled the junction between science, industry regulation and social implementation. In 2004 he won the recognition of the President of the United States for his efforts. Of particular note is his work on the fate of selenium in the San FranciscoBay which led to the development of water-quality criteria for selenium discharges into the Bay. The California Secretary of Resources cited Luoma's work with stakeholders as a prime example of using science to "smooth the waters" of a controversial environmental issue and as a source for promoting a constructive discussion on the state-of-the-science.

You have a chance to hear aboutSamuel’s knowledge and experiences, focussing particularly on metals bioavailability and ecological effects when he visits our shores next year as a plenary speaker at the RACI & ASE EnviroTox 2011 conference.Samuel will be joined by other eminent international and national speakers at the EnviroTox 2011 conference. For more information on all the speakers see details at the program and plenary speaker website pages.