Catalyzing Rapid Information Transfer Among Key Stakeholders on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) at Contaminated Military Sites
Dr. Jennifer Field | Oregon State University
ER-201574-T2
Objective
The overarching objective of this technology transfer project is to expedite the transfer of base knowledge for both types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) that occur at military sites as well as how they can be reliably measured in environmental media. Three target stakeholder audiences have been identified that ultimately interact with one another and share goals as well as barriers to state-of-the–art knowledge on PFASs at military sites. These three stakeholder groups include 1) remedial program managers (RPMs) within the Department of Defense (DoD), 2) contractors and consultants that support RPMs, and 3) vendor laboratories and commercial manufacturers of PFAS standards. A common goal of these three groups is the need to know which PFASs occur, and at what concentrations in environmental media (groundwater, sediment, soil, surface waters, biota) at military sites. RPMs, contractors, and consultants rely on the availability of robust, quality data on PFAS occurrence generated by vendor (commercial) laboratories for decision-making purposes. It is critical that timely information on PFASs in aqueous film-forming foam-contaminated media reaches these groups in near real-time and simultaneously.
Technology Description
The transfer of PFASs information to the target stakeholders in a timely fashion will be accomplished through the preparation of both an extended Reference Document and a succinct Frequently Asked Questions sheet, as well as dissemination of the information contained in these documents through videos (YouTube and the SERDP-ESTCP website), on-line workshops for RPMs, and on-site “hands-on” workshops for vendor (commercial) laboratories. These tools directly address the technology transfer need for the “Development of Standardized Methods by Contract Laboratories to Evaluate Presence of PFASs that are Present in Military Sites” as identified as a high priority by the Emerging Contaminants Workgroup through the SERDP and ESTCP Workshop on Long Term Management of Contaminated Groundwater Sites in 2013.
Benefits
The development of these technology transfer tools will result in:
- an improved basic PFAS knowledge and awareness of issues among RPMs and their support teams;
- better coordination between vendor laboratories and synthesis laboratories to bring requisite materials for quality data to market faster to support sites;
- better understanding of PFASs potentially present at sites, which will lead to better characterization of environmental media to aid in site characterization, PFAS source delineation, identification of the potential positive and negative consequences of remedial technologies that minimize the DoD’s future liabilities, such a preventing inadequate design of carbon-based drinking water treatment systems;
- better knowledge and implementation of analytical strategies, which may result in improved interactions with regulators asking for more data on PFAS contamination; and
- more efficient transfer of information from funded SERDP projects to RPMs and the consultant groups that support them.
(Anticipated Project Completion - 2018)
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator
Dr. Jennifer Field
Oregon State University
Phone: 541-737-2265
Fax: 541-737-0497