PFAS Management Support

There has been a great deal of attention over the past few years related to the chemical class known as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large and complicated class of compounds that occur in mixtures. Since the EPA’s 2016 adoption of health advisory drinking water levels for PFAS, PFAS have re-emerged as a contaminant of concern at scores of sites across the country. The most recent focus has been on the long chain PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) PFAS compounds. These longer-chained PFAS are more toxic and persistent in environments and are subject to bioaccumulation (plants, animals, and humans.)

PFAS have been used to make household and commercial products that resist heat and chemical reactions, and repel oil, stains, grease, and water, such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, water-repellant clothing, paper and cardboard food packaging, and fire-fighting foams since the 1960s. Industries that may interact with PFAS include military, firefighting, aerospace, automotive, building and construction, and electronics, among numerous others.

With the EPA positioned to take serious action on PFAS soon, regulators in many states have already begun implementing measures of their own while state and federal courts are beginning to address legal issues surrounding this emerging contaminant. These changes mean new potential liabilities and consequences for organizations that manufacture, use, or sell PFAS or PFAS-containing products, and the time to take action to protect your operations is now.

Yet despite your best efforts, it can be difficult to find trustworthy, current information on what regulations are out there are what to do to remain compliant--even the EPA and state web pages can have gaps or be outdated (though our favorite references are ITRC and ASDWA, both updated regularly.) Plus, some states want PFAS investigated even without formal standards, and Antea Group has recently seen states require testing for PFAS as part of baseline groundwater characterization. But even if you fully understand the risk and regulatory changes, you still have to know how to assess, sample, and clean up impacted sites.

For over a decade, we have been supporting clients and working with regulators on understanding the sources and behavior of PFAS and their precursors in the environment. We have been providing sound science on matters surrounding PFAS management, PFAS fate and transport properties, remedial options, and expert testimony for our clients’ most challenging projects, all while maintaining strict confidentiality.

The scale of our work has ranged from isolated confined sites of less than an acre and a handful of samples, to regional projects encompassing hundreds of square miles and thousands of groundwater, surface water, soil and sediment samples. Due to this breadth of experience, we have a unique advantage in understanding land use activities that result in PFAS accumulation, quality assured sampling techniques, and unique insight into groundwater/surface water interactions in PFAS distributions. We are also actively evaluating new PFAS-focused remediation options that have been bench- and field-tested in the US and abroad and are committed to demonstrating performance of these new technologies to better serve our clients.

This kind of expertise helps us help our clients prevent liability, save money on containment and treatment costs, avoid investigations, and most importantly, prevent significant business disruptions.

• Regulatory Negotiation
• Multimedia Sampling
• Degradation Monitoring and Half-Life Calculations
• PFAS Remediation Solutions (including Source Removal, Carbon Adsorption, Reverse Osmosis, Chemical Oxidation and Ion Exchange) 
• Closure Documents

This whitepaper provides readers with an overview of the wide range of manufactured products that contain PFAS and highlights some of the latest regulatory requirements for sampling, investigation, and discovery of PFAS compounds.