Environmental Studies students learn about chemical exposures from expert

Students enrolled in the class Introduction to Environmental Issues recently learned about the impact of chemical exposures on children from Sydney R. Sewall, M.D., M.P.H., board member of the Maine chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR).

The PSR Maine chapter is well known and respected for its work in the areas of climate change, nuclear disarmament and toxic chemicals.

Sewall’s talk and visual presentation enhanced the students’ understanding of complex environmental health and toxicological issues.

The presentation was in keeping with the class’s focus on developing critical thinking skills and will help students make better‐informed decisions about the global environmental challenges facing their generation.

Sewall is a pediatrician and a faculty instructor for the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency Program. He is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Sewall has been a long-time advocate for reducing and eliminating exposures to toxic chemicals such as BPA, phthalates and pesticides that are found in food and every-day products.

Sewall was the guest of Carole LeBlanc, Ph.D., adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Studies. He recently contributed to LeBlanc’s book, The Perils of Climate Change: The People and the Science, in a chapter titled, “Death by Degrees.”