Our society is currently making the transition from gas vehicles to electric vehicles.

The popular belief is that these vehicles are better for the environment but in reality, the production of batteries used to power electric vehicles and generating the electricity they use may also cause pollution.

Perry Gottesfeld, executive director at Occupational Knowledge (OK) International, is coming to Ashland University on Nov. 9 to talk about these problems.

OK International is “a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health through innovative strategies to reduce exposures to industrial pollutants,” according to the organization’s website.

During his presentation, titled “The Global Health Implications of the transition to CLEAN Electric Vehicles,” he will talk about the potential health risks of transitioning to electric vehicles.

“These are complex issues and it’s easy to say that electric cars don’t have emissions when in reality they are improving the health in certain communities at the expense of the health in others,” Gottesfeld said

The talk is being co-sponsored by the AU Honors Program and Environmental Science Programs and supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Director of the Academic Honors Program, says that the Honors Program looks for speakers that will address issues that students at AU are not usually exposed to.

“Perry is well qualified to address the health issues that arise when batteries used to store energy generated by wind and solar power are shipped to other countries for recycling and these countries have weaker environmental standards than we do,” said Weidenhamer.

Gottesfeld hopes to stimulate discussion on this topic, a topic that he believes hasn’t gotten much attention.

He also encourages people to visit their website, okinternational.org, to learn more about how they can contribute.

To learn more about this topic, Gottesfeld will be at AU on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

The presentation will take place in the Trustees Room located on the second floor of The John C. Myers Convocation Center and is open to the public.