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Salvatore D, Mok K, Garrett KK, Poudrier G, Brown P, Birnbaum LS, Goldenman G, Miller MF, Patton S, Poehlein M, Varshavsky J, Cordner A. Presumptive Contamination: A New Approach to PFAS Contamination Based on Likely Sources. Environ Sci Technol Lett 2022; 9:983-990. [PMID: 36398312 PMCID: PMC9648201 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
While research and regulatory attention to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has increased exponentially in recent years, data are uneven and incomplete about the scale, scope, and severity of PFAS releases and resulting contamination in the United States. This paper argues that in the absence of high-quality testing data, PFAS contamination can be presumed around three types of facilities: (1) fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) discharge sites, (2) certain industrial facilities, and (3) sites related to PFAS-containing waste. While data are incomplete on all three types of presumptive PFAS contamination sites, we integrate available geocoded, nationwide data sets into a single map of presumptive contamination sites in the United States, identifying 57,412 sites of presumptive PFAS contamination: 49,145 industrial facilities, 4,255 wastewater treatment plants, 3,493 current or former military sites, and 519 major airports. This conceptual approach allows governments, industries, and communities to rapidly and systematically identify potential exposure sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Salvatore
- Department
of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Kira Mok
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Kimberly K. Garrett
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Grace Poudrier
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Phil Brown
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
- Duke
University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | | | - Mark F. Miller
- National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and U.S. Public Health
Service, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Sharyle Patton
- Health
and Environment Program, Commonweal, Bolinas, California 94924, United States
| | - Maddy Poehlein
- PFAS
Project Lab, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Julia Varshavsky
- Department
of Health Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
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