PFAS

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a group of approximately 5,000 human-made chemicals that are manufactured for their oil and water-resistant properties. Since the 1940s, PFAS have been used in a wide range of consumer products, industrial processes, and in some fire-fighting foams (called aqueous film-forming foam or AFFF). This has resulted in PFAS being released into the air, water and soil.

Only since the start of the 21st century has the environmental impact and toxicity to human and mammalian life of PFASs been studied in depth. PFOS, PFOA and other PFASs are known to persist in the environment and are commonly described as persistent organic pollutants, also known as "forever chemicals". Once consumed, they build up in human tissue and organs and do not break down. They have been shown to be non biodegradable and thus, once released into the environment, they do not break down. 

Residues have been detected in humans and wildlife, prompting concern. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, PFAS exposure is linked to increased risk of decreased antibody response(disease fighting), dyslipidemia (abnormally high cholesterol), decreased infant and fetal growth, and increased risk of kidney cancer. Health concerns related to PFASs have resulted in numerous litigations. In 2021, Maine became the first U.S. state to ban these compounds in all products by 2030, except in instances deemed "currently unavoidable".

It was previously estimated that 110 million Americans could have PFAS in their drinking water. However, recent studies suggest that the actual number is sadly much higher.

On August 26, 2022, EPA issued a proposal to designate two of the most widely used PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, or Superfund. This rulemaking would increase transparency around releases of these harmful chemicals and help to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up their contamination.

Wasteline is prepared to guide our customers in PFAS awareness, developing action plans to address detection (testing), treatment and clean up options, training, and future needs.  

 All too often, the perceived solution to an environmental water contamination problem like PFAS in drinking water is to “throw money at it” – replace water supplies and existing treatment systems with new, more effective, but more expensive, and often centralized systems. 

For example, a contaminated well for a rural house or ranch is found: the solution often pushed is to create or expand a rural water supply system at a cost of millions of dollars in design and construction followed by perpetual maintenance and repair of the system, all with large-ticket costs. 

WASTELINE and our clients have found that sometimes the best solution is a simple one: for example, treating the contaminated well water AT the well or at the point of use. This requires considering the total costs, both immediate and lifetime, of the solutions AND the exposure to further risk of contamination, interruption, loss of funding, and other issues. A well producing a few hundred or thousand gallons a day for use by a typical rural residence, farm, or ranch – or even a business – may have its water treated and protected by proven, established technologies that are relatively inexpensive and offer the advantages of minimal and easily performed maintenance and management for a rancher, farmer, or rural resident.