Understanding the Dynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Insights from USGS Research
The USGS Environmental Health (EH) Program research where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFAS are found, how they move and change in the environment, how they might affect both ecosystems and human health, and ways to reduce their impact. The three teams focusing on these issues within the EH Program include: 1) the PFAS Integrated Science Team, 2) the PFAS Core Technology Team, and 3) the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Integrated Science Team. These primary teams work closely with other USGS EH Program teams and laboratories nationwide to provide important scientific information that helps stakeholders make informed decisions.
What are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of chemicals (over 10,000) often called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily in the environment. PFAS are found in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and have been detected in air, water, animals, plants, biosolids, food‑ crops, and in point-of-use drinking water (tap water). Several PFAS have also been linked to serious health effects in humans and animals.
Some commonly researched PFAS compounds include:
- PFOA – Perfluorooctanoate; found in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets, and firefighting foams.
- PFOS – Perfluorooctane sulfonate; found in firefighting foams, stain-resistant textiles and nonstick cookware.
- PFNA – Perfluorononanoic acid; found in food wrappers, cleaning products, and firefighting foams. Used as a replacement for PFOA and PFOS.
- PFBS – Perfluorobutane sulfonoate; found in food packaging, firefighting foam, and consumer products such as perfumes, cosmetics, and detergents. Used as a replacement for PFOS.
Research Focus on PFAS in the Environment
USGS scientists study how people and wildlife are exposed to PFAS and what effects these chemicals might have on health, all within a source-to-receptor approach that highlights the link between human health, animal health, and the environment we all share. Their research focuses on five main goals.
- Develop advanced methods to measure PFAS, including predictive modeling, to help reduce sampling costs by directing limited resources to places likely to be contaminated.
- Conduct nationwide assessments and monitoring of PFAS exposures to people, fish, and wildlife, including an evaluation of potential risks.
- Perform research to better understand how PFAS move through ecosystems and how they affect living organisms.
- Work with public health scientists and managers to study how PFAS contaminated drinking water and food (e.g., seafood) can affect people and what factors contribute to this issue.
- Investigate how wastewater and stormwater systems influence PFAS in the environment and whether they pose a risk to public health.
How is the USGS PFAS Science Unique?
By incorporating expertise in hydrology, chemistry, epidemiology, microbiology, ecology, toxicology, and geophysics from across the USGS, our scientists have the unique ability to conduct nationwide studies to understand the sources, exposures, and effects of contaminants including PFAS. This multi-disciplinary approach allows them to address critical knowledge gaps such as:
- Documenting potential exposure to contaminants in drinking water and food (e.g., fish and first foods such as water parsnips, and yellow lotus) and supporting studies that assess human health impacts of mixtures, including PFAS.
- Identifying possible exposures and effects on fish and wildlife.
- Creating models to predict exposure levels and potential human and ecological health risks.
- Assisting in prioritizing actions to reduce potential exposures and costs.
Coordinated Laboratory and Site-Based Research
USGS PFAS research includes both laboratory studies and field-based research. Combining these two approaches offers several benefits for studying PFAS.
Laboratory studies allow researchers to test ideas in a controlled environment, helping them to understand how different factors influence processes that can lead to harmful biological effects and to explore potential solutions. These lab studies provide detailed insights into processes that may be difficult to discern under uncontrolled conditions in nature.
Field-based research captures the complexity of natural processes. This type of research is crucial for understanding how PFAS move and change in the environment, their potential effects on living organisms, and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies.
USGS PFAS Research Priorities
To better understand the actual versus perceived risks of PFAS, the USGS has developed a research strategy (USGS, 2021) to guide our science. This strategy identifies gaps in our knowledge and highlights opportunities for PFAS research, monitoring, and assessment. Key research priorities include:
- Standardization of PFAS sampling and data sharing across multiple agencies.
- Improve our understanding of how complex mixtures of contaminants, including PFAS, affect biological systems and the environment.
- Investigate how PFAS evolves over time and how these changes impact its chemical signatures (“fingerprints”) from various sources, such as firefighting foam, landfills, and industrial activities.
Developing New Methods and Capabilities
The EH Program’s PFAS research aims to improve our understanding of PFAS fate and transport within ecosystems, including in wildlife, as well as in underexplored areas such as dry regions, Tribal lands, wetlands, sites affected by wastewater, and private wells.
