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PFAS — Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

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Navigating This Website
About ITRC
Fact Sheets
1 Introduction
2 Naming Conventions and Use
2 PFAS Chemistry and Naming Conventions, History and Use of PFAS, and Sources of PFAS Releases to the Environment overview
2.1 Environmental Significance
2.2 Chemistry, Terminology, and Acronyms
2.3 Emerging Health and Environmental Concerns
2.4 PFAS Reductions and Alternative PFAS Formulations
2.5 PFAS Uses
2.6 PFAS Releases to the Environment
3 Firefighting Foams
3 Firefighting Foams Overview
3.1 Foam Formulations
3.2 Mechanisms for Release to the Environment
3.3 AFFF Procurement and Inventory
3.4 Foam Systems and Operations
3.5 Emergency Firefighting Operations
3.6 Immediate Investigative and Cleanup Actions
3.7 Treatment and Disposal
3.8 Firefighting Foam System Replacement
3.9 Federal, State, and International Regulations and Guidance
3.10 Foam Research and Development
4 Physical and Chemical Properties
4 Physical and Chemical Properties Overview
4.1 Challenges and Limitations Related to PFAS Physical and Chemical Properties
4.2 Physical Properties
4.3 Chemical Properties
5 Fate and Transport
5 Environmental Fate and Transport Processes Overview
5.1 Fate and Transport Introduction
5.2 Phase Partitioning
5.3 Media-Specific Migration Processes
5.4 Transformations
5.5 PFAS Uptake into Aquatic Organisms
5.6 PFAS Uptake into Plants
6 Occurrence
6 Media-Specific Occurrence Overview
6.1 Air
6.2 Soil and Sediment
6.3 Groundwater
6.4 Surface Water
6.5 Biota
7 Health Effects
7 Human and Ecological Health Effects of select PFAS Overview
7.1 Human Health Effects
7.2 Ecological Toxicology
8 Basis of Regulations
8 Basis of Regulations Overview
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Regulatory Programs
8.3 Differences in the Available Regulations, Advisories, and Guidance Regulatory
9 Site Risk Assessment
9 Site Risk Assessment Overview
9.1 Human Health
9.2 Ecological Risk Assessment
9.3 Uncertainty
10 Site Characterization
10 Site Characterization Overview
10.1 Site Characterization Issues Relevant to PFAS
10.2 Initial Steps
10.3 Site Investigation
10.4 Data Analysis and Interpretation
10.5 Source Identification
11 Sampling and Analysis
11 Sampling and Analytical Methods Overview
11.1 Sampling
11.2 Analytical Methods/Techniques
11.3 Data Evaluation
12 Treatment Technologies
12 Treatment Technologies Overview
12.1 Overview
12.2 Field-Implemented Liquids Treatment Technologies
12.3 Field-Implemented Solids Treatment Technologies
12.4 Incineration
12.5 Limited Application and Developing Liquids Treatment Technologies
12.6 Limited Application and Developing Solids Treatment Technologies
12.7 Integrated Remedial Solutions
12.8 Sustainability of PFAS Treatment
12.9 Improving Evaluation of PFAS Treatment Technologies
13 Stakeholder Perspectives
13 Stakeholder Perspectives Overview
13.1 Stakeholder Concerns
13.2 Specific Tribal Stakeholder Concerns
13.3 Stakeholder Resources
14 Risk Communication
14 Risk Communication Overview
14.1 Role of Risk Perception: Public Stakeholders and Decision Makers
14.2 Risk Communication Challenges
14.3 Risk Communication Planning and Engagement Tools
15 Case Studies
15 Case Studies Overview
15.1 Site Characterization Case Studies
15.2 Treatment Case Studies
15.3 Risk Assessment Case Study
15.4 Risk Communication Case Studies
Additional Information
16 References
17 Additional Information
17 Additional Information Overview
17.1 Additional Information for Media-Specific Occurrence
17.2 Additional Information for Human Health Effects
17.3 Additional Information for Risk Assessment
Acronyms
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Team Contacts
Document Feedback

 

PFAS — Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
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2 PFAS Chemistry and Naming Conventions, History and Use of PFAS, and Sources of PFAS Releases to the Environment

The PFAS Team developed two training module videos with content related to this section, they are the Naming Conventions and Physical and Chemical Properties  video and the Production, Uses, Sources and Site Characterization video.

 

PFAS chemistry was discovered in the late 1930s. Since the 1950s, many products commonly used by consumers and industry have been manufactured with or from PFAS, as the unique physical and chemical properties of PFAS impart oil, water, stain, and soil repellency, chemical and thermal stability, and friction reduction to a range of products. These products have application in many industries, including the aerospace, semiconductor, medical, automotive, construction, electronics, and aviation industries, as well as in consumer products (such as carpets, clothing, furniture, outdoor equipment, food packaging), and firefighting applications (3M Company 1999a; Buck et al. 2011; KEMI 2015a; USEPA 2017b).

The number of PFAS and their uses have expanded over the years. It has been estimated that the PFAS family may include approximately 5,000–10,000 chemicals (USEPA 2018i). A recent inventory of PFAS identified Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Numbers for more than 4,700 PFAS that could have been, or may be, on the global market (OECD 2018), although the uses of each of these PFAS may not be known (KEMI 2015a). Publicly available health and toxicity studies are limited to only a small fraction of these PFAS, and modern commercially available analytical technologies typically identify only about 20–30 PFAS.

Scientific, regulatory, and public concerns have emerged about potential health and environmental impacts associated with chemical production, product manufacture and use, and disposal of PFAS-containing wastes. These concerns have led to efforts to reduce the use of or replace certain PFAS, such as the two most widely produced, commonly encountered, and most studied compounds: perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (USEPA 2016e; WA DER 2017).

The objective of this section is to lay a foundation for identifying potential PFAS sources in the environment.

Section Number Topic
2.1 Environmental Significance
2.2 Chemistry, Terminology, and Acronyms
2.3 Emerging Health and Environmental Concerns
2.4 PFAS Reductions and Alternative PFAS Formulations
2.5 PFAS Uses
2.6 PFAS Releases to the Environment

Updated Sepetember 2020.

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