As part of a greater government push for scientific funding of PFAS research, many projects have captured my interest. I’m here to share one of them with you today. Recently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $250K to Dr. Onur Apul, assistant professor of environmental engineering from the University of Maine, to study how… Continue reading Eliminating PFAS from Used GAC Water Filters
Category: PFAS
MA Firefighters Sue 3M and DuPont
In February 2022, firefighters from towns throughout Massachusetts, including Worcester and Boston, sued chemical companies 3M and DuPont. The 15 firefighters allege that these chemical companies have manufactured PFAS-containing products for firefighting use that, unbeknownst to firefighters, expose them to negative health effects. All of the firefighters mentioned in the lawsuit developed cancer, with most… Continue reading MA Firefighters Sue 3M and DuPont
Household PFAS Treatment
As the PFAS issue becomes more prevalent in national news, an increasing amounts of homeowners want to mitigate the threat of PFAS in their water supply. Even though fluorocarbons have many different forms, there are general PFAS solutions for drinking water that exist for the average homeowner. I’ll go over which viable solutions exist, and… Continue reading Household PFAS Treatment
EPA National Testing Strategy
In October 2021, the EPA developed a new national testing strategy for PFAS that attempts to bypass some difficulties in screening for the thousands of PFAS in the environment. The EPA is now adopting a strategy of categorizing PFAS according to chemical structure and toxicity. In categorizing PFAS, EPA hopes to select a few specific… Continue reading EPA National Testing Strategy
My Opinion on the New EPA PFAS Advisory Limits
Hello, blog! It’s been a while since I last posted, and I apologize for my absence. In these past six months, a few notable events have happened with PFAS, the most notable of which is the new EPA advisory limits. On June 15th, 2022, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new drinking water advisory… Continue reading My Opinion on the New EPA PFAS Advisory Limits
Tutorial: How to collect home samples for EPA Method 537!
Last Monday (January 22, 2024), I collected water samples for LC-MS lab tests as part of my PFAS detection method research. Two (drinking water) of my five samples are to be processed through EPA Method 537. Today, having performed multiple sample collections, I would like to walk my readers through the process of collecting water… Continue reading Tutorial: How to collect home samples for EPA Method 537!
PFAS in Food?
PFAS has multiple pathways into the human body, including food, water, breathing, and (rarely) skin contact. Originating from the industrial manufacturing sector and our environment by proxy, PFASs have found their way into our bodies, mainly through food and water that have been contaminated in a variety of ways. PFAS pollution is directly related to… Continue reading PFAS in Food?
PFAS End of Year Recap – the current situation
This year, PFAS has experienced a monumental rise in media coverage and public attention. Due to the PFAS-conscious policies of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) requiring PFAS testing, many towns found dangerous PFAS levels in their water sources. By May, around 20% of tested public wells contained above-regulation PFAS levels. Communities scrambled to… Continue reading PFAS End of Year Recap – the current situation
Hanscom AFB – A Potential Source of PFAS in Massachusetts?
Hanscom Air Force Base is an Air Force base located in Bedford, Massachusetts, and is the headquarters for the Massachusetts National Guard. Hanscom AFB also hosts non-military activities, including firefighting training that may use aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), which have been mentioned earlier to contain PFAS [1]. To summarize what has been presented in previous… Continue reading Hanscom AFB – A Potential Source of PFAS in Massachusetts?
PFAS Problem in Small Towns: A Case Study
Wellesley, Massachusetts is a small suburb located approximately 12 miles away from Boston that I live in. Currently, Wellesley is facing a PFAS crisis that threatens its water supply and is likely to raise taxes for its residents. On Thursday, December 16, 2021, the Wellesley Department of Public Works (DPW) held a public forum presenting… Continue reading PFAS Problem in Small Towns: A Case Study