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PFAS — Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

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PFAS Home Page
About ITRC
Navigating This Website
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 and Products
2.6 PFAS Releases to the Environment
3 Firefighting Foams
3 Firefighting Foams Overview
3.1 Foam Formulations
3.2 AFFF Characteristics
3.3 Mechanisms for Release to the Environment
3.4 AFFF Fate and Transport
3.5 Forensic Analysis of AFFF
3.6 AFFF Procurement and Inventory
3.7 Foam Systems and Operations
3.8 Emergency Firefighting Operations
3.9 Immediate Investigative and Cleanup Actions
3.10 AFFF Disposal
3.11 Firefighting Foam System Replacement
3.12 Federal, State and International Regulations and Guidance
3.13 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, Sediment, and Biosolids
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 Risk Assessment
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 Forensics and Source Identification
11 Sampling and Analysis
11 Sampling and Analysis Overview
11.1 Sampling
11.2 Analytical Methods/Techniques
11.3 Data Evaluation
11.4 Source Identification
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 Air Treatment Technologies
12.6 Limited Application and Developing Liquids Treatment Technologies
12.7 Limited Application and Developing Solids Treatment Technologies
12.8 Integrated Water Treatment Solutions
12.9 Sustainability of PFAS Treatment
12.10 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
15.5 Surface Water Quality Case Studies
16 Surface Water Quality
16 Surface Water Quality
16.1    Introduction
16.2 Protection of Human Health
16.3 Protection of Biota
16.4 Sampling and Analysis
16.5 Surface Water Foam
16.6 Effluent Limits for PFAS
16.7 Surface Water/Groundwater Interaction
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
References
Acronyms
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Team Contacts
Document Feedback
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PFAS — Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
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Glossary

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  • Particles in which long hydrocarbon tails, repelled by the water molecules and attracted to each other, make up the interior, whereas the negatively charged heads coat the surface and interact with the surrounding water molecules and positive ions (Ege 1999).
  • The breakdown of a chemical compound into its constituent elements and carbon dioxide and water.
  • A specific group of atoms within a molecule that is responsible for characteristic chemical reactions of that molecule (Helmenstine 2019).
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