Radio Show

WEMU Green Room with Barabara Lucas picture"The Green Room" on WEMU 89.1FM is a collaboration between the WEMU News Department, the Washtenaw County Office of the Water Resources Commissioner and the Environmental Health Division, with Barbara Lucas as host / producer and David Fair as director / executive producer.

Through her work with the County, Barbara also co-produces a monthly Green Room television show with Ann Arbor’s CTN, Channel 19.

Shows are listed in chronological order below. Past shows are also sorted by topic on separate pages -- see the sidebar on the left.

WINNER - 2019 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award -1st Place - Public Radio Series for the PFAS series.
TGR-2019Award-Lucas-1

  1. 2019
  2. 2018
  3. 2017
  4. 2016
  5. 2015
  6. 2014
  7. 2013

2019 Radio Shows

November

November 26, 2019:  PFAS Part V - Policies And Politics (Radio)
PFAS chemicals are being linked to more and more serious health problems.  But still, it’s legal to use them in the U.S., with minor exceptions.  And they can be imported from other countries.  Manufacturers are not required to make the public aware of PFAS content in their products.  Consequently, consumers are pretty much in the dark.  In the fifth of our 5-part series on PFAS, we look at policies and perspectives on where we are, and we can go from here. 

October

October 25, 2019:  PFAS Part IV - Prevention (Radio)
The chemical bonds of PFAS substances are virtually indestructible.  That makes their complete disposal hard, if not impossible.  Meanwhile, their usefulness to industry makes them hard to give up.  This is a growing problem because PFAS are associated with serious health issues.  In the fourth of this five-part “Green Room” series on PFAS, we look at the challenges and opportunities inherent in preventing further spread of PFAS chemicals.  

September

September 27, 2019:  PFAS Part III - Places (Radio)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are being found across the country in the drinking water of community water supplies, residential wells, schools and daycare centers. Where is it coming from? Factory waste is a major source. These "forever chemicals" don't break down, and where PFAS-containing waste is dumped, it spreads. In Segment III of 89.1 WEMU's five-part "Green Room" series on PFAS, we explore a few of these sites.

August

August 30, 2019:  PFAS Part II - In Products (Radio)
Over the last half-century, PFAS chemicals have been added to the formulation of innumerable products we use on a daily basis.  The manufacture and disposal of these products releases them to our environment, where they can get into our food and water.  Unfortunately for us, they can be harmful to our health, and they don’t biodegrade.  These “forever chemicals” have become pervasive in our lives.

July

July 26, 2019:  PFAS Part I - Health Impacts
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been highly valued by industry as useful in a wide variety of products.  But, as more studies are conducted and more information comes to light, the more concerns grow.  In this first of 89.1 WEMU's five-part series on PFAS, we explore the growing list of health issues associated with PFAS, in " The Green Room."  

March

March 29, 2019:  Our Planet And Our Politics
Everyone wants clean water and clean air, and most agree that human life is dependent on a healthy planet. In this segment of WEMU’s “The Green Room,” we hear about the beginning of the Earth Day movement in Ann Arbor.  And we explore possible reasons for the current lack of progress on environmental issues, nationally.