Jason Conder, PhD at Geosyntec Consultants will present: “Beyond Drinking Water: Ecological and Human Health Risk Considerations for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances”

Abstract:

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) are a family of organic substances that has been widely used in numerous industrial and commercial applications since the 1950s, including aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) used for fire suppression at airports, firefighting training facilities, and other industrial locations, and surfactants and coatings associated with a wide variety of industrial and consumer product applications.  PFASs such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are now routinely-detected in a wide variety of environmental media, and have prompted regulatory focus on exposures and risks associated with consumer products and PFAS-impacted sites.  The US Department of Defense (DoD) estimates that over 600 sites require investigation for PFASs, and non-military uses suggest that hundreds to thousands of airports, landfills, petrochemical facilities, textile mills, wastewater treatment plants, and sewage sludge land application sites may be contaminated with PFASs.  Following a brief introduction on the chemistry and uses of these emerging compounds, this presentation will review the fate, toxicology, and risk management of PFASs.  Site-specific risk assessment and risk management of PFASs at contaminated sites will be the key focus of this discussion, and will include recommendations for developing conceptual site models, key human health and ecological exposure pathways, risk-based investigation approaches, typical screening/action levels for PFASs, and available toxicology information.  The information presented will be drawn from the latest scientific and regulatory literature, as well as from the speaker’s 12-years’ experience helping private and public sector clients address and manage their PFAS liabilities.

Biography:

Dr. Jason Conder is a senior scientist with more than 15 years of experience in environmental toxicology, ecological and human health risk assessment, bioaccumulation and bioavailability of environmental contaminants, environmental chemistry, environmental monitoring technology, ecology, and statistics. Dr. Conder has provided expertise in ecological risk assessment and environmental toxicology to clients addressing environmental liability and risk issues associated with contaminated sites. A key part of his focus during the last 10 years has included perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs, including PFOA and PFOS), including several product- and site-specific fate and risk assessments for PFASs and authoring two key review articles on PFAS use, fate, terminology, and bioaccumulation.  He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, presented technical work at numerous international scientific conferences, and has served on and co-chaired several technical workshops.