Per-and Poly-fluorinated Alkylated Substances (PFAS) have been the subject of several extensive groundwater investigations in the northeastern U.S., associated with releases from textile coatings factories and firefighting training areas. Because of the stringent Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) of 70 parts per trillion issued by the U.S. EPA, even small releases of PFAS can contaminate groundwater to levels above the LHA. Regulatory agencies have thus started examining smaller sources of potential releases. PFAS have been used extensively in consumer products, making landfills, as the ultimate recipient of discarded consumer products, a logical source of potential environmental releases.This presentation focuses on data collected at landfills useful for developing Conceptual Site Models (CSMs) of potential impacts to groundwater. A summary is provided on recent sampling for PFAS in groundwater in the vicinity of a number of landfills in the northeast (particularly NH). Published papers will also be discussed that indicate concentrations of PFAS in landfill leachate well above the level of the LHA, which is not surprising given the prevalence of PFAS in consumer products (and hence municipal solid waste). PFAS have been found in groundwater monitoring wells potentially affected by leachate, with levels greater near landfills known to have accepted PFAS-containing wastes from manufacturing entities.As background. PFAS are ubiquitous in the environment, do not generally degrade, and bioaccumulate in humans. Blood testing in several communities affected by PFAS in drinking water has confirmed elevated levels of exposure. With the initial focus on PFAS in drinking water, some Northeast states are now increasingly taking a closer look at PFAS elsewhere in the environment. This shift has led in some cases to additional sampling at some hazardous waste sites, firefighting training facilities, and landfills, as well as increased interest in sampling wastewaters, treated wastewaters, and biosolids for PFAS.A brief update is provided on the environmental sources of PFAS, their properties, and relevant exposure pathways, focusing on the two most commonly used and studied PFAS. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Then, through a review of relevant case studies and published data, the presentation begins to explore the question: "What might PFAS mean to the solid waste industry?"
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