PFASs comprise a large group of chemicals that are used in many industries, i.e., aerospace, apparel, auto, construction, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, electronics, energy, healthcare, oil and gas, and semiconductors. Aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) were developed in the 1960s and contained multiple classes of PFASs. Current analysis of PFAS is time consuming and very expensive, with only a very short list of known PFASs being analyzed. More recently, extractable organic fluorine (EOF) has been used to evaluate the presence of additional PFASs that cannot be routinely screened using currently available methods. However, a fast, inexpensive method that could be used for site screening at PFAS contaminated sites has not yet been developed. <b> </b>PFASs were first discovered at WAFB in the groundwater collected in 1998 and 1999 (Moody et al., 2003) at a fire-training area (FT-02). However, operations at the base and especially the use of AFFF resulted in widely distributed large PFAS plumes. Sources include not only the fire training area but also AFFF retention lagoons, airplane crash sites, base operations apron, airplane hangars, fire station buildings, wastewater treatment seepage lagoons, and landfill leachate. In 2010, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) began sampling the entire base for PFAS, randomly collecting groundwater samples from each Installation Restoration Program (IRP) site that had active monitoring. A total of 20 different PFASs have been found so far at WAFB. In 2015 MDEQ, in collaboration with Hope College and Oregon State University, performed a joint investigation of groundwater contamination using particle induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy analysis. The data collected so far indicates the extent and complexity of PFAS contamination at this former Air Force base and indicates that fire training areas are not the only significant sources of PFAS contamination at former military sites. The data collected during the PIGE and regular historical and current groundwater analysis of PFAS will be presented. A conceptual site model comparing both methods will be presented for FT-02. The WAFB can be used as a reference site providing insight on how PIGE analysis could help in screening for PFAS at other sites. The time and cost benefits of using the PIGE method for PFAS screening will also be presented.

Conceptual site model for measurement of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)

251st National Meeting (2016)

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