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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Source and Treated Drinking Waters of the United States - Cincinnati
Citation:
Glassmeyer, S. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Source and Treated Drinking Waters of the United States - Cincinnati. OKI Groundwater comittee, Cincinnati, OH, September 21, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
PFAS are found in many drinking waters. Granular activated carbon is effective at removing during drinking water treatment.
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally stable contaminants of emerging concern, frequently measured in environmental and drinking waters. This study measured 17 PFAS in source and treated water samples collected at 25 drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) across the United States. PFAS were quantitatively detected in all 50 samples, with a maximum total PFAS concentration of 1102 ng/L. The median total PFAS concentration was 21.4 ng/L in the source water and 19.5 ng/L in the treated drinking water. Comparing the total PFAS concentration in source and treated water at each DWTP, only five locations demonstrated statistically significant differences (i.e. P <0.05) between samples. The depth and activation status for the granular activated carbon may have been an influential factor at the plants with a significant difference. The environmental persistence of PFAS was evident at six DWTPs. Three DWTPs shared one large river in common as their drinking-water source, while a second set of three DWTPs shared another large river in common for their drinking water source. The DWTPs in each river basin were separated by 100s to 1000s of kilometers. The PFAS composition at the DWTPs from one river was dominated by perflurooctanoic acid (PFOA), while the PFAS composition at the DWTPs from the other river was dominated by perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA). Modelling gave further insights to the source of PFAS into the water cycle.