“Everybody wants to be safe. But just because we detect a contaminant doesn’t mean it’s harmful. We analyze many factors before deciding whether there is a significant risk, such as the nature of the contaminant, the amount and type of exposure, the response to a particular dosage, and the likelihood of exposure. The principles and processes for understanding risk are well established.”
Shane Snyder is a Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona and the Co-Director of the Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants. He also holds joint positions as a professor both in the College of Public Health and in the College of Agriculture. For nearly 20 years, his research has focused on the identification, fate, and health relevance of emerging water pollutants. Snyder and his teams have published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters on emerging contaminant analysis, treatment, and toxicology. In April 2008, he was one of six experts invited to testify before the U.S. Senate regarding pharmaceuticals in U.S. waters. He has since been invited to brief the U.S. Congress three additional times. Snyder has served two terms on the federal advisory committee to EPA’s Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program and was an invited expert panel member for the development of EPA’s CCL3. He was also a member of the National Academy of Science’s National Research Council Committee on Water Reuse and has served two appointments on the California Chemicals of Emerging Concern Expert Panels. Recently, he was appointed to EPA’s Science Advisory Board for drinking water. Dr. Snyder also is a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore, where he leads research on water reuse technologies and implications for public health. Snyder received a B.A. in Chemistry from Thiel College and a Ph.D. in Zoology and Environmental Toxicology from Michigan State University.