Abstract: Repeated fire-fighter training at US military sites over decades had led to concentrations of perlfuorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) at or above the current US EPA health advisory level (70 ng/L). However, PFOS and PFOA are but two of a number of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) found at sites contaminated by aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs). Precursor, which are PFAS that can degrade to dead-end, persistent PFASs including PFOS and PFOA are also found at these sites and have implications for the selection of PFAS analytical methods, site characterization, and remediation.
Bio: Dr. Jennifer Field is from Abingdon, Il and she received her Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines and was a post-doctoral fellow at Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) in Dübendorf Switzerland. At present, she is a Professor in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University. Her research focuses on understanding the occurrence, fate, and transformation of emerging contaminants in natural and engineered systems. Her research group conducts laboratory and field studies to quantify the behavior of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) at military sites impacted by repeated historical applications of AFFF. Her group creates analytical methodology aimed at closing the mass balance on PFASs at AFFF-contaminated sites. The ‘greener’ analytical methodology is being used to guide site characterization, conceptual site model development, and to validate remedial efforts. She is considered a pioneer in the area of PFASs after having studied PFASs for over 20 years.