For years, scientists have known that some chemicals stay in our bodies, and in the environment, forever. These “forever chemicals” include perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. They’re in things like raincoats, non-stick pans, even some lipstick.
But, said Brian Lattimer, the PFAS we perhaps should be most concerned about are the ones most likely to end up in water. This includes PFAS in firefighting foams the military and airports use to suppress fuel fires.
“And this is very difficult to break down in the environment,” said Lattimer, who’s the department head of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Several years ago, the Department of Defense began looking for alternatives to fire-fighting foams that don’t have PFAS. Lattimer has been helping with that research. He said scientists are getting closer to finding technologies to filter or break down PFAS once they’ve entered water.
“I think one of the things right now that we’re trying to understand is, where is the PFAS, how is it moving around?” Lattimer said.
The EPA recently released new limits on how much PFAS is allowed in drinking water, and according to a spokesperson with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the state is currently working to figure out how to implement this new rule.
