Understanding, Controlling, and Preventing Exposure to PFAS Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief (2020) / Chapter Skim
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Understanding, Controlling, and Preventing Exposure to PFAS: Proceedings of a Workshop - in Brief
Understanding, Controlling, and Preventing Exposure to PFAS: Proceedings of a Workshop - in Brief
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Although discussions touched on the potential health effects of PFAS exposures, the focus of the 1.5 day workshop was on opportunities to understand and prevent PFAS exposures rather than on elucidating their health effects. The workshop was organized by the Workshop Planning Committee on Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment -- a Systems Approach to Exploring Exposure and Identifying Opportunities for Leadership as the first event of the Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI)
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UNDERSTANDING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO PFAS Exposure encompasses what people are exposed to in their environment and how much is being absorbed into their bodies. Understanding human exposure is important in mitigating health effects, yet there are substantial data gaps regarding which PFAS people are exposed to, at what level, from which sources, and through which routes and pathways.
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It would be a great thing to do." Participants discussed the implications of studies showing substantial amounts of unidentified organoflourines (the common chemical structure in PFAS in blood, environmental media, and consumer products.13,14 While all PFAS are organofluorines, non-PFAS organofluorines also exist; Webster argued that characterizing the unidentified organoflourines is the single most important scientific question in the field right now. Experts had different views on whether research resources would be better allocated to untargeted studies of total human exposure to organoflourine (which would provide a big picture of PFAS exposure and could inform mitigation of PFAS as a class of chemicals)
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Potential Actions to Improve Treatment Capabilities Samet and Philip Johnson, The Heinz Endowments, moderated a discussion of strategies to improve treatment capabilities. Deeb was joined by panelists Jason Dadakis, Orange County Water District; Detlef Knappe, North Carolina 4
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Monitoring Contamination PFAS contamination is found in a variety of environmental media but is most actively monitored and treated in drinking water. Although Higgins, Martha Rudolph, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, and others cautioned against focusing on PFAS in drinking water at the expense of examining the full range of exposure sources, other participants offered concrete suggestions for improving water monitoring.
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And allow us to help you find solutions." Participants explored the public's role in three main areas: monitoring water, monitoring PFAS exposure in the body, and increasing transparency regarding PFAS content in consumer products. Pennell suggested that people would benefit from access to "some type of system where they can get their water tested." Dadakis underscored the importance of being transparent with water customers and noted that professional associations have useful guidance for utilities; Johnson argued that homeowners should also be provided with guidance on actions they can take.
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Davies outlined how alternatives assessments can be used "We have to identify when the functionality is to identify, compare, and select safer alternatives to PFAS for actually critical, and when it's just a ‘nice to have.' I new products. As opposed to risk assessment, which focuses think that's an important conversation." – Carla Ng on quantifying hazards associated with exposures, "the idea of alternatives assessment is to reduce risk by reducing intrinsic "We should [ensure]
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Field, Webster, and Lohmann emphasized that data on PFAS production are critical to both measuring human exposures and assessing PFAS in the environment. Field pointed out that researchers could potentially take a "reverse engineering" approach to determine products' chemistry composition or reconstruct historical PFAS use, but she said that such studies would likely be expensive and noted that they would ultimately be paid for by taxpayers.
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Mechanisms for Limiting PFAS Participants discussed regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms for limiting PFAS use or environmental "If we set a firm direction that this is where contamination. At the federal level, Harriman said PFAS "are we need to go, and government says ‘we're unregulated at this point." Although EPA has proposed a presuming we're going to get there,' this will unleash […]
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Participants surfaced numerous ideas for better understanding PFAS production, use, and exposure through expanded research efforts, as well as action on the part of industry and governments. They also identified opportunities to address PFAS contamination where it is already present in the environment and strategies to curtail future PFAS exposures by limiting the production and use of these chemicals.
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EPA) Use a "reverse engineering" approach to determine products' chemistry composition or reconstruct historical PFAS use Researchers Characterizing Conduct biomonitoring studies, such as untargeted studies of total organoflourine exposure and targeted studies to Researchers human exposures characterize exposure to specific compounds Industry Research Funders Conduct a comprehensive study to systematically examine exposure in populations at different times and places Researchers Identifying sources Conduct environmental monitoring studies, especially for newer PFAS compounds Researchers and routes of exposure Test public water, private wells, and water sources Utilities Researchers Communities Investigate non-water routes of exposure, especially dietary and dermal exposures Researchers Characterize PFAS sources, including potential emissions from treatment strategies Researchers Characterize how compounds interact, how long PFAS persist in various media, and how it moves Researchers Listen to communities to understand how exposures may occur Researchers Communities Expanding Provide funding for studies and tool development Research funders (government and exposure research philanthropic)
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REVIEWERS: To ensure that this Proceedings of a Workshop -- in Brief meets institutional standards of quality and objectivity, it was reviewed in draft form by Darrell Boverhof, The Dow Chemical Company; Rula Deeb, Geosyntec Consultants; Rainer Lohmann, The University of Rhode Island; Jonathan Samet, Colorado School of Public Health; Tom Webster, Boston University School of Public Health; and Xiaoying Zhou, California Environmental Protection Agency. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
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