EBC New Hampshire Chapter Program: Update on the Management of PFCs/PFASs

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Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), also called perfluoroalkyls, are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used for decades to manufacture household and commercial products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Though certain PFCs are being phased out of use in commercial and home applications, they can still be found in consumer products (non-stick cookware, stain resistant furniture and carpets, waterproof clothing, microwave popcorn bags, etc.), and are widespread in the environment.

Because many PFCs, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), do not break down and move so easily in the environment through both water and the atmosphere, PFCs have been found in soil, sediment, and water samples far away from where they were made or used. All of us are exposed to PFCs through our diets, but the presence of these compounds in drinking water elevates exposure. PFCs persist/bioaccumulate in human blood and may cause a variety of adverse health effects. The USEPA has developed a provisional health advisory level for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water of 70 parts per trillion (ppt); NHDES has adopted this same value as the Ambient Groundwater Quality Standard (AGQS).

PFCs are widespread in US drinking water supplies, with six million people served by public water supplies with concentrations above the USEPA’s health advisory for PFOS and PFOA, based on an analysis of recent USEPA Drinking Water program data. The PFC contamination of public and private water supplies in Hoosick Falls, NY and North Bennington, VT has received considerable media attention recently. Nationally, other highly publicized areas with PFC-impacted drinking water include: Twin Cities Area, MN; OH-WV border near the Parkersburg, WV DuPont Facility; south of Colorado Springs, CO; and Decatur, AL.

In New Hampshire, PFCs have been found in groundwater at levels above the AGQS of 70 ppt in public water supply wells at the Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth; and in public and private water wells around the Saint Gobain manufacturing plant in Merrimack, Litchfield, Bedford and Manchester. Other NH locations with PFCs detected in groundwater above the AGQS include: Coakley Landfill Superfund Site (North Hampton and Greenland), TCI Facility (Amherst), former Merrimack Landfill (Merrimack), and former LL&S Landfill (Salem).

This program will highlight the current state of the regulation, investigation and remediation of PFCs in the environment in New Hampshire as well as nationally. Speakers will include regulators as well as practitioners from environmental consulting.

General Continuing Education Certificates are awarded by the EBC for this program (3.0 training contact hours). Please select this option during registration if you wish to receive a certificate.

Program Chair

• Chip Crocetti, Senior Vice President, Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc.

Speakers

• Lea Anne Atwell, Project Manager, Hazardous Waste Remediation Bureau, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
• Lynne Jennings, Chief, Massachusetts Superfund Section, U.S. EPA Region One – New England
• John Regan, Administrator, Hazardous Waste Remediation Bureau, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
• Harrison Roakes, Senior Project Engineer, Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc.
• John Schmeltzer, Site Manager, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
• Steve Woodard, Ph.D., P.E., President & Chief Technology Officer, ect2
• Stephen G. Zemba, Project Director, Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc.

Final Agenda – EBC New Hampshire Chapter Program – Update on Management of PFCs and PFASs