Beth Gross on PFAS
From Director's Cut S06 E47 - Beth Gross · · Geo-Institute of ASCE
“They're 'forever chemicals' — man-made compounds that are very resistant to degradation and have human health effects, including cancer and hormonal disruption, even at very, very low concentrations.”
On , Beth Gross, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at JOINT CORP (THE), spoke about PFAS during Director's Cut S06 E47 - Beth Gross on Geo-Institute of ASCE.
About Beth Gross
Beth Gross, a senior vice president at Geosyntec and former president of the Geo-Institute, has discussed the environmental challenges posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in landfills. In a December 2024 interview, she described PFAS as "forever chemicals" that are resistant to degradation and linked to health effects including cancer and hormonal disruption. She questioned whether landfills, which she called "a reservoir of these constituents," can truly be walked away from when they harbor persistent contaminants that may migrate to groundwater. Gross noted that academics and industry are already studying the effects of PFAS on geomembranes, and she stated that the primary mechanism for contaminant movement through liner systems is through holes rather than diffusion. Gross has also reflected on her career in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. In a November 2024 interview, she recalled being the first woman engineer at Geosyntec when she started in 1987 and said she never felt hindered by her gender, describing the small firm as "like a family." She observed that more women now enter civil and geoenvironmental engineering compared to when she was the second woman to receive a master's degree in geotechnical engineering. Gross advised young engineers to take opportunities, push themselves, and connect with people across their organizations.