Matt Goldberg played a pivotal role in making the testing we released in Toxic Convenience possible. Matt has always had a strong interest in the outdoors and the way that we interact with it, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to engage more deeply in studying environmental health and wellness during his time as a Masters in Public Health student at The University of Washington.
As he continued his MPH, Matt became increasingly interested in environmental exposures, as well as the impacts of chemicals in our everyday environments. When searching for opportunities for the School of Public Health’s Practicum work opportunity, he found that Toxic-Free Future aligned with his interests incredibly well, with our work on chemical exposures that impact our environmental health. After learning more about the upcoming work Toxic-Free Future was pursuing on the impacts of PFAS in our home environments, Matt jumped at the chance to join such an interesting and impactful project.
Matt led the process of selecting candidate items for testing for PFAS treatment from major retailers, specifically in household textiles and apparel: outdoor apparel, table fabrics, and bedding. We collected and catalogued the items, and then cut swatches for testing intended to learn the quantity of PFAS used in treating the fabric (if any). We then sent the samples out to a lab, and analyzed the data to learn more about patterns in usage by product type and retailer.
Since completing the Practicum project with Toxic-Free Future, Matt has graduated from UW and moved to Kirkland with his wife Kerri and dog Echo. He is currently working at Google as a programs analyst, and is still always looking for ways to learn more about our environment, how we engage with it, and how it impacts our health and wellness.
Digital Communications and Fundraising Manager
Melissa Lound is Toxic-Free Future’s digital communications expert, providing concise and informative content for supporters and the public.
