iThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 28, 2022, that it awarded $748,180 in research grant funding to three institutions for research to improve understanding of how people are exposed to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in several communities throughout the country. EPA states that there is evidence that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects. According to EPA, more data are needed to measure the nature and levels of PFAS in homes and food to understand pathways for human exposure and risk mitigation.
The following institutions are receiving awards:
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Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Massachusetts, to measure PFAS in air and dust in homes and to evaluate associations between potential residential sources and PFAS occurrence at home. According to EPA, this research will enhance understanding of the contribution of residential pathways to PFAS exposures and improve the interpretation of PFAS biomonitoring data;
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Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, to determine how different sources of PFAS exposure, including PFAS in drinking water and in homes, contribute to levels measured in blood. EPA states that this study will address key questions on the most relevant PFAS exposure pathways for the general U.S. population; and
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Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, to develop a standardized, validated, scientific protocol to measure levels of a targeted set of PFAS in the home. According to EPA, data collected from home samples will be compared to data collected from PFAS in blood to help identify residential sources of PFAS measured in people’s blood.
