Understanding Per – and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Dragun Corporation has significant experience in understanding, assessment, management, and remediation of PFAS chemicals. Our associates have been interviewed, written, and presented on this emerging environmental issue. In this video, we combine our three introductory PFAS educational videos. For more information, see our PFAS Resources Page https://www.dragun.com/pfas-resources/ or contact our office at 248-932-0228.

There are about 3000 PFAS Chemicals - they have a chain of carbon atoms and each of those carbon atoms have a multiple fluorine atoms attached to them. They were developed for their specific properties - resistance to oil, water, friction, and temperature.

You will find PFAS in just about anything that is stain or water resistant including jackets, boots, carpets, furniture upholstery, car seats, and more. Product with Teflon (C) such as fry pans and plumbing pipe wrap. PFAS are also found in consumer proeducts such as cosmetics and sunscreen.

PFAS is also found in certain fire-fighting foams containing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) or A triple F. This foam is used to fight fuel-related fires. AFFF is used at airports, gasoline stations, military bases, and chemical manufacturers.

In Michigan, there are a number of high-profile sites with PFAS contamination including military bases and manufacturing companies. Because of the Flint, Michigan issue (lead in drinking water) there is a lot of sensitivity with any human health or environmental issue.

In 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has a lifetime health advisory of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) - a combination of PFOA and PFOS. That is not enforceable it is only an advisory level for PFAS. Currently the USEPA has not established a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS.

We still do not know the human health concerns associated with PFAS. Some of the potential issues are developmental, immune, reproductive and potentially cancer. Also, we don't know what potential synergistic effects are (i.e., exposure to multiple PFAS chemicals).

Many states are taking the lead in establishing their own PFAS criteria.

There are a couple of important differences with respect to how PFAS behave in the environment verses some of the more traditional environmental contaminants. First, PFAS are very soluble, they go into the water phase and travel with the water, so they are very mobile. Because PFAS don't stick to the soil, like some other environmental contaminants, they may move faster in the plume than TCE, or BTEX, for instance. Second, PFAS are persistent because the carbon-florine bond is difficult to break. Finally, PFAS are bioaccumulative. So if someone is exposed to PFAS in drinking water, for example, it would build up in their fat cells. Repeated exposure to PFAS would continue to build up in the body.

Because we are testing PFAS chemicals in the part per trillion range and PFAS are so prominent in consumer products, it's easy to negatively impact the samples. So, when we (Dragun) sample for PFAS, we keep those products that may contain PFAS out of the system. So cosmetics, sunscreens, teflon, etc.. cannot be used when sampling for PFAS.

A couple of considerations with PFAS remediation. First, there currently no good ways to break PFAS down "in the ground." This means the water has to be pumped out of the ground and the PFAS is then address. Most commonly, activated carbon is used to remediate the PFAS. The "spent carbon" must then be incinerated. The other way PFAS is addressed after it is pumped to the surface is through ion exchange.