Survey and purification of PFASs in soil and water
In the past, PFASs have been used without regard to their negative impact on the environment and health. Accumulated PFASs in contaminated water and soil affect the groundwater, and eventually end up in the human body.
Many contaminants in water and soil reach humans via drinking water. One example is the release of PFASs into the environment via the firefighting foam used in fire drills.
Understanding how PFASs behave in the environment allows us to develop response strategies and plan measures to prevent their spread, and helps us plan remediation and clean-up of already contaminated sites. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute use historical data, calculate mass balance and model dispersion pathways.
Some substances, such as PFAS precursors, are not identified in standard PFAS analyses but can form PFASs when degraded in nature. We take this into account when assessing exposure and dispersion. By understanding dispersion pathways and how PFASs behave in the environment, we can create action strategies and plan preventive work to prevent dispersion.
Hire IVL for:
- Creating work packages for long-term and regional PFAS strategies – from source identification to sampling plan and analysis (with regulatory knowledge)
- Identifying effective sampling points and interpretation of analytical results
Sampling in watercourses, sediment and soil - Negotiation support with authorities and relevant stakeholders, and guidance on what your responsibilities are
- Preliminary studies to develop technical solutions
- Interpretation of analysis in biota (mainly fish) compared to background levels
- Mapping of flows in the field and using GIS analysis