Women in Science: Sara Sekerak navigates new cannabis lab legislation

Sekerak leading a presentation about cannabis testing methods, protocols, and quality standards.

Sara Sekerak is working in uncharted territory. She is part of a new task force mandated by Washington’s Legislature to define scientific standards for our state’s cannabis laboratories. How does someone end up with such a high-pressure job? It takes a lot of lab experience, a keen eye for quality assurance, and a thorough background in ensuring products comply with regulatory standards. Sara shares more about what led her to this important new position on the task force in this month’s Women in Science interview.


Sara's job at Ecology

Sekerak performing size reduction of a study product in the Product Testing
Prep Room. Pre-processing of products is a necessary step in producing
samples for lab analysis.

Right now, I am the lead chemist for the Cannabis Science Task Force, but the road to my current position has been a winding one. Before I joined the Task Force, I was a Product Testing project manager. In that position, most of my work supported the Children’s Safe Product Act.

During the past two years, I managed a study of school supplies marketed to children ages 12 and under. We looked for lead and cadmium because those metals have both federal and state limits. School supplies are not explicitly covered in the Children’s Safe Product Act, so the Attorney General’s office took a special interest in this. We worked with the Attorney General’s Office and scoped a project to meet their needs.

In May 2019, the Attorney General’s Office finalized a settlement with Amazon that our study helped substantiate. The most important outcome of this settlement is that Amazon now requires all third-party sellers of school supplies and jewelry to produce a certificate confirming that their products meet the federal requirements for lead and cadmium.

Recent work

Authoring a Cannabis Laboratory Accreditation report led me to my current position as lead chemist for the Cannabis Science Task Force. The goal of the Task Force is to work with multiple agencies, as well as scientists from the cannabis industry. We have been asked by the Legislature to provide recommendations that would help cannabis testing labs apply science-based practices and other critical elements needed for a robust accreditation.

Because there is no federal oversight for cannabis (like there is for drinking water or agricultural products), there are currently no standard methods specifically for testing cannabis. So labs are creating their own procedures and processes. Right now, each lab defines their own level of quality; the problem with this is that there is variability from one lab to the next. Our task force will meet from now to Dec. 1, 2021, and this multidisciplinary group of agencies and scientists will try to close some gaps in the labs’ processes.

Advice for future women in science

I’ve often felt like my work has been challenged or questioned. But, wherever I have gone, these challenges and questions have always motivated me to work harder. So my first piece of advice would be to not let negative comments get you down. I have worked hard to build my name and reputation to prove that I am a valuable team member. If anyone questioned my work ethic, I just worked harder to prove that I could.

Sekerak working at Manchester Environmental Laboratory.

My second piece of advice would be to never stop learning and always ask questions. In 2000, I started my first job at a lab through an internship at Manchester Environmental Laboratory. I always wanted to learn new things, so I would offer to help and job shadow everywhere I could.

From there, I worked my way up to my current position as a lead chemist, and my experience communicating with labs gave me a leg up. My diverse experiences lined me up perfectly for my current position, which requires a broad scope of knowledge.

By: Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program Communications

Women in Science: Meredith Jones works to keep toxic metals out of children's products

Ecology chemist Meredith Jones in front of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer.

Meredith Jones is a chemist at Ecology’s environmental laboratory. Her recent lab work testing metals in children’s products led to an important agreement between the Washington Attorney General and the online retailer, Amazon. Meredith’s work helped identify high levels of lead and cadmium in children’s products sold on Amazon’s website. Now, the company must obtain certificates from third-party sellers proving their compliance with state and federal consumer protection laws. Read the full interview below to learn more about Meredith’s recent work!

Meredith's job at Ecology

Jones at work using a 

microwave to digest consumer products.

I am a chemist, metals unit lead, and Ecology’s Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) specialist. I have been working at Manchester Environmental Laboratory for 21 years. My job involves preparing and analyzing various types of samples including freshwater, seawater, soils/sediments, paints, plant and animal tissues, consumer products, and wastes for trace metals. My job includes selecting which prep method will result in the best digestion of these various matrices, analyzing the samples following method-specific quality criteria, and reporting results that are accurate, free from bias and interferences, and legally defensible.

Recent work

In 2017, I began developing a method to analyze nanoparticles using single nanoparticle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer. The use and production of engineered nanomaterials, which are manufactured for many consumer products,  is on the rise. This poses important toxicological concerns. The development of this method is challenging and ongoing, as it is a relatively new technology.

For the last several years, I have been involved in the preparation and analysis of several consumer product projects including:

• Cadmium and other metals in children’s jewelry.

• Toxics and metals in packaging.

• Clothing studies and school supplies. 

I tested products for arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, mercury, molybdenum, lead, antimony and chromium, or a subset of these metals. Some of the results had alarmingly high metals concentrations, including one piece of children’s jewelry that was 98 percent cadmium. 

