China 
Africa 
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Challenges, Innovations, and Future Prospects in Transforming Future Wastewater Treatment Plants into Resource Recovery Facilities
Published in Sreedevi Upadhyayula, Amita Chaudhary, Advanced Materials and Technologies for Wastewater Treatment, 2021
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic chemicals that include compounds such as PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals that are highly soluble in water. Their water solubility, estimated at 680 mg/l, and negligible vapor pressure make them persistent when released into freshwater. PFASs are used in a variety of manufacturing and consumer products (food packaging, commercial household products, and workplace construction material) and are very persistent in the environment. Long-term exposure to PFASs can lead to adverse human health effects such as cancer and thyroid hormone disruption. Most nations with minimal or no treatment of sewage would experience the release of PFASs into rivers and aquifers. PFASs are being detected in drinking water (CDC, 2017; U.S. EPA, 2020).
Removing PFAS from Water
Published in David M. Kempisty, LeeAnn Racz, Forever Chemicals, 2021
Caitlin Berretta, Thomas Mallmann, Kyle Trewitz, David M. Kempisty
As part of the EPA’s third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3) testing, the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Wells Water District (KKWWD) in Kennebunk, Maine, undertook PFAS sampling in their source wells. UCMR3 testing was required for all drinking water utilities serving over 10,000 people and included analysis for six PFAS compounds, including PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHpA, PFHxS, and PFBS. Upon receiving the results, the utility was surprised to find levels of PFOA and PFOS in one of their groundwater wells. It is important to note that at that time (2016), there were not any PFAS regulations on a federal nor state-based level; there was only the EPA’s non-mandatory HAL which is set at 70 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS combined. In addition, the analytical methods used for PFAS detection had a relatively higher detection limit than today’s science, ranging from 10–90 ng/L (for comparison, today’s detection limits are closer to 0.5–2 ng/L). KKWWD’s results showed a combined level of PFOA and PFOS of 50 ng/L in one of KKWWD’s wells. Although this result was lower than the EPA’s HAL, the utility proactively decided to shut down the well and pursue options for remediation.
Water Pollution
Published in Frank R. Spellman, The Science of Water, 2020
PFAS are found in a wide range of consumer products that people use daily, such as pizza boxes, cookware, and stain repellants. The fact is that most people have been exposed to PFAS. Certain PFAS are persistent; they can accumulate and stay in the human body for long periods of time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse health outcomes in humans. The most-studied PFAS chemicals are PFOA and PFOS. Studies indicate that PFOA and PFOS can cause reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects in laboratory animals. Both chemicals have caused tumors in animals. The most consistent findings are increased cholesterol levels among exposure populations, with more limited findings related to: cancer (for PFOA)low infant birth weightseffects on the immune system, andthyroid hormone disruption (for PFOS)
Degradation of perfluoroalkyl substances using UV/Fe0 system with and without the presence of oxygen
Published in Environmental Technology, 2023
Chunjie Xia, Shuo Qu, Linkon Bhattacharjee, Xian E. Lim, Haoran Yang, Jia Liu
The PFAS treatment technologies can be generally classified into two categories: non-destructive and destructive. The non-destructive methods, such as adsorption by activated carbon and membrane filtration (reverse osmosis and nanofiltration), are effective methods for removing PFAS from water. However, the drawback of these methods is the requirement for subsequent destruction and mineralization (e.g. by incineration) of PFAS to avoid other concerns [14,15]. In comparison, destructive techniques are better options for PFAS removal, which can break down PFAS molecules to final mineralized products of CO2 and HF. Several destructive techniques such as sonolysis [16,17], ultraviolet (UV) photolysis [18,19], and photocatalysis [19–24] have been developed for PFAS degradation. Nanoparticles (NPs) such as TiO2 [21], In2O3 [22], and β-Ga2O3 [24] were used as heterogeneous photocatalysts for PFAS degradation [25]; ferric ion Fe3+ was proven to accelerate PFAS degradation under UVC or natural light [23,25]; moreover, UV-Fenton process—using UV/Fe2+/H2O2 system—was reported to degrade PFOA efficiently, and its defluorination process was mainly due to the interactions between PFOA and Fe3+ ions [26].
A critical review on the bioaccumulation, transportation, and elimination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in human beings
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2023
Yao Lu, Ruining Guan, Nali Zhu, Jinghua Hao, Hanyong Peng, Anen He, Chunyan Zhao, Yawei Wang, Guibin Jiang
Epidemiology and omics can reveal the biological changes in human body after exposure to pollutants. Previous epidemiological and omics studies revealed that PFAS exposure may lead to variable adverse health effects. Multiple studies showed that exposure to legacy PFAS is associated with disorders in cholesterol, fatty acids, and other lipid metabolism, uric acid metabolism disorder, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and disturbance of immune function and liver and kidney function (Costello et al., 2022; Fenton et al., 2021; Steenland et al., 2010; Sunderland et al., 2019). However, these studies did not reach consistent conclusions. Particularly, occupational workers usually have a higher burden of PFAS due to their higher exposure risks compared to the general population while very little research investigated the relationships between occupational exposure and potential health risks (Costa et al., 2009; Lindstrom et al., 2011; Lu, Gao, et al., 2019; Olsen et al., 2003; Sakr et al., 2007). As for the emerging PFAS, the number of the related studies is quite small compared with the legacy PFAS. Nevertheless, these studies also demonstrated that the exposure of emerging PFAS may result in negative health effects on human beings (A. He et al., 2022; Munoz et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2019).
Combustion of C1 and C2 PFAS: Kinetic modeling and experiments
Published in Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 2022
Jonathan D. Krug, Paul M. Lemieux, Chun-Wai Lee, Jeffrey V. Ryan, Peter H. Kariher, Erin P. Shields, Lindsay C. Wickersham, Martin K. Denison, Kevin A. Davis, David A. Swensen, R. Preston Burnette, Jost O.L. Wendt, William P. Linak
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an anthropogenic class of organic compounds valued for their hydrophobic and lipophobic properties, as well as for their chemical and thermal stability. These useful properties have led to the synthesis of thousands of PFAS for use in military, industrial, and consumer applications and products (Lemal 2004; Okazoe 2009). This widespread use has led to the presence of residual PFAS in multiple environmental matrices including air, soil, drinking water, groundwater, remediation media, animals, plants, and humans (Sunderland et al. 2019). Toxicology studies are limited, but several PFAS show toxic effects in animals and people (Cordner et al. 2019). To protect human health and the environment, governments and industry have prioritized limitations on their release into the environment and the development and testing of methods to measure PFAS.