Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

EPA Pages

EPA Publications about PFAS Research
U.S. EPA Science Inventory.

EPA's Science Inventory is a searchable database containing citations and abstracts of publications and presentations prepared by EPA staff.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Your Environment
U.S. EPA website.

The home page links to information on PFOA, PFOS, and all other PFASs and PFCs.

Interest Groups

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Your Health
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

ATSDR is involved at PFAS-related sites, either directly or through assisting state and federal partners. The Agency also has drafted fact sheets and a toxicological profile of perfluoroalkyl chemicals.

Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

This webpage has links to general information on PFCs, what NIEHS is doing, and research in progress.

SERDP and ESTCP Workshop on Research and Demonstration Needs for Management of AFFF-Impacted Sites
Stroo, H., A. Leeson, R. Deeb, C. Higgins, M. Mills, C. Patton, R. Porter, D. Sedlak, M. Sepulveda, et al. SERDP-ESTCP, 43 pp, 2017

To provide strategic guidance for future research and demonstrations on management and remediation of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) sites, SERDP and ESTCP conducted a workshop on May 2-3, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Research needs identified during the workshop are described in Section 3.0, and demonstration and technology transfer needs are described in Sections 4.0 and 5.0, respectively. The broad needs categories are fate and transport properties, ecological risk characterization, treatment, and sampling and analytical procedures. SERDP/ESTCP PFAS Projects

Summary Report: Strategic Workshop on Management of PFAS in the Environment
SERDP & ESTCP Report, 90 pp, 2022

To provide strategic guidance for future research and demonstrations on management and treatment of AFFF-impacted sites, SERDP and ESTCP conducted a workshop on March 29-30, 2022 in Chicago, IL. The objectives of the workshop were as follows: (1) to review the current state of the science regarding PFAS in the environment; (2) to evaluate currently available and developing characterization and treatment technologies; (3) to identify research and demonstration needs to improve our ability to manage and treat PFAS effectively in the environment, ultimately reducing site management costs; and (4) to determine methods to improve the dissemination and transfer of these new technologies to the user communities. SERDP/ESTCP PFAS Projects

Websites

Advances in Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals (PFCs) Characterization and Remediation
SERDP-ESTCP News Blog.

Since FY11, SERDP and ESTCP have sponsored projects seeking to develop a better understanding of the occurrence, fate and transport, potential remedial treatment, and toxicological effects of potentially harmful polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). SERDP and ESTCP post updates of the PFAS research projects they sponsor to this webpage with links to additional information.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Energy, Installations, & Environment

Department of Navy policies, general information, and additional resources on perfluorinated compounds and perfluoroalkyl substances are provided.

C8 Science Panel
The Science Panel Website, 2013.

During 2005-2013, the C8 Science Panel carried out exposure and health studies in the Mid-Ohio Valley communities, which had been potentially affected by the releases of PFOA (or C8) emitted since the 1950s from the Washington Works plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia. They assessed the links between C8 exposure and a number of diseases. The C8 Science Panel has completed its work and no longer exists; this website summarizes the results.

Factsheets: PFOS and PFOA
The Expert Centre PFOS, Website sponsored by RWS Leefomgeving (the Netherlands) and OVAM (Flanders), 2016.

This site hosts a collection of factsheets about PFOS and PFOA. The factsheets are made by the Expert Centre PFOS, which aims to connect emerging contaminant issues with the fields of policy and legislation, science, stakeholders and problem owners, and business communities. Factsheets about PFOS and PFOA that are available in English include an introduction to the properties; production — use — sources; toxicology; behavior in soil and water; and an extensive bibliography.

U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Center

The Air Force response to PFOS and PFOA, includes general information, infographics, and fact sheets.