In a recent school supply project, I analyzed samples containing up to 1,270 parts per million (ppm) cadmium and 8,560 ppm lead. These results led to a nationwide recall of 15,000 products. Some school supplies had more than 80 times legal limit of lead. The recall of these products has been accompanied by stricter regulations on the sale of such items, and funding being granted for future testing. I believe the outcome of this testing is just the beginning of many changes to come that will protect consumers from being unknowingly exposed to toxic materials. I am proud to have contributed to these changes.

Advice for future women in science

A love of animals and nature is what drew me to a career in science. Although my degree in environmental science led me to a job in a laboratory rather than one in the field, I know that the work I do at our lab is helping to protect and improve the environment.

I would advise young girls and women to have fun with science and keep digging for solutions. If you don’t succeed the first time, try again. Don’t be afraid of failure. The learning process includes discovering where the mistakes came from and troubleshooting new strategies for the next time.

Jones adds acid to a vessel containing a consumer product sample.

Ignore gender stereotyping and the misconception that science is nerdy. I know, off the top of my head, the most abundant atomic mass of over 50 elements on the periodic table. Is that nerdy? Perhaps, but I love to find a way to interject these numbers into everyday conversations. I can’t tell if my teenage daughters find this impressive or annoying and embarrassing, but probably the latter. Oh well ... I think it's funny. Science is fun!

By: Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program

Women in Science: Arati Kaza

Arati pre-processing children's toys for metals and phthalates.

ARATI'S JOB AT ECOLOGY

Arati Kaza is our quality assurance officer. She reviews project plans and other technical documents for the agency. She makes sure that the hard work that goes into the collection and analysis of environmental samples is defensible in court. For each project, she has to see the big picture so that every science-based report that comes out of Ecology is of the highest quality and complies with regulations.

Arati shared her most recent work , advice, and experiences.

RECENT WORK

• I have been heavily involved in making process changes to get to a paperless system for quality assurance documents. This has made the process more transparent and faster than previous processes. 
• I worked on the recent case for setting better standards for toxic metals in school supply products. Due to the great work done by the team, a major online supplier is now requiring testing results with their products to ensure safe levels of metals like lead and cadmium.
• I helped organize a Citizen Science Workshop for a non-profit for sampling phthalates in products that are used in road paints, billboards, traffic cones etc. Surprisingly, most of the products tested were free of phthalates, and now a second round of testing is in progress.

ADVICE FOR FUTURE SCIENTISTS

• Go to school and get a degree! Going to school builds that strong foundation toward working hard, asking the right questions, and finding the people with whom you share common ideas.
• Work on your communication skills; they really come in handy.
• Whenever you voice a problem, think about how you can suggest a few solutions to the problem. This encourages problem solving; you might not have the right solution every time, but you force your brain to think from different perspectives.
• There will be hardships, there will be problems, but always treat a problem as an opportunity to learn something new.

"When I was growing up, my parents always talked about how there is one thing in life that you are good at and then there is the one thing that you are passionate about," said Arati. "For me, chemistry was what I was good at, and protecting the environment was my passion. A combination of the two is what landed me at Ecology. So I would say to all you women out there, don’t give up on your passion or your area of expertise — one day those paths will cross!"

By Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program Communications
Women in Science is an Ecology series produced by the Environmental Assessment Program. Stories are usually published once a month.  

Women in Science: Sheelagh McCarthy

The full interview with Sheelagh McCarthy

What do you do at Ecology?

I work as a surface water quality scientist and modeler in Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Modeling & TMDL Unit; I have worked at Ecology since 2016. My projects include Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies and other water quality improvement projects for polluted surface waters. These projects involve collecting samples in the field, analyzing data, using computer models and geographic information systems (GIS) to identify sources of pollution, and writing the results in a technical report. I also work with a great group of scientists and engineers as part of the Salish Sea Modeling team. We use the Salish Sea Model, a powerful, complex modeling tool to simulate hydrodynamic and water quality processes. Results from this model are used to guide management decisions to protect water quality in Puget Sound.

Tell us about some of your recent work.

One exciting challenge as a scientist is finding new and different ways to present and communicate our scientific results. Recently, I created the Salish Sea Model results web map. This interactive mapping tool shares Salish Sea Model results that show the impact of excess nutrients on dissolved oxygen levels in Puget Sound. The application provides a visualization of model outputs and includes a series of engaging features to explore. I also worked with Teizeen Mohamedali, a female engineer on our Salish Sea Modeling team, to develop a Nitrogen in Puget Sound Story Map. This story map communicates the state of the science of nitrogen in Puget Sound through another type of interactive web map using a compilation of scientific data and research.  

Last year, I completed the East Fork Lewis River Temperature & Fecal Coliform Bacteria Source Assessment report. This report is now being used to inform implementation and restoration work in the watershed. It’s exciting and fulfilling to know that this scientific report is being used to help guide pollution clean-up activities so that people, fish, and all other living creatures can enjoy clean water!

