Grantee Research Project Results
2021 Progress Report: Analysis of NYS Landfills as Sources of PFAS Groundwater Contamination
EPA Grant Number: R839610Title: Analysis of NYS Landfills as Sources of PFAS Groundwater Contamination
Investigators: Vooris, Christine , Hsu, Wan-Hsiang , Spink, Davie , Lang, Daniel , Lewis-Michl, Elizabeth , Malone, Kevin , Ginsberg, Gary
Current Investigators: Vooris, Christine , Hsu, Wan-Hsiang , Lang, Daniel , Malone, Kevin , Ginsberg, Gary
Institution: Health Research, Inc. / NYS Dept. of Health
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: September 1, 2019 through August 31, 2022 (Extended to February 29, 2024)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2020 through August 31,2021
Project Amount: $900,000
RFA: Practical Methods to Analyze and Treat Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) in Solid Waste, Landfills, Wastewater/Leachates, Soils, and Groundwater to Protect Human Health and the Environment (2018) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: PFAS Treatment , Human Health , Water , Water Quality , Drinking Water
Objective:
The overarching goal of this project is to augment activities being completed under various programs in New York State (NYS) to understand the following: What types and concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are likely to be found in and around landfills? What are the key landfill attributes that contribute to release of PFAS? Can PFAS profiles be used to characterize disposed wastes at landfills (municipal vs. industrial; active vs. inactive) and types of PFAS sources in the environment? What is the importance of this pathway (landfills to groundwater) relative to other pathways in terms of environmental contamination and human exposure?
Progress Summary:
Objective 1: Develop a comprehensive relational database for PFAS contamination at inactive and active landfills in NYS.
Accomplished/Completed: Inactive landfill data for an additional 56 sites were obtained/incorporated into the comprehensive relational database for a total of 227 sites, up from 171 (Year 1) and exceeding our original goal of 150. Data for 28 active landfills has been obtained and included in the relational database. The attribute data gap analysis initiated in Year 1 has been completed for 171 inactive landfills, which includes initially identified data gaps (i.e., meteorological data, geology), and is ongoing for the additional 56 inactive and 28 active landfills. The identification of inactive hazardous waste sites that are landfills was completed and the analytical data was compiled/preliminarily assessed. The comprehensive relational database has enabled the continued comparison of:[1] landfill attributes to PFAS detections; [2] PFAS profiles of inactive and active landfills; and [3] PFAS profiles of inactive landfills and nearby water supply wells.
Objective 2: Identify data gaps and augment landfill database to promote robust statistical analyses.
Accomplished/Completed: During data assessment activities in Year 2, additional landfill attribute data gaps (i.e., well setting, soils) were identified, researched, and compiled. This work is complete for 171 inactive landfills, ongoing for the expanded dataset (additional 56 inactive landfills) and has been initiated for the 28 active landfills. Limitations of the data were identified and strategies on how to address them and leverage the existing data streams continue to evolve. A PFAS target analyte list (TAL) was developed, which includes a total of 44 PFAS (exceeding the original goal of 35). Samples from landfills previously identified to contain high concentrations of PFAS, including groundwater and leachate samples from two inactive landfills and leachate samples from one active landfill, were collected to support analytical chemistry objectives (untargeted screening, analyzing degradation products).
Objective 3: Identify predictors of PFAS contamination and release from landfills based upon regression models that analyze landfill attributes and PFAS concentrations.
Accomplished/Completed: Developed a comprehensive list of predictors of PFAS contamination (e.g.,
landfill/well/sample attributes, soil, hydrogeology, and alternative sources) and conducted statistical analyses to test correlations between predictors and PFAS concentrations. The prediction model for PFAS levels using regression models is under development.
Objective 4: Investigate variation and patterns in PFAS profiles of various environmental media related to landfills. Accomplished/Completed: PFAS profiles were investigated within and among landfills as well as across various waste types. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering were used for grouping landfills with statistically distinct PFAS composition profiles. Spatial analysis was also initiated to complement multivariate statistical analysis.
Objective 5: Perform similar PFAS profiling of additional sources of PFAS environmental contamination. Accomplished/Completed: Activities associated with Objective 5 will be initiated in Year 3.
Future Activities:
The attribute data gap analysis for inactive and active landfills will be finalized and incorporated into the relational database. The prediction model for PFAS levels using regression models will identify predictors of PFAS contamination and release from landfills and thus provide a better understanding of which landfill attributes are associated with impacts on groundwater. The inactive hazardous waste landfill site database will be expanded to include attributes, and analytical data will be compared to active and inactive landfill fingerprints. The acquisition of additional data streams (i.e., industrial/military releases, WWTP effluent, biosolids) and
sampling/analysis of such streams will be explored and incorporated, if possible. Additional samples, of any media, will be used to continue work on the development of new analytical methods and approaches for targeted and untargeted PFAS analytes, as well as to support the development of source-related PFAS profiles. We will also review literature to obtain PFAS profiles of different source categories (consumer products, foam, etc.). This additional profile information and the use of multi-analyte PCA and hierarchical clustering will allow comparison of PFAS release profiles of inactive and active landfills to other PFAS sources (e.g., carpet, WWTP effluent, biosolids). This work will enable the identification of source categories that could contribute to release of PFAS from landfill or that could contribute to groundwater PFAS detections near landfills and thus confound landfill related results. A publication providing a synoptic overview for inactive landfills comparing landfill attributes, PFAS concentrations, and patterns will be drafted and a predictive model of the risk a landfill poses to nearby groundwater resources will be developed.
Journal Articles on this Report : 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 3 publications | 2 publications in selected types | All 2 journal articles |
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Brase RA, Spink DC. Enhanced sensitivity for the analysis of perfluoroethercarboxylic acids using LC–ESI–MS/MS:effects of probe position, mobile phase additive, and capillary voltage. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 2020;31(10):2124-2132. |
R839610 (2020) R839610 (2021) R839610 (2022) R839610 (2023) |
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Brase RA, Mullin EJ, Spink DC. Legacy and emerging per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances: analytical techniques, environmental fate, and health effects. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2021;22(3):995. |
R839610 (2021) R839610 (2022) R839610 (2023) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
chemical transport, fluorotelomers, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, perfluorinated chemicals, PFCs, perfluorochemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, PFOS, waste management, GenX, DONAProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.