From Useful Coatings to True Crime: PFAS

Shortly before summer break, 16 upper secondary school chemistry teachers from across the Freiburg Regional Council district attended a course at Hochschule Offenburg to further specialize in inorganic chemistry. Particular attention was paid to so-called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short. Because these substances do not occur naturally and are not broken down in the environment, they are often referred to as “forever chemicals.”

In a lecture, Prof. Dr. Johannes Vinke first explained to the participants how PFAS are formed, what they are used for, and why they are problematic. The approximately 10,000 chemically synthesized compounds in this family share the common feature of containing very stable carbon-fluorine bonds. Because these substances are grease-, dirt-, and water-repellent, they are used both as coatings for upholstery, textiles, and baking pans, and as pesticides. As they wear away, they permanently contaminate water and soil and accumulate in humans and animals through food and consumer products. This can result in reduced vaccine efficacy, decreased fertility, higher cholesterol levels, an increased risk of diabetes, or an elevated risk of cancer.

In the exit game “True-Crime-PFAS,” developed as part of a project in the Umwelttechnologie program at Hochschule Offenburg for students aged 15 and older, chemistry teachers then explored the topic in a playful way. Acting as investigators, they had to reconstruct the events that led to a PFAS scandal uncovered in Rastatt in 2012 and its consequences for the environment. An introduction to the basics of actionable gamification rounded out the first part of the training.            

After the lunch break, the second part of the training, held at the Offenburg Business Schools, focused on the curriculum unit on inorganic chemistry. Participants were introduced to the free kit sponsored by the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI). It contains a selection of familiar and unfamiliar experiments for students and teachers that can be used in the classroom after a brief orientation. Learning objectives are assessed using worksheets. Participants were able to try out the kit, gain initial hands-on experience under the guidance of experts, and take the kit home with them afterward.

The event was part of Hochschule Offenburg’s extensive program for schools and was very well received by the participants. Even before the event, there had been significantly more registrations than available spots. And by the end, many chemistry teachers expressed a desire to have university staff visit their classes to present the “Exit Game: True Crime PFAS.”