Events and Media

CLU-IN Archived Webinars

FRTR Fall 2024 General Meeting: Source Differentiation and Risk Assessments for Sites Impacted by PFAS
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable
October 29, 2024, 8 Hours, 30 Minutes

PFAS Management Strategies in the United States and Europe
U.S. EPA and Common Forum on Contaminated Land
August 26, 2024, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: PFAS Treatment Technologies Training
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
June 13, 2024, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: PFAS Fate and Transport, Site Characterization and Source ID Training
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
May 23, 2024, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: Topics on PFAS Biosolids: Sources, Transport, and Management of PFAS Surface Releases
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
May 9, 2024, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: PFAS Human Health, Ecological Effects and Regulations
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
April 23, 2024, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: Sampling, Analysis, Surface Water, & Air Occurrence
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
April 18, 2024, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Introductory Training
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
February 29, 2024, 2 Hours

FRTR Presents...Recent Advances in PFAS Characterization Technologies
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR)
February 28, 2024, 2 Hours

Tools for PFAS Site Characterization: Session III - Standards, Passive Sampling, and Modeling of PFAS
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)
November 8, 2023, 2 Hours

FRTR Fall 2023 General Meeting: Recent Advances in PFAS Characterization Technologies
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable
November 7, 2023, 9 Hours

Tools for PFAS Site Characterization: Session II - PFAS Sources and Mapping
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)
October 20, 2023, 2 Hours

Tools for PFAS Site Characterization: Session I - Novel Analytical Chemistry Approaches
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)
October 6, 2023, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Introductory Training
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
September 14, 2023, 2 Hours

SRP Progress in Research Webinar: Session III — Environmental Justice and Emerging Contaminants
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
May 12, 2023, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Introductory Training
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
April 13, 2023, 2 Hours

Utilizing Innovative Materials Science Approaches to Enhance Bioremediation: Session III - Plant and Fungal-based Bioremediation.
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
May 13, 2022, 2 Hours

Utilizing Innovative Materials Science Approaches to Enhance Bioremediation: Session I - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances.
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
April 15, 2022, 2 Hours

Risk Communication Strategies to Reduce Exposures and Improve Health: Session IV - Communication Toolkits to Communicate Environmental Risks
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
October 22, 2021, 2 Hours

ITRC PFAS Roundtable
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
April 6, 2021, 2 Hours

Information for tribes on EPA's Interim guidance on destroying and disposing of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -containing materials (not consumer products)
US EPA OLEM
January 29, 2021, 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Superfund Research Program Progress in Research Webinar Part 4: Emerging Exposures
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
November 19, 2020, 2 Hours

Superfund Research Program Progress in Research Webinar Part 2: Legacy and Emerging Contaminants (PAHs, PCBs, PFAS)
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
October 28, 2020, 2 Hours

2020 Design and Construction at Hazardous Waste Sites Virtual Symposium: Panel 1 and Panel 2
Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Denver Post, SAME Philadelphia Post, and US EPA
October 26, 2020, 3 Hours

ITRC PFAS Roundtable
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
October 6, 2020, 2 Hours

FRTR Spring 2020 Meeting, Session 1: Bioremediation Advances - New Strategies, Optimization, and Performance Monitoring
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR)
May 29, 2020, 2 Hours, 30 Minutes

FRTR Presents...Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Emerging Characterization and Remedial Technologies, Session 2
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR)
September 26, 2019, 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

FRTR Presents...Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Emerging Characterization and Remedial Technologies, Session 1
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR)
June 20, 2019, 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Effectiveness of Point of Entry Systems to Remove Select Per- and Poly- fluoroalkyl Substances from Drinking Water
U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Office of Science Policy
November 26, 2018, 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Superfund Research Program Progress in Research Webinar Part 3: Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Rhode Island
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
September 10, 2018, 2 Hours

Analytical Tools and Methods: Session III - Fate and Transport of Contaminants
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
June 12, 2017, 2 Hours

SRP Water Innovation - An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Solutions: Session II - Technologies for Water Remediation
NIEHS Superfund Research Program
June 20, 2016, 2 Hours

Other Webinars

Emerging Contaminants: DoD Overview and State of Knowledge on Fluorochemicals and 1,4-Dioxane
Yaroschak, P., J. Field, and P. Evans.
SERDP & ESTCP Webinar Series, 3 Dec 2015.

The three presentations in this webinar include "DoD Chemical and Material Risk Management Program: Emerging Risks" (Yaroschak); "State of Knowledge on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) at Military Sites" (Field); and "Treatment of 1,4-Dioxane and Chlorinated Solvents Using Sustained Slow Release Chemical Oxidant Cylinders" (Evans).

