PFAS Community of Practice

Informing Policies to Protect Human Health and the Environment in California and EPA Region 9

Hosted by the UC Berkeley Superfund Research Program (UCB SRP)

Overview

The UCB SRP PFAS Community of Practice (COP) was established to bring together researchers, regulatory scientists, and other stakeholders to share PFAS-related research projects and findings and discuss how they can inform policies to protect public health and the environment in California and EPA Region IX.

The PFAS COP will continue engagement and discussions initiated during a workshop called Translating Research to Policies that Protect Public Health and the Environment, hosted by the UCB SRP on June 7, 2024, which focused on three themes: 1. PFAS Quantification, Breakdown Products, Unknowns, and Environmental Fate and Transformation; 2. Analyses of Community Water Systems and Domestic Well Households and Understanding PFAS Source Threats to Drinking Water; and Health Effects and Regulatory Standards for PFAS.

Contact Cliona McHale at cmchale@berkeley.edu if you would like to join the UCB SRP PFAS COP.

Zoom Flash Talks 2024-25

We will hold a monthly series of Zoom flash talks to share findings on topics of interest to the UCB SRP PFAS COP on the first Monday of each month from December 2024 to July 2025. Each meeting will feature 1-2 flash talks followed by a brief discussion.

Schedule

DateTopicPresenter & Talk Title
Dec 2, 2024Biomonitoring of PFAS (with presenters from Biomonitoring California)Kathleen Attfield. Overview of Biomonitoring California and PFAS-related studies, data trends, and specific analyses

Toki Fillman. Deeper dive into drinking water
Jan 6, 2025PFAS in soils, compost, and biosolidsJohn Jacob (Department of Health, HI). Field Study of PFAS Uptake into Food Crops from Compost and Domestic Wastewater
Feb 3, 2025Quantification of PFAS – total fluorine and unknownsDavid Sedlak (UC Berkeley SRP). Quantifying and Characterizing the Invisible PFAS
March 3, 2025Non-chemical stressors and cumulative riskRachel Morello-Frosch (UC Berkeley SRP). TBD

Rosemarie de la Rosa (UC Berkeley, Env. Health Sciences). TBD
April 7, 2025Metabolic effects of PFASAndreas Stahl (UC Berkeley, NST). TBD

Michele La Merrill (UC Davis). TBD
May 5, 2025Immunological effects of PFASAndres Cardenas (UC Berkeley SRP & Stanford Uni.). TBD

Allison Ehrlich (UC Davis). TBD
June 2, 2025Results from state and regional well water sampling and analysisWendy Linck (CA Water Resources Control Board). PFAS Community Water System Sampling Project – Status Update

Clare Pace (UC Berkeley SRP). Mapping Agricultural Sources of PFAS from Pesticides, CAFOs and Biosolids

Registration

Please register for the series at: https://berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkfuGgpjItHNBRhgbEuPj6xL6lK2Qjf8DR

If you have questions or require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) to fully participate in this event, please contact Dr. Cliona McHale at cmchale@Berkeley.edu  with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.

Resources

Links to slides and videos will be available after each session

Flash Talk Resources 

Dec 2, 2024. Biomonitoring of PFAS (with presenters from Biomonitoring California)

  • Topics and Speakers
  • Video
  • Slides 
  • Links to Data and Collaboration Opportunities
    • Biomonitoring CA Data Exchange. Biomonitoring California is seeking collaborators for seven studies addressing several different types of California populations – pregnant women, firefighters, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and the general population.
      • Summary data have been published (https://biomonitoring.ca.gov/), and some demographic analyses have been shared with the public, but much of the exposure questionnaire data (e.g., diet, occupation, hobbies, home characteristics and water source) is so far unexplored. 
      • PFAS results in Biomonitoring California Results Database https://biomonitoring.ca.gov/results/chemical/2183
      • Potential for collaboration on epidemiological analyses of the datasets, including projects with links to health records, e.g., maternal samples and birth outcomes; potential for additional analyses with sample leftovers; potential to link biomarkers or early markers of effect to sources of exposure including external environmental and geocoded datasets.
    • PFAS surveillance project which will measure PFAs and other panels – in planning.
      • Welcome input to study design and suggestions for the addition of potential complementary components. Offer to establish data sharing plans. 
    • Contact Nerissa.Wu@cdph.ca.gov or Kathleen.Attfield@cdph.ca.gov
    • Community Water Center’s Drinking Water Tool
      • PFAS-related datasets. https://www.communitywatercenter.org/drinkingwatertool/data Mapped all recognized sources of PFAS, the same sources that were used in the USGS paper below. Currently looking at additional datasets on newer, less well-recognized, possible sources of PFAS like pesticides that may contain PFAS, the application of biosolids and CAFOs
      • Libenson et al., 2024. PFAS-Contaminated Pesticides Applied near Public Supply Wells Disproportionately Impact Communities of Color in California https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38903201/ 
    • USGS
    • DTSC’s Safer Consumer Products Program 
      • Would like leads on consumer product categories contributing to groundwater contamination

Jan 6, 2025. PFAS in compost and plants

Talk title: Field Study of PFAS Uptake into Food Crops from Compost and Domestic Wastewater

Dept. of Health, HI, HEER (Hazard Evaluation & Emergency Response) PFAS page https://health.hawaii.gov/heer/environmental-health/highlighted-projects/pfas/