Cox Mill student educates about dangers of PFAS
Teen's awareness campaign on 'forever chemicals' reaches more than 900 students so far
Ashwinee Thakur presents an interactive slideshow to elementary students.
Students signed a "I Learned About PFAS" poster to hang up in their school.
Editor's Note: Ashwinee Thakur, a freshman at Cox Mill High School, wrote this article for the Independent Tribune.
In a world where environmental health is rarely discussed in elementary school hallways, one teenager has decided that it needs to change, and she's not waiting around for someone else to do it.
Ashwinee Thakur, a freshman at Cox Mill High School, launched Enviate four months ago after coming across research on PFAS contamination across North Carolina. What she found was alarming, and the fact that so few people knew about it made it even more urgent.
PFAS, short for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of man-made chemicals found in everyday products like food packaging, nonstick cookware, and water-resistant clothing. They're nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment or in our bodies. North Carolina has been identified as one of the most heavily impacted states in the country, with contamination detected in drinking water, soil and waterways across the state.
For children, the stakes are especially high. Studies have linked PFAS exposure in kids to developmental delays, weakened immune systems, reduced vaccine effectiveness and increased risk of childhood obesity. These aren't distant concerns; for families across the state, they're real.
Ashwinee saw the problem. Then she built a solution.
Enviate is a community awareness campaign designed to bring PFAS education directly to the youth of Cabarrus County, in a way that's actually accessible and engaging. Through classroom visits across local elementary schools, Ashwinee breaks down what PFAS are, where they come from, and what families can do to reduce exposure, all in language that kids can genuinely understand. She also created an original educational game called "PFAS Detectives," which turns learning about forever chemicals into something students look forward to.
The response has been immediate. Teachers have noticed. Kids are asking questions. And in just four months, Enviate has already reached over 900 elementary students.
"She walked in and broke down something most adults have never even heard of, and the kids actually got it," said one local teacher. "They were engaged, they were asking questions because she made something really complicated feel completely approachable."
For Ashwinee, the goal has always been bigger than just a classroom visit. She knows that awareness is where change begins and that kids are among the most powerful messengers.
"PFAS is everywhere, it's in the water, in products we use every day, but almost nobody knows what it is," Ashwinee said. "This topic needs so much more attention than it gets, and I believe the best place to start is with the kids who are actually going to grow up in this world."
Her plans for Enviate don't stop here. She hopes to expand the campaign's reach by creating policies, building partnerships with more schools and local organizations, and continuing to grow the resources available to families who want to learn more. For a freshman in high school, the scope of what she's already built is remarkable, but for Ashwinee, it's just the beginning.
North Carolina's kids are growing up in a state with one of the highest levels of PFAS contamination in the country. Ashwinee Thakur thinks they deserve to know about it, and she's making sure they do, one classroom at a time.
To learn more about Enviate or get involved, reach out to enviate.ed@gmail.com.