Managing AFFF Impacts to Subsurface Environments and Assessment of Commercially Available PFAS-Free Foams (Part 2)
Liu, J., and G. Back | SERDP & ESTCP Webinar Series, Webinar #121, October 2020

SERDP and ESTCP sponsored webinars on evaluating environmentally-friendly alternatives to aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) and novel technology to destroy PFAS in contaminated groundwater. Specifically, investigators summarized research and current understanding of PFAS defluorination and reaction mechanisms for PFAS degradation using hydrated electrons generated under ultraviolet irradiation and presented results of real-scale and laboratory-scale experiments assessing the effectiveness of AFFF alternatives, including PFAS-free foams as well as wetting agents and other water additives.

Overview of In Situ and Ex Situ Technologies in Development for the Treatment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
Houtz, E. | California EPA Webinar, 5 April, Sacramento, CA, 2019.

This webinar covers conventional and innovative technologies to address PFASs in water and soil. Remediation of groundwater often requires a treatment train, combining conventional sorbents and engineered filtration with more innovative and emerging remediation solutions for PFASs. While in situ soil stabilization is a promising technique, ongoing research and development is being conducted to evaluate the longevity of fixation amidst circumneutral pH and biotransformation, which may enhance PFAS dissolution. Remediation of PFAS source zones and the associated groundwater plumes presently requires multiple technologies to protect human health in a cost-conscious manner.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): Analytical and Characterization Frontiers
TerMaath, S., J. Field, and C. Higgins.
SERDP & ESTCP Webinar Series, 28 Jan 2016.

The three presentations in this webinar include "PFAS: An Air Force Perspective" (TerMaath); "Characterizing Fluorochemicals in AFFF-Contaminated Groundwater at Military Sites" (Field); and "Understanding the Transport of Perfluorochemicals in Groundwater at AFFF-Impacted Sites" (Higgins).

Perfluorinated Chemicals: Analytics, Occurrence, and Treatment
Shoemaker, J., M. Mills, and T. Speth.
Challenges and Treatment Solutions for Small Water Systems, 27 September 2016

With an emphasis on PFOA and PFOS, the first of three talks on perfluorinated compounds covers the approach, performance data, holding time studies, and contamination issues for EPA's analytical method. The second talk focuses on source water issues, including the impact of wastewater effluents. The third talk covers what is known from the literature regarding PFOA and PFOS treatment for the technologies commonly employed by drinking water facilities.

PFAS Removal in Drinking Water Treatment Systems
Speth, T. and J. Burkhardt. | EPA Tools & Resources Training Webinar Series, 35 slides, 2020

This webinar provides an overview of issues with removing PFAS from drinking water and EPA models that are available free to the public. The information generated from the models provides states and utilities with a better understanding of the fundamentals of carbon adsorption and what that means to the operation, performance, and costs associated with the technology. The first part of the webinar covers the background treatment issues. The second portion of the webinar is a step-by-step tutorial on how to download and run the models. More information from EPA's Drinking Water Treatability Database; EPA's Environmental Technologies Design Option Tool

Events

PFAS Workshop: Translating Research to Policies That Protect Public Health and the Environment
UC Berkeley Superfund Research Program, 7 Jun 2024.

The workshop shared findings and discussed how they could inform policies to protect public health and the environment in three areas:

• PFAS Quantification, Breakdown Products, Unknowns, and Environmental Fate and Transformation
• Analyses of Community Water Systems and Domestic Well Households and Understanding PFAS Source Threats to Drinking Water
• Health Effects and Regulatory Standards for PFAS

Podcasts

PFAS Podcast Series: SERDP and ESTCP Research and Demonstrations
Guillette, T., SERDP & ESTCP Project ER23-7692, 2023

This podcast series focuses on SERDP and ESTCP research and demonstrations that address PFAS in the environment. The podcasts highlight three primary topics: remediation, fate and transport, and ecotoxicity. In the first season, a broad panel of experts who have each contributed to the growing knowledge base around remediating this emerging chemical of concern will be interviewed. As the podcasts are published, they will be available for users. For a list of upcoming podcasts and to listen to previous podcasts, see https://serdp-estcp.org/projects/details/d8fdde05-10b6-43d4-a4d3-2a1a60329392