In this webinar we were pleased to have special guest speaker Christopher P. Higgins, PhD, University Distinguished Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. He was joined by Paul Erickson, PhD, Director of Research & Development at REGENESIS.
Highlights of this webinar:
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High resolution mass spectrometry reveals additional PFASs that may be associated with AFFF-impacted sites
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The role of the anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic polyfluorinated substances at AFFF-impacted sites that can serve as precursors to the more persistent and mobile PFAAs
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Need for more thorough assessments of soils as potential long-term sources of PFAAs to groundwater and surface waters
The challenges posed by the widespread contamination of soils and groundwater by poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are immense. Despite growing concerns about human exposure to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), other PFAS, particularly those derived from aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) have garnered little attention. Recent work using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has revealed that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of additional PFASs that may be associated with AFFF-impacted sites. Importantly, many of these newly discovered PFAS have diverse chemical structures, including anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic structures. Some of these PFAS clearly remain bound strongly to soil, while other AFFF-derived PFAS, including transformation products, likely migrate into AFFF-impacted drinking water. In this presentation, the complex challenges posed by PFAS for human and environmental risk will be presented and discussed. Particular attention will be given to the role of the anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic polyfluorinated substances at AFFF-impacted sites that can serve as precursors to the more persistent and mobile perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA). Collectively, these data suggest a need for more thorough assessments of soils as potential long-term sources of PFAA to groundwaters and surface waters.
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About the Presenters:
Christopher P. Higgins, PhD
University Distinguished Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering | Colorado School of Mines
Christopher P. Higgins is an environmental chemist at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Higgins’ received his A.B. in Chemistry from Harvard University, and graduate degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. He joined Mines in 2009, attaining the title of University Distinguished Professor in 2022. He was the recipient of the 2019 Huber Prize in Civil Engineering Research awarded by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and was the lead Principal Investigator for the 2020 Environmental Restoration Project of the Year for the U.S. DoD’s Strategic Environmental Research & Development Program. His research focuses on the movement of contaminants in the environment. In particular, he studies chemical fate and transport in natural and engineered systems, with a focus on poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Dr. Higgins has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications. His research has been supported by NSF, NIH, EPA, USDA, and the DoD.
Paul Erickson, PhD
Director of Research and Development, REGENESIS
Dr. Paul Erickson is the Director of Research & Development with REGENESIS,
overseeing the commercialization of new environmental solutions to address complex
remediation challenges. In his time with REGENESIS, Dr. Erickson led the development of
a number remediation products and technologies, including PetroFix and FluxTracer.
Dr. Erickson earned a BS degree in Chemistry from Florida State University, a
Masters in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in Environmental
Chemistry from ETH Zurich. He is an author on over 20 peer-reviewed scientific
publications mainly in the area of environmental chemistry.