Key objectives include:
- Develop cost-effective and rapid PFAS measurement techniques.
- Develop methods to analyze both known and unknown types of PFAS.
- Measure ultra-short chain PFAS to help develop safer alternatives and obtain more accurate measurements for cleaning up contaminated sites.
- Develop new approaches on how PFAS and other environmental contaminants affect health in different parts of the body and at various levels of biological function.
- Improve testing methods for difficult samples, such as air, biosolids, plants, and biological tissues and fluids.
For more information, click on the boxes below:
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Core Technology Team
Comprehensive Research on PFAS Exposomics and Risk Assessment
USGS Laboratory for the Analysis of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
USGS PFAS Workshop, September 10-12, 2024, Reston, VA
The USGS PFAS Workshop, held from September 10-12, 2024, in Reston, VA, brought together experts from various state and federal agencies to tackle important challenges related to measuring and modeling PFAS and their effects on the environmental.
The outcomes of the USGS PFAS workshop prioritized the need for interagency collaborations on topics such as:
- Improved sampling protocols
- Advanced analytical methods
- Understanding environmental sources
- Mapping and predictive modeling of PFAS occurrence
- Human and wildlife exposure assessment
- Bioaccumulation and biomagnification studies
- Ecotoxicology and effects research
In addition, a map of all PFAS research conducted by the USGS that can be shared between and among all resource agencies and land managers including the Department of Defense was created. This map will help improve collaboration, streamline sample collection, and minimize duplication of efforts. From this workshop, we aim to strengthen partnerships with other agencies to identify further research needs and opportunities for collaboration.
A High Efficiency Method for the Extraction and Quantitative Analysis of 45 PFAS in Whole Fish
Predictions of groundwater PFAS occurrence at drinking water supply depths in the United States
Assessing the Ecological Risks of Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Current State‐of‐the Science and a Proposed Path Forward
Anaerobic biodegradation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and microbial community composition in soil amended with a dechlorinating culture and chlorinated solvents
Uptake of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances by Fish, Mussel, and Passive Samplers in Mobile-Laboratory Exposures
Mixture Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Embryonic and Larval Sheepshead Minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus)
PFAS in US Tapwater Interactive Dashboard
Video: Explore the Risk PFAS is in Local Tap Water
Drop by Drop
PFAS in Groundwater Interactive Dashboard
Video: 40 Years of Cape Cod Hydrology
A National Predictive Model for PFAS Occurrence in Groundwater
Follow the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Integrated ScienceTeam
Follow the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Integrated Science Team
The USGS Environmental Health (EH) Program research where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFAS are found, how they move and change in the environment, how they might affect both ecosystems and human health, and ways to reduce their impact. The three teams focusing on these issues within the EH Program include: 1) the PFAS Integrated Science Team, 2) the PFAS Core Technology Team, and 3) the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Integrated Science Team. These primary teams work closely with other USGS EH Program teams and laboratories nationwide to provide important scientific information that helps stakeholders make informed decisions.
What are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of chemicals (over 10,000) often called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily in the environment. PFAS are found in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and have been detected in air, water, animals, plants, biosolids, food‑ crops, and in point-of-use drinking water (tap water). Several PFAS have also been linked to serious health effects in humans and animals.
Some commonly researched PFAS compounds include:
- PFOA – Perfluorooctanoate; found in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets, and firefighting foams.
- PFOS – Perfluorooctane sulfonate; found in firefighting foams, stain-resistant textiles and nonstick cookware.
- PFNA – Perfluorononanoic acid; found in food wrappers, cleaning products, and firefighting foams. Used as a replacement for PFOA and PFOS.
- PFBS – Perfluorobutane sulfonoate; found in food packaging, firefighting foam, and consumer products such as perfumes, cosmetics, and detergents. Used as a replacement for PFOS.
Research Focus on PFAS in the Environment
USGS scientists study how people and wildlife are exposed to PFAS and what effects these chemicals might have on health, all within a source-to-receptor approach that highlights the link between human health, animal health, and the environment we all share. Their research focuses on five main goals.
- Develop advanced methods to measure PFAS, including predictive modeling, to help reduce sampling costs by directing limited resources to places likely to be contaminated.
