You are here:
Results of the Analyses of Screening Surface and Well Water Samples from Decatur, Alabama for Selected Perfluorinated Compounds
Citation:
LINDSTROM, A. B., M. STRYNAR, A. DELINSKY, AND L. MCMILLAN. Results of the Analyses of Screening Surface and Well Water Samples from Decatur, Alabama for Selected Perfluorinated Compounds. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/C-09/004, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory’s (NERL’s) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD’s research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA’s strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools are improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
EPA has conducted testing of agricultural sites in Alabama where sewage sludge was applied from a local wastewater treatment plant that receives wastewater from numerous industrial sources, including facilities that manufacture and use perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). The results from the initial limited testing indicated elevated levels of PFCs in the sewage sludge and the soil that received the sewage sludge. As a result, EPA conducted sampling of public drinking water, private wells, springs, ponds, and soil in the area.