Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) do not just linger in our waterways — they cling to microplastics, enter our agricultural crops, and quietly infiltrate the human food chain. ISTC scientists are exposing these hidden contamination pathways while developing cost-effective, sustainable technologies to capture PFAS from polluted water and destroy them.
PFAS Research
- Hydrothermal Destruction of PFAS during Designer Biochar Reactivation
- Plant Uptake and Mitigation of PFAS
Past Projects
- An Investigation of Microplastics as a Carrier for Perfluorinated Compounds into Great Lakes Food Webs (2021) – Researchers found that biofilms that grow on microplastics enhance microplastics’ ability to absorb chemical pollutants such as PFAS.
- Cobalt-catalyzed Defluorination of Branched Perfluorinated Compounds (2019) – Researchers from the University of California at Riverside investigated biological and chemical degradation of PFAS. ISTC led the outreach effort for this work.
What is PFAS?
PFAS is a group of man-made compounds that mainly contain carbon-fluorine bonds. Other chemical names for this group include perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), perfluoroalkyls, perfluorinated alkyl acids, and long-chain perfluorinated chemicals. PFAS are used in hundreds of consumer and industrial applications, including in carpeting, apparel, upholstery, and food paper wrappings for stain resistance. They are also used in cooking for non-stick surfaces on pans. In addition, PFAS are used in foams for fire-fighting and in the metal plating industry to suppress fumes during the chrome plating of automotive bumpers, wheels, and other parts.
Common PFAS
Some common PFAS include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).
Potential Health and Environmental Risks
While their usefulness makes PFAS hard to live without, they also have a few downsides. PFAS are resistant to degradation and are very persistent in the environment. They have been shown to bioaccumulate (concentrations increase in blood and organs over time). Previous studies have associated PFAS with adverse health effects such as higher cholesterol, low birth weight, delayed onset of puberty, and reduced immunologic response to vaccines in animals, as well as cancer, liver disease, and other health problems.
People can be exposed to PFAS through drinking water if their water source is contaminated with PFAS. In fact, the U.S. EPA has issued a 70 parts per trillion (ng/L) health advisory level for PFOA and PFOS. A health advisory is a non-regulatory notice to state agencies that provides technical information on the health effects, analytical methods, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contaminants. EPA’s health advisories are based on the best available peer-reviewed studies of the effects of PFOA and PFOS on laboratory animals (rats and mice) and are also informed by epidemiological studies of human populations exposed to PFAS.
People can also be exposed to PFAS by eating food prepared, packaged, or processed with equipment that contains PFAS, or by eating food grown in soil or water contaminated with PFAS. PFAS can also be an occupational health hazard if someone works in a PFAS production facility or uses PFAS in the production process. Firefighters who use foam fire suppressants will also be exposed to PFAS.
Resources
- PFAS Explained – U.S. EPA
- PFAS Fact Sheets – Interstate Technology Regulatory Council
- ISTC produced seminars about PFAS