- Conduct nationwide assessments and monitoring of PFAS exposures to people, fish, and wildlife, including an evaluation of potential risks.
- Perform research to better understand how PFAS move through ecosystems and how they affect living organisms.
- Work with public health scientists and managers to study how PFAS contaminated drinking water and food (e.g., seafood) can affect people and what factors contribute to this issue.
- Investigate how wastewater and stormwater systems influence PFAS in the environment and whether they pose a risk to public health.
How is the USGS PFAS Science Unique?
By incorporating expertise in hydrology, chemistry, epidemiology, microbiology, ecology, toxicology, and geophysics from across the USGS, our scientists have the unique ability to conduct nationwide studies to understand the sources, exposures, and effects of contaminants including PFAS. This multi-disciplinary approach allows them to address critical knowledge gaps such as:
- Documenting potential exposure to contaminants in drinking water and food (e.g., fish and first foods such as water parsnips, and yellow lotus) and supporting studies that assess human health impacts of mixtures, including PFAS.
- Identifying possible exposures and effects on fish and wildlife.
- Creating models to predict exposure levels and potential human and ecological health risks.
- Assisting in prioritizing actions to reduce potential exposures and costs.
Coordinated Laboratory and Site-Based Research
USGS PFAS research includes both laboratory studies and field-based research. Combining these two approaches offers several benefits for studying PFAS.
Laboratory studies allow researchers to test ideas in a controlled environment, helping them to understand how different factors influence processes that can lead to harmful biological effects and to explore potential solutions. These lab studies provide detailed insights into processes that may be difficult to discern under uncontrolled conditions in nature.
Field-based research captures the complexity of natural processes. This type of research is crucial for understanding how PFAS move and change in the environment, their potential effects on living organisms, and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies.
USGS PFAS Research Priorities
To better understand the actual versus perceived risks of PFAS, the USGS has developed a research strategy (USGS, 2021) to guide our science. This strategy identifies gaps in our knowledge and highlights opportunities for PFAS research, monitoring, and assessment. Key research priorities include:
- Standardization of PFAS sampling and data sharing across multiple agencies.
- Improve our understanding of how complex mixtures of contaminants, including PFAS, affect biological systems and the environment.
- Investigate how PFAS evolves over time and how these changes impact its chemical signatures (“fingerprints”) from various sources, such as firefighting foam, landfills, and industrial activities.
Developing New Methods and Capabilities
The EH Program’s PFAS research aims to improve our understanding of PFAS fate and transport within ecosystems, including in wildlife, as well as in underexplored areas such as dry regions, Tribal lands, wetlands, sites affected by wastewater, and private wells.
Key objectives include:
- Develop cost-effective and rapid PFAS measurement techniques.
- Develop methods to analyze both known and unknown types of PFAS.
- Measure ultra-short chain PFAS to help develop safer alternatives and obtain more accurate measurements for cleaning up contaminated sites.
- Develop new approaches on how PFAS and other environmental contaminants affect health in different parts of the body and at various levels of biological function.
- Improve testing methods for difficult samples, such as air, biosolids, plants, and biological tissues and fluids.
For more information, click on the boxes below:
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Core Technology Team
Comprehensive Research on PFAS Exposomics and Risk Assessment
USGS Laboratory for the Analysis of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
USGS PFAS Workshop, September 10-12, 2024, Reston, VA
The USGS PFAS Workshop, held from September 10-12, 2024, in Reston, VA, brought together experts from various state and federal agencies to tackle important challenges related to measuring and modeling PFAS and their effects on the environmental.
The outcomes of the USGS PFAS workshop prioritized the need for interagency collaborations on topics such as:
- Improved sampling protocols
- Advanced analytical methods
- Understanding environmental sources
- Mapping and predictive modeling of PFAS occurrence
- Human and wildlife exposure assessment
- Bioaccumulation and biomagnification studies
- Ecotoxicology and effects research
In addition, a map of all PFAS research conducted by the USGS that can be shared between and among all resource agencies and land managers including the Department of Defense was created. This map will help improve collaboration, streamline sample collection, and minimize duplication of efforts. From this workshop, we aim to strengthen partnerships with other agencies to identify further research needs and opportunities for collaboration.