Major Goals and Objectives

The extent of PFAS contamination in the waterways surrounding Southern Lake Michigan is in need of further characterization. The current understanding of PFAS risks in contaminated sites is limited by knowledge of the competitive behavior of PFAS sorption in complex mixtures in the subsurface, the significance of various bioaccumulation routes from source zones to humans and biological receptors, and the existence of models to simulate the evolution of contaminated sites.

The specific objectives of the proposed project are to:

• Understand the fate and transport processes, including competitive sorption, of complex PFAS mixtures from shallow groundwater to organisms in surface sediments
• Identify key PFAS that are likely to drive bioaccumulation risk assessments for benthic invertebrates
• Assess the potential for a passive sampling device to act as a biomimetic for PFAS bioaccumulation
• Understand public perceptions of risks posed by PFAS-contaminated fish tissue to inform public policymaking