Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals that were introduced in the 1940s.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals that were introduced in the 1940s. PFAS are used to create a variety of products including water-resistant clothing, non-stick cookware, and firefighting foams.
Unfortunately, PFAS can have negative effects on health, including increases in cholesterol levels and changes to liver function. Using PFAS-containing products can lead to their presence in the treated wastewater and treated sludge (referred to as biosolids). When grown on biosolid-amended farmland soils or irrigated with treated wastewater, crops can bioaccumulate PFAS. The PFAS-accumulated crops can be consumed directly by the public or indirectly by farm animals, resulting in PFAS in our food supply and creating a public health concern.
Dr. Kung-Hui (Bella) Chu, a professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and her co-investigator, Dr. Libo Shan, a professor at the University of Michigan, have received $1.6 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to research PFAS mitigation and monitoring techniques.
Read more at: Texas A&M University
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