In this special episode of Paul Talks Science—the first in a series recorded during my visit to the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell—I sit down with TURI Director Baskut Tuncak to unpack how economics is playing a pivotal role in driving safer chemical practices.

We explore the Institute's origins, the real-world impact of the Toxics Use Reduction Act, and how businesses are shifting away from hazardous substances—not because they're forced to, but because it makes economic sense.

Baskut also reflects on his global work as a UN Special Rapporteur and explains why TURI’s locally rooted, solution-focused model could be a blueprint for change far beyond Massachusetts.