1. My Life Beyond PFAS in Landfill Leachate
Johnsie Lang, PhD
ORISE Postdoc
EPA Research Triangle Park, NC
Hi, I’m Dr. Johnsie Lang and I was invited here today to discuss PFAS release from carpet in landfill leachate.

2. Disclaimer
This research was completed as my PhD dissertation from North Carolina State University (NCSU).
The information presented here does not represent the official views and policy of the US EPA.
No part of this presentation should be considered an endorsement or recommendation by the USEPA.

3. PFASs: Compounds with Carbon Fluorine Bonds
Repel oil and water
Hydrophilic head group likes water, but hydrophobic tail does not
(water)
What are PFASs? Broadly, they are compounds containing fluorinated carbons. These compounds are surfactant or compounds that repel both oil and water. This picture demonstrates water will remain unabsorbed on a PFAS surface after a significant amount of time. These properties make PFASs useful is a large range of applications, including carpet. In my opinion the largest problem with these compounds is that they don’t ever fully degrade. The carbon fluorine bond is one of the strongest in nature and once created will last virtually forever. Because they don’t break down, once produced they will remain in the environment somewhere forever. They have been found in polar bears at points far from manufacture and use, as well as 99% of the US population’s blood.

4. PFASs: Compounds with Carbon Fluorine Bonds
Nondegradable: The carbon fluorine (C-F) bond is extremely stable1
Bioaccumulative: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) ½ life ~2.3 years in humans2 and 98% of the US population has it in their blood
What are PFASs? Broadly, they are compounds containing fluorinated carbons. These compounds are surfactant or compounds that repel both oil and water. This picture demonstrates water will remain unabsorbed on a PFAS surface after a significant amount of time. These properties make PFASs useful is a large range of applications, including carpet. In my opinion the largest problem with these compounds is that they don’t ever fully degrade. The carbon fluorine bond is one of the strongest in nature and once created will last virtually forever. Because they don’t break down, once produced they will remain in the environment somewhere forever. They have been found in polar bears at points far from manufacture and use, as well as 99% of the US population’s blood.
Smart, 1994
Health Effects Support Document for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA). EPA. May 2016

5. My Life PFAS in Landfill Leachate
Chemours PFAS Contamination of Wilmington, NC Drinking Water
Unknown PFASs using MS-TOF
For PFASs, I sit in a unique spot in between several different worlds. This is me in the middle of
Rodent Toxicology

6. National Estimate of PFAS Release to U.S. Municipal Landfill Leachate
Precipitation
National Estimate of PFAS Release to U.S. Municipal Landfill Leachate
Concentrations of 70 PFASs in 95 samples of leachate were measured in a survey of U.S. landfills of varying climates and waste ages
Leachate
Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)
For my PhD, I also estimated the total release of PFAS for all landfill in the US in 2013 including an analysis of 95 landfill leachate samples from across the country. Leachate is liquid that exits the bottom of a landfill. Precipitation onto the waste mass is the source of the majority of leachate. For modern landfills, leachate is sent to a wastewater treatment plant. PFASs are not removed by typical WWTP processes and are therefore discharged into surface water.
Surface Water
ES&T, 2017, 51 (4), pp 2197–2205

7. PFAS Release from U.S. Landfills to WWTPs for waste landfilled in 2013
kg/yr
Here is the final data plot of that national landfill leachate survey. The two things I would like for you to take away from this graph are first 5:3 FTCA is a major player in the total release of PFAS in landfill leachate and the total release was about 650 kg/yr.
Similar to carpet reactors, 5:3 FTCA a major component of total PFAS release in landfill leachate
Total PFAS release for the US in 2013 is estimated at ~650 kg/yr

8. Landfill Conclusions
PFCA precursors contribute significantly to total PFAS release from landfilled carpet
Release is Slow: The majority of PFAS release did not occur until >100 days of operation in model landfill carpet reactors
The mass of PFAS released yearly for a single year of municipal waste is small relative to industrial sources but may continue at low levels for many years

9. Fluorinated Compounds in U.S. Fast Food Packaging (ES&T Letters 2017)
Use time of flight mass spectrometry (MS-TOF) to show the present of unknown PFASs on food packaging
Unknown fluorinated carbons were often at equal or greater peak areas compared to known PFASs (i.e. PFOA, PFOS)

10. GenX: PFOA alternative
Wilmington, NC
GenX: PFOA alternative
GenX
PFOA (C8)

11. Timeline of Events in Wilmington NC
June 7, 2017 Star News publishes article on Sun et al results that indicates GenX in Wilm. drinking water
June 20, 2017 Chemours announces they will stop emitting GenX to the Cape Fear River
July 14, 2017 NC DHHS issues a new Health Advisory Level for GenX of 140 ppt
July 21, 2017 NC Attorney General announces Criminal Investigative Demand into Chemours
September 6, 2017 NC DEQ sent Chemours a 60-day notice of violation of their NPDES permit and released data showing PFOA and GenX groundwater contamination
November 16, 2017 DEQ issued Chemours a Notice of Partial Suspension and 60-Day Notice of Intent to Partially Revoke their NPDES permit on November 30th

12. Major Roadblocks for NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ)
Lack of toxicology data
Lack of standards

13. Sun et al. 2016 Red is GenX in both graphs
The other compounds in the bottom graph are byproducts of manufacture without standards
Sun et al. 2016

14. Standard Repository
EPA's National Pesticide Standard Repository collects and maintains an inventory of analytical “standards” of pesticides:
Pure and/or technical grade active ingredients.
Regulated metabolites, degradates, and related compounds
Standard Repository NOT required for industrial chemicals
Researchers can not determine toxicology
Analytical labs can not determine concentrations in water

15. Industrial Chemicals Industrial Chemicals ???
Information on toxicology that can be used to set regulations
???