AI Article Synopsis

  • Research on PFAS is growing, but data on contamination in the U.S. remains incomplete and uneven across various facilities.
  • The paper focuses on PFAS releases from three main types of sites: AFFF discharge sites, certain industrial facilities, and PFAS-containing waste sites.
  • By combining various geocoded datasets, the study identifies over 57,000 potential PFAS contamination sites across the U.S., enabling quicker identification of exposure sources for governments, industries, and communities.

Article Abstract

While research and regulatory attention to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has increased exponentially in recent years, data are uneven and incomplete about the scale, scope, and severity of PFAS releases and resulting contamination in the United States. This paper argues that in the absence of high-quality testing data, around three types of facilities: (1) fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) discharge sites, (2) certain industrial facilities, and (3) sites related to PFAS-containing waste. While data are incomplete on all three types of presumptive PFAS contamination sites, we integrate available geocoded, nationwide data sets into a single map of presumptive contamination sites in the United States, identifying 57,412 sites of presumptive PFAS contamination: 49,145 industrial facilities, 4,255 wastewater treatment plants, 3,493 current or former military sites, and 519 major airports. This conceptual approach allows governments, industries, and communities to rapidly and systematically identify potential exposure sources.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9648201PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00502DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

pfas contamination
12
presumptive contamination
8
united states
8
three types
8
industrial facilities
8
presumptive pfas
8
contamination sites
8
sites
6
pfas
5
contamination
5

Similar Publications

Plasma, milk and tissue samples were collected from 30 dairy cattle (0.4 to 8.9 years of age) with lifetime exposures to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) removed from a PFAS-contaminated farm and provided PFAS-free feed and water.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Predicting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances removal in pilot-scale granular activated carbon adsorbers from rapid small-scale column tests.

AWWA Water Sci

March 2024

Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North, Carolina State University, Raleigh, North, Carolina, USA.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occur widely in drinking water, and consumption of contaminated drinking water is an important human exposure route. Granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption can effectively remove PFAS from water. To support the design of GAC treatment systems, a rapid bench-scale testing procedure and scale-up approach are needed to assess the effects of GAC type, background water matrix, and empty bed contact time (EBCT) on GAC use rates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sources and Pathways of PFAS Occurrence in Water Sources: Relative Contribution of Land-Applied Biosolids in an Agricultural Dominated Watershed.

Environ Sci Technol

January 2025

Department of Agronomy, Ecological Sciences & Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Purdue University, 915 Mitch Daniels Blvd, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.

This study evaluated PFAS occurrence in rural well water and surface water relative to land application of biosolids in a tile-drained agriculture-dominated watershed. Spatial data were used to identify potentially vulnerable rural wells based on their proximity to biosolid-permitted land and location with respect to groundwater flow. Water was collected from 103 private wells in Greater Tippecanoe County Indiana and 168 surface water locations within the Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River watershed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants previously used for industrial purposes as a non-stick coating and flame retardant. The stability of these molecules prevents their breakdown, which results in ground water contamination across the globe. Perfluoroalkyl substances molecules are known to bioaccumulate in various organisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are contaminants that can lead to adverse health effects in aquatic organisms, including reproductive toxicity and developmental abnormalities. To assess the ecological health risk of PFAS in Pennsylvania stream surface water, we conducted a comprehensive analysis that included both measured and predicted estimates. The potential combined exposure effects of 14 individual PFAS to aquatic biota were estimated using the sum of exposure-activity ratios (ΣEARs) in 280 streams.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!