Modeling Pathways of PFAS from Sources to Drinking water in the Great Lakes

Andrea Pugh, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, School of the Environment, Tallahassee, FL, United States, Mark Rowe, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, Eric J Anderson, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ann Arbor, United States, Steven L Morey, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Distinguished Research Scientists, NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, and Professor, Tallahassee, United States and Charles Jagoe, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, School of the Environment, United States
Abstract:
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a man-made group of chemicals that are widely distributed in nature, mostly due to their use as surfactants and emulsifiers, as well as their persistence in the environment. Human exposure to PFAS is likely to include thyroid effects, cholesterol changes, multiple cancers, liver tissue damage, immune effects, and development effects to fetuses during pregnancy or breastfed infants. Interest in PFAS has piqued recently due to their emergence as contaminants in the Great Lakes Region. Limited research has been conducted to determine their behavior in aqueous environments and the pathways by which they reach water intakes for human consumption. A Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) simulation for Lake Huron and Lake Michigan is used to estimate patterns of dispersion for two perfluoroalkyl substances (Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid – PFOS – and Perfluorooctanoic acid – PFOA) throughout the lakes from their major routes of entry (rivers). The objective of this research is to determine how the dispersion of PFAS in surface waters of the Great Lakes impacts PFAS concentrations in public drinking water supplies obtained from these sources.
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