Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Services
Westwater brings over 30 years of environmental consulting experience to the assessment and hazardous waste cleanup of this emerging class of contaminants. PFAS sampling, analysis, and data interpretation can be complex due to part-per-trillion (ppt) detection limits, PFAS compounds present in many common field investigation materials, and wide range of potential sources. PFAS sampling guidance documents typically advise a high level care be exercised in the field to prevent sample cross-contamination by common sampling equipment and materials. PFAS data interpretation can also be complex due to PFAS chemistry and also rapidly changing regulatory requirements.
What are PFAS?
PFAS are a class of over 12,000 synthetic compounds manufactured since the 1940s that are present in many industrial and consumer products including fire-fighting foams, metal plating additives, non-stick coatings, stain- and water-resistant fabrics, personal care products, and food packaging. Many compounds in this class of contaminants are highly water-soluble, travel great distances in groundwater, and are long-lived in the environment. PFAS accumulates in the body and toxicological studies show have linked PFAS compounds to cancer, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and other health disorders; emerging research shows health effects may occur from minute concentrations in water if consumed regularly. Enforceable national drinking water standards for 6 compounds were established in 2024, however a state-by-state regulatory patchwork of widely varying drinking water standards exists for many other PFAS compounds. Despite a 70-year manufacturing history and widespread use our understanding of PFAS toxicology, environmental fate and transport, sampling and analysis methods, decontamination of PFAS-stained infrastructure, and water treatment are still very immature.
For PFAS-related projects, Westwater offers the following advantages:
Westwater brings over 30 years of defensible field sampling and analytical experience, with a broad range of constituents, to PFAS-related projects.- A recognized field investigation expert, Westwater’s Principal Hydrologist, Andy Horn, PG, has worked on PFAS projects for entities/projects such as municipal water suppliers, residential well owners, and US EPA Superfund investigation and PFAS source identification. Mr. Horn has also served as a contributor on National Groundwater Association (NGWA) PFAS national expert white paper task groups developing guidance documents on PFAS risk communication for water well contractors (informing well owners of PFAS contamination), PFAS sampling practices in 2017, and a 2023 sampling practice update, and PFAS Forensics (source identification). He has presented on PFAS topics such as general PFAS overviews, regulatory issues, the state of major PFAS litigation, PFAS sampling and analysis, and PFAS forensics (source identification).
- Sampling and analysis can be performed from screening-level assessment to the most stringent field sampling and laboratory analytical protocols ensuring the appropriate level of rigor for your project’s data quality objectives.
- Westwater has existing relationships with drilling and field sampling equipment vendors providing “PFAS-free” certifications for their products to mitigate the potential for sample bias by sampling materials thus providing high quality and defensible results.
- Westwater can provide a turn-key project team of seasoned environmental scientists and engineers, experienced in PFAS projects, providing services including: geochemical and geostatistical evaluation, groundwater and contaminant fate and transport modeling, laboratory data validation, and water treatment. Experts from many other disciplines can be incorporated into your project team as needed.
- Westwater can draw on a variety of analytical laboratories to provide the most cost-effective analytical services and meet project specific analytical and data collection certification requirements.
- Laboratory results can be validated by a third party up to Level IV analytical data quality control standards and according to any project needs.
Throughout his career Mr. Horn has performed hydrogeologic investigations at hazardous waste sites and facilities across the Continental US that include US EPA Superfund, active and former manufacturing, fueling & maintenance, and chemical storage & distribution and for basic scientific research. Mr. Horn’s areas of expertise include defensible data collection program design, execution, and management for environmental and water resources investigations, data analysis and synthesis, and study results reporting and presentation.