From Pixels to Pollution: Liquid Crystal Monomers, Neurotoxicity, and Environmental Risk
- Sponsored by ACS Webinars and ACS Committee on Science
- 8:00-9:30 am, Online, Free, Registration required
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) power the screens that run the modern world. Yet the Liquid Crystal Monomers (LCMs) that make these technologies possible are emerging as a new class of environmental contaminants with potentially far-reaching consequences. Recent research has revealed that LCMs are no longer confined to electronic devices, and toxicological risks of LCMs has become an urgent scientific and regulatory challenge.
Join Yuhe (Henry) He of the City University of Hong Kong and Gyanyong Su of Nanjing University of Science and Technology as they present groundbreaking findings that are reshaping our understanding of chemical pollution associated with modern electronics. Their research traces the journey of LCMs from discarded consumer products into the environment, culminating in their accumulation within the brains of apex marine predators. These findings provide compelling evidence that certain LCMs can cross the blood-brain barrier, raising important questions about their potential neurotoxicity and implications for both wildlife and human health. From the Pearl River Estuary to indoor residential environments, this webinar will explore how cutting-edge analytical chemistry, environmental monitoring, and toxicological research are uncovering an emerging contaminant hidden in plain sight. The findings underscore the need for proactive regulation, responsible chemical stewardship, sustainable materials innovation, and greater collaboration among scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers.
This ACS Webinar is moderated by John Giesy of Baylor University and University of Saskatchewan and is co-produced with the ACS Committee on Science.
What You Will Learn
- Understand why certain LCMs exhibit persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulative properties, how they escape electronic products and e-waste streams, and the pathways that transport them from indoor environments and landfills into aquatic and coastal ecosystems.
- Explore findings from environmental monitoring and toxicological studies that have detected LCMs in indoor dust, sediments, human serum, and marine food webs, including research demonstrating their accumulation in the brains of Chinese white dolphins and their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.
- Learn why LCMs are emerging as contaminants of concern, how their potential impacts compare with other persistent organic pollutants, and what opportunities exist for safer chemical design, sustainable electronics manufacturing, ESG leadership, and science-based regulatory action.
Event Details
- Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 11am-12:30pm ET
- Free to attend
- Slides will be available on day of the webinar