The 6th International Workshop on Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) will take place in Idstein, Germany, on June 15-18. Speakers at the four-day conference will include Christoph Schulte from the German Federal Environment Agency, who will discuss exposure, and Christopher Lau of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who will go into epidemiology and toxicity. Experts from the Oregon State University in the U.S. and the Ruhr University in Germany will also take the floor. Practical training workshops in a laboratory will be part of the program. This year's conference will be hosted by the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, which hosted the 4th conference on the same theme in November 2012. The 5th workshop on PFAS was held last October in Helsingør near Copenhagen. The use of PFAS has been a hot subject of debate in the outdoor industry over the past two years because these harmful substances tend to be released into the environment in water- and oil-repellent fabrics. Like Jack Wolfskin, the Fresenius University is located in Idstein, and they are working toward more sustainable chemistries for apparel (see the last issue of The Compass and others on the subject).

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