What Have We Done

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) do not occur in nature, they are an entirely synthetic substance. Yet, most people in the United States have been exposed to PFAS and have PFAS in their blood, especially perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). On March 14, 2023, EPA announced the proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six PFAS including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). EPA anticipates finalizing the regulation by the end of 2023.

There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. This category of chemical has been widely used for over 80 years mainly for their ability to repel oil, grease, water, and heat. PFOS and PFOA found in Scotch Guard and an ingredient in Teflon and traditional Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) - the Class B firefighting foam used to fight aviation and other chemical fires -were the first to become widely commercially successful.

After AFFF is deployed in an emergency or training exercise, it can seep into the ground, or flow to the storm drain system and contaminate soil, surface water and groundwater. Then there was the waste water from the manufacture of flame retardants, Teflon, Gortex, Scotch guard and other coating that was buried, ponded or simply released into streams. PFAS began to spread in the environment.

Then onto consumer products. Spray coatings to cans and food packaging. Wash water from light manufacturing or processing. Treatments for fabrics. The companies that applied the stain resistant and flame resistant treatments to carpeting, upholstery, clothing sent their waste water to the waste water treatment plants which cannot remove PFAS. Food with PFAS containing packaging picked up traces of PFAS and it was passed onto people that way, too.

The PFAS ended up in the effluent and the biosolids. The reach and spread of PFAS was increased because effluent from wastewater treatment is released to rivers and used as source water for drinking water. Out it went to rivers and streams ultimately to the oceans. Fish and seafood were exposed to PFAS through the waste water effluent as were we. The Occoquan receives up to 40 million gallons a day of treated waste water from UOSA. Waste water treatment also generates biosolids which became contaminated with PFAS. Biosolids were land applied and buried in landfills. Animals grazed on the land, food grown on the land picked up some of the PFAS and passed traces into food. People passed it onto other wastewater treatment plants and the circle widened.

When our analytical methods were less precise and PFAS had less time to permeate our environments, we used to think that only people living near the industrial manufactures of PFAS, their industrial waste disposal sites  or airports were exposed. The ability to measure parts per trillion disabused us of that belief.

We discovered that we are all exposed to PFAS in everyday life. Stain-resistant carpeting, nonstick cookware, grease- and water-proof food packaging, fabric softeners, waterproof clothing, cosmetics, and through our diet and water. These forever chemicals are washed out of our clothing, carpeting, pans, skin and end up in our wastewater. There are numerous sources of exposure including: industrial emissions, PFAS-containing consumer products, contaminated drinking and surface water, house dust and food.

Though very water soluble, PFAS are resistant to degradation and simply flow through the wastewater treatment plant or septic leach field. PFAS remains in the biosolids and effluent. That is how it has spread through out society.

Though PFOS and PFOA have been eliminated from production, exposure to them is still occurring. All of the PFOS and PFOA ever manufactured is out there still circulating in the hydrologic cycle. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (part of the NIH): “People are most likely exposed to these chemicals by consuming PFAS-contaminated water or food, using products made with PFAS, or breathing air containing PFAS. Because PFAS break down slowly, if at all, people and animals are repeatedly exposed to them, and blood levels of some PFAS can build up over time.”

One report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans. Even when/ or if the source of exposure is removed, measurable levels of PFASs may be detected in humans due to the relatively long half-life of these chemicals. The estimated half-life for PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS in humans ranges from 3.8 to 8.5 years.  

According to Fairfax Water diet is responsible for 66%-72% of exposures to PFOA and PFOS (the two chemicals that have been most widely studied). In some cases, they have also leached into both surface and groundwater. Water is responsible for 22%-25% of exposures. The carbon-fluorine (C-F) bond in PFAS is the strongest bond in chemistry which does not break down naturally in the environment. So, it persists. PFAS are very soluble in water. PFASs are resistant to degradation and, consequently, exposure to them is occurring long after they have been eliminated from production.

EPA expects that if the drinking water standard for PFAS is fully implemented, the rule will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses. One problem with this is researchers are still trying to understand how to safely dispose of materials that contain PFAS. Due to their strong chemical bonds, PFAS are difficult to destroy. In the past we tried burying them, flushed them down drains or into rivers and only managed to spread them throughout our society. We need to find better ways of disposing of the PFAS removed from water.  

EPA and other federal agencies’ researchers are doing tests to figure out the best ways to destroy and dispose of PFAS as well as effectively remove them from water. The agency is also working to understand how PFAS at a contaminated site may move into the nearby water, soil, or air. There is so much we still need to learn. Research is still ongoing to determine how different levels of exposure to different PFAS can lead to a variety of health effects, but the U.S EPA felt they had enough information to promulgate the regulatory level for some PFAS in drinking water. Research is also underway to better understand the health effects associated with low levels of exposure to PFAS over long periods of time, especially in children.

According to the U.S. EPA: “Current peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to:

• Reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women.
• Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
• Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
• Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response.
• Interference with the body’s natural hormones.
• Increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.”