What advice do you have for women who would like to work in a scientific field?

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – Science is about critical thinking, so raise your hand in class, read books to learn more about a subject that interests you, and seek out a mentor.
2. Try new things – Being a scientist requires a bunch of different skills. Our work tends to be interdisciplinary and having skills in other subjects such as writing, computer programming, or GIS, can be very beneficial.
3. Explore – Science is fun! Most scientists in the environmental field are in it because they are inspired by the world around us and are seeking to understand it better.

I love that my job at Ecology allows me to study and protect the places where I spend my time outside of work. Growing up, I spent a lot of my time in and around the Great Lakes. As I learned more about climate change and environmental issues in high school and college, I decided to pursue a career in the environmental field. I started using computer models during graduate school and was drawn to this work because of the role they play in providing scientific support to identify solutions to improve water quality.

By Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program

Women in Science: Brandee Era-Miller

The full interview with Brandee Era-Miller

What do you do at Ecology?

I am a natural resource scientist and have been with Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program, Toxics Studies Unit for almost 19 years. I conduct toxics source assessments and characterization projects in waterbodies all over the state from the Puget Sound to the Spokane River and many places in between. These studies have included analysis of toxics in water, stormwater, fish, biofilm (slime on rocks), sediment, and atmospheric deposition. “Toxics” covers a wide range of chemicals, so I’ve studied many different chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, metals, flame retardants, and more. I’ve also worked on toxicity studies including a project where we placed trout eggs in hatch boxes instream and monitored the health of the trout as they grew into fry over the course of several weeks. How the trout responded and developed gave an indication of water quality at the site.

What gets you excited to go to work in the morning?

I am a jack of all trades. I have enjoyed working on so many different kinds of toxics studies. Spending time in different places all over the state has been amazing. Washington is incredibly beautiful! Many people both within and outside of Ecology use the data and information from our studies to guide their environmental decisions and to learn about the water quality in their watersheds. That makes my work feel important.

What advice do you have for women who want a career in science?

My advice for getting into a scientific field is to work hard in school and seek out internships, volunteer opportunities, and hands-on experience wherever you can. Besides at least a general degree in sciences, nothing beats hands-on experience when it comes to getting your foot in the door.

My interest in environmental sciences started as kid, where I would spend all my time outside climbing trees and exploring the woods and nearby creeks. My mom also passed on her passion for the natural world to me. On camping trips, she would always stop and explain all the plants and aquatic insects to me. In high school I became involved in a program called the Envirothon.  Through that excellent program, I went on to compete nationally in Niagara Falls, New York, in 1993. In college, I had internships with the Chehalis Tribe’s natural resources department and with the city of Lacey’s water resources department.

By Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program

Women in Science: Laura Hermanson



The full interview with Laura Hermanson

What do you do at Ecology?

I started working for Ecology in 2010 in the marine flight program. Using a seaplane, we flew to stations all throughout the Puget Sound and Coastal Bays, taking water quality data. This is a part of a long-term monitoring project that monitors the environmental changes in Puget Sound over time. In 2016, I transitioned to the Washington BEACH (Beach Environmental Assessment Communication and Health) Program. The BEACH Program keep beachgoers safe during the summer by sampling high-use beaches for fecal bacteria, and warning people when it isn’t safe to recreate in the water. Swimming in fecal contaminated water can cause illness, so our job is to prevent this from happening. This is especially important for children and people with compromised immune systems.

What gets you excited to go to work in the morning?

I like knowing that my work has a direct impact on human health. When people visit the beach, they are just thinking about having fun, not about the health risks. Which is great! We want people to have fun. But we also want them to be safe and to become educated about the risks that potentially go along with recreating in a highly populated area. It is especially important for parents to be aware of these risks to keep little ones safe. As a parent myself, I certainly appreciate the fact that the BEACH Program and all of its partners are keeping beachgoers safe.

In my time spent here at Ecology I have seen most of Puget Sound, either from the air, by boat, or visiting different beaches. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to get to know our unique and beautiful environment in this capacity. I also work with some really great, smart people!

What advice do you have for women who want a career in science?

1. As cliché as it sounds, follow your dreams and stay in school – whether that means a community college or Ivy League, international or in your hometown – it doesn’t really matter as long as you apply yourself and don’t give up on your goals.
2. Keep exploring! If a class, project, job, teacher, etc. doesn’t resonate with you, don’t feel bad about exploring other options. Sometimes you have to fulfill commitments, but it’s valuable to know when to move on.
3. Job competition in this field can be tough. It’s ok to start out modestly or even volunteer for a while. If you keep trying, you will eventually hit a nerve.
4. Find someone whose job interests you and ask them how they got to where they are. This could be as simple as talking to your peers or teachers, or even sending an email to someone you have never met. Networking is always valuable. And in my experience, people are always willing to share their story and encourage budding scientists.

By Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program