Our Chemical Past Present and Future

University of Luxembourg

The story of our chemical past, present and future made into a sonification piece that demonstrates the immense scale of the chemical problem, exemplified with PFAS, using the above data compiled by Dagny Aurich, sourced from Jennifer Yang (CAS registry numbers) and Paul Thiessen & Evan Bolton (PubChem, WIPO patent numbers).

The idea for the work is based on a need to illustrate the huge problem of PFAS and chemical numbers in general. Today, in Europe, ambient PFAS levels are contaminating rain, soil and drinking water resources worldwide to such an extent that they have caused substantial, irreversible health and environmental damage. PFAS chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals”, don’t break down in the environment, build up in the body and may be toxic. They have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe, as a major mapping project revealed in February 2023 (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/23/revealed-scale-of-forever-chemical-pollution-across-uk-and-europe).

Through sonification and the creation of an illustrative animation, this work increased public awareness on PFAS, the urgency of the situation, and what can be done to work towards a solution.

Composed and produced by Jamie Perera

Links:

Avoiding the Next Silent Spring: Our Chemical Past, Present, and Future