NEW CHALLENGES: NEW SOLUTIONS
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are chemicals that have not been regulated or investigated historically but, based on the persistence of PFAS and ongoing health studies, may present a risk to human health or the environment. Examples of PFAS compounds that have generated particular interest and concern in the United States and abroad are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established lifetime health advisory levels for PFOA and PFOS, and some states are beginning to regulate them, comprehensive federal regulations for these two chemicals and other PFAS compounds have not been promulgated. As a consequence of limited and evolving regulatory requirements, many sites where PFAS compounds have been released have not been well characterized. Limited information exists to determine the extent of these contaminants in the environment, and significant uncertainty remains about the potential health and ecological effects, liability, treatment technologies, and cleanup goals associated with them.
| HGL’s PFAS Qualification Discriminators: | |
|---|---|
| ✔ | Proven experience conducting PFAS investigation and mitigation at numerous sites nationwide |
| ✔ | Full range of technical capabilities to provide complete CERCLA PA/SI, RI/FS, RD, RA, and LTM services |
| ✔ | In-house Community of Practice with Subject Matter Experts in PFAS chemistry, forensics, plume delineation, fate and transport modeling, advanced 3-D visualization, risk assessment, remedial design and treatment, and stakeholder interaction |
| ✔ | Innovative PFAS-Decision Support System that optimizes investigation and response actions to achieve cost savings and ensure more confident decision-making regarding investigation and response actions at PFAS-contaminated sites
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HGL established its PFAS program in 2014 and subsequently developed a PFAS Community of Practice (CoP) comprising staff with the knowledge and skills required to address this complex issue. HGL, led by its PFAS CoP, has successfully conducted more than 150 PFAS studies and mitigation efforts at over 90 U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), EPA, and commercial sites. Through this experience, we have learned how to best measure and treat PFAS using the latest technologies, and our PFAS CoP continues to stay abreast of developments in the understanding, treatment, and regulation of these chemicals.
Through its October 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap, EPA committed to further research, restrict, and remediate PFAS. HGL has the expertise to assist EPA, DoD, commercial clients, and others in this endeavor. This expertise includes strategies and technical tools to best gather and evaluate data to assist our clients in proactively and cost-effectively managing their PFAS impacts. In particular, HGL is leveraging its expertise in data management, numerical modeling, computational optimization, and 3-D visualization to develop its PFAS-Decision Support System (PFAS-DSS). Employment of this tool will allow stakeholders and regulators to be more confident in their decision-making regarding investigation and response actions at sites contaminated with various PFAS compounds. See the PFAS-Decision Support System (PFAS-DSS) page for more information about this innovation in the effort to address the concerns posed by PFAS.
Additional detail on HGL’s PFAS experience and support tools can be found by clicking the links below:
• PFAS Chemistry
• PFAS Forensics
• PFAS Investigation and Risk Assessment
• PFAS Design and Treatment
• PFAS-Decision Support System (PFAS-DSS)
