PHOENIX — After grappling with the airborne COVID-19 virus for a couple of years, the Department of Energy and other feds are studying another health concern, one centered around a large number of human-made chemicals with a history dating back to Manhattan Project uranium separation, a DOE official said here Thursday.
The issue is release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
“This is an emerging problem,” Josh Silverman, who heads DOE’s environmental safety and health reporting office, said at the Waste Management Symposia here. He spoke during a roundtable held by the Energy Facilities Contractor Operator Group (EFCOG). “We are learning a lot about this.”
“PFAS were first produced on an industrial scale for use in uranium separation activities during the Manhattan Project, and thousands of chemical formulations have since been developed,” Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk said in a September memo that Silverman referenced during his presentation. The substances have become widely used in modern life in products like stain-resistance carpet as well as non-stick cookware and other household items.
Firefighting foam commonly used by fire crews at DOE weapons complex sites usually contains PFAS.
“Sites may continue to store quantities of PFAS-containing AFFF [Aqueous Film Forming Foam] onsite as required for lifesaving emergencies,” according to the Turk memo. But the notice goes on to say any disposal of PFAS is suspended until further notice without approval of DOE management.
“These chemicals do not break down easily in the environment or the human body due to their strong carbon-fluorine bond, and certain PFAS substances have been found to be associated with adverse human health impacts,” Turk said in his memo.
A U.S. Environment Protection Agency backgrounder said there are thousands of PFAS and the health impacts are not fully understood yet.
A big issue is keeping PFAS out of the water supply, said Rob Seifert, director of subsurface closure for the DOE Office of Environmental Management. The Portsmouth Site in Ohio has a large tank of PFAS. Should there ever be a spill it would be important for cleanup crews to wear personal protective equipment, said Seifert, who is working on joint efforts with the Department of Defense.
DOE sites must also now report any PFAS spills to DOE headquarters, Turk said in the memo.
“We are not looking to pioneer a path here,” but to get a handle on the scope of the PFAS risk and what should be done to mitigate it, Silverman said.
Seifert urged DOE employees and contractors to become involved in PFAS task groups forming across the complex. “If you’ve got the solutions, we want to hear those too.”
