In 2017 a group of international scientists convened in Zürich, Switzerland to discuss the past, present, and future of the science of PFAS.
Five years later, in 2022, this meeting of the minds occurred once again, to further discuss progress made in the field and the remaining needs for research, collaboration, and regulation of PFAS. STEEP Director Rainer Lohmann, PhD was one of nearly 40 international scientists and regulators in attendance and was a joint author on a recent publication that summarized the group’s findings.
The joint initiative led by Jamie DeWitt, PhD, at East Carolina University, highlighted five key take home messages. Two points acknowledge the positive advancements the scientific community has made in understanding how PFAS impact human health, and the continued action taken by regulatory bodies to limit PFAS exposure. A recent example of this can be seen here in the US, as the Environmental Protection Agency announced new PFAS regulations for drinking water, lowering concentration limits below previous recommended levels. Even in Rhode Island, the RI Department of Environmental Management began evaluating areas of concern in the state and preparing fish consumption advisories, partly in response to joint work with STEEP researchers.
And on the topic of regulation, the international group also noted how momentum has been building for regulation of a wider range of PFAS chemicals. Due to the presence of hundreds or thousands of PFAS used in the global industrial market, the group recommends the use of grouping or class-based regulation. This is where many chemicals are all regulated together, as opposed to going one by one through the list of PFAS and determining individual regulatory plans.
Challenges remain however, according to the panel of international researchers. World-wide emissions of PFAS from industry are not as well known to the public and scientific communities, and may play a key role in understanding risks, exposure, and potential regulation needs. This is further complicated by the still-growing analytical suite of tools available for PFAS scientists. Specifically, many analytical methods for detecting PFAS in water or biota are still limited to around 50 chemicals, despite major advancements in our scientific tools. This is a relatively small number in relation to the thousands of PFAS chemicals that are known to be or estimated to be in existence.
Future efforts for improving our understanding and regulation of PFAS were outlined as well by the international group. Continued dialogue and interaction between scientists and regulators were touted as a must, as was bringing more global voices into the discussion, including those from developing and transitioning nations, as well as media members and community organizations. The work by Lohmann, STEEP, and international PFAS peers is beginning to bear fruit. But with plenty of hard work remaining ahead, there’s no shortage of opportunities for everyone to impact the science of PFAS.
Jamie C. DeWitt, Juliane Glüge, Ian T. Cousins, Gretta Goldenman, Dorte Herzke, Rainer Lohmann, Mark Miller, Carla A. Ng, Sharyle Patton, Xenia Trier, Lena Vierke, Zhanyun Wang, Sam Adu-Kumi, Simona Balan, Andreas M. Buser, Tony Fletcher, Line Småstuen Haug, Audun Heggelund, Jun Huang, Sarit Kaserzon, Juliana Leonel, Ishmail Sheriff, Ya-Li Shi, Sara Valsecchi, and Martin Scheringer. Zürich II Statement on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): Scientific and Regulatory Needs. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2024 11 (8), 786-797. DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00147
