GAO: More Data Needed on PFAS Impacts on Water Systems
GAO: More Data Needed on PFAS Impacts on Water Systems
Abstract
August 8, 2022 Pam McFarland KEYWORDS environmental remediation / GAO / PFAS Order Reprints No Comments A lack of data is hindering efforts to adequately address the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on drinking water and the broader environment, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last month. One of the report's authors, Karen Howard, director of science and technology assessment at GAO, told ENR, "There's so much we need to learn in order to make data-informed decisions on what to do about PFAS." Some PFAS chemicals are known to be carcinogenic, but little is known about how many of the thousands of different PFAS substances are hazardous to human health, and at what levels. Some methods to screen for or quantify unknown PFAS are under development, including use of high-resolution mass spectrometry and total fluorine analysis. "We don't fully understand what happens to PFAS in the body, we don't understand what levels are actually harmful. And EPA is trying to figure out what those levels should be under a great deal of external pressure with not enough data." Remediation ChallengesThe primary methods for treating PFAS typically involve removing PFAS from contaminated soil or water, then disposing it in landfills or incinerating it. "The first step in improving the ability to regulate and manage PFAS waste is in the development of robust and reliable analytical methods that can provide confidence when measuring PFAS before and after treatment or disposal. This will provide the basis that regulators and facilities need to determine the appropriateness and protectiveness of FPAS waste management options." The three primary methods to treat PFAS in drinking water-granular activated carbon, ion-exchange, and reverse osmosis-are effective, but each comes with its own disadvantages. All of them concentrate PFAS in waste that itself must be safely destroyed, the GAO report noted. All of these emerging technologies completely break down PFAS and are being piloted.
