Grantee Research Project Results
2022 Progress Report: Building Resilience to PFAS Exposure on Vulnerable Coastal Communities Prone to Extreme Weather Floods: Brevard County FL as a Case Study
EPA Grant Number: R840045Title: Building Resilience to PFAS Exposure on Vulnerable Coastal Communities Prone to Extreme Weather Floods: Brevard County FL as a Case Study
Investigators: Quiñones, Katherine Deliz
Institution: University of Florida
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2020 through May 6, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2021 through July 31,2022
Project Amount: $798,193
RFA: Contaminated Sites, Natural Disasters, Changing Environmental Conditions and Vulnerable Communities: Research to Build Resilience (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Endocrine Disruptors , Safer Chemicals , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The main goal of this project is to work with vulnerable coastal communities and stakeholders in Florida to better understand the diversity, fate, transport, and exposure pathways of PFAS after flooding events, and follow a holistic approach that integrates Community-Engaged Research (CEnR), systematic environmental sampling, laboratory experiments, and a risk framework model to mitigate community exposure, and increase communities’ resilience.
Specific objectives are:
Objective 1: Identify exposure pathways for PFAS in Brevard County vulnerable communities
Objective 2: Characterize diversity and concentration ranges of PFAS in environmental and biological media before and immediately after a flooding event
Objective 3: Understand the effect of major flood events on the mobility and risk exposure of PFAS with the goal to build community resilience.
Progress Summary:
Community Engagement Activities: During the second year of the project our community engagement (CE) efforts were focused on expanding our first-year activities including (1) completing the first phase of the socio-environmental vulnerability mapping; (2) facilitation of in-person and virtual community meetings in collaboration with community partners; (3) expansion of the Citizen Science program in Brevard County and the Youth Environmental Health Literacy (EHL) Program in Jacksonville. Outreach, training and CEnR activities increased participation and capacity of target communities.
Field and Laboratory Activities: During the second year of this project, we completed tasks associated with Objectives 1, 2 and 3 of the proposed research. The University of Florida (UF) team in collaboration with Fight for Zero (FFZ), Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) and Brevard County Citizen Scientists have collected over 700 environmental and biota samples (surface water, sediments, soil, fish, seagrass) throughout Brevard County and the Indian River Lagoon. Physicochemical characterization has been completed for all surface water, sediment, and soil samples, including elemental analysis. All water samples have been extracted for PFAS, analyzed and students are currently integrating data. A small subset of soil samples has been extracted for PFAS, analyzed and integrated. This small subset (n=12) was used as an exercise to train graduate and undergraduate students in the full process of sample processing, analysis, and quantitation of PFAS. Extraction of soil, sediment, and fish samples for PFAS analysis is ongoing, and expected to be completed by the end of year 3. In addition, a flood risk model has been developed for Brevard County.
Future Activities:
In year 3 of the project, we will continue sample processing, analysis, data integration and quantitation. In addition, we will start tasks related to Objective 3-1 including batch and column sorption laboratory experiments. Future CE activities will be dedicated towards dissemination of results to community members (mid-year community conference and end of year conference), as well as identifying and engaging with stakeholders in Brevard and Jacksonville. In addition, youth from the EHL program will continue to engage in data dissemination efforts and completion of a Photovoice project.
Journal Articles on this Report : 3 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 10 publications | 10 publications in selected types | All 10 journal articles |
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Griffin E, Hall L, Brown M, Taylor-Manges A, Green T, Suchanek K, Furmanm B, Congdon V, Wilson S, Osborne T, Martin S, Schultz E, Lukacsa D, Greenberg J, Bowden J. PFAS surveillance in abiotic matrices within vital aquatic habitats throughout Florida. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023;192(115011) |
R840045 (2022) |
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Griffin E, Hall L, Brown M, Taylor-Manges A, Green T, Suchanek K, Furman B, Congdon V, Wilson S, Osborne T, Martin S, Schultz E, Holden M, LUkacsa D, Greenberg J, Quinones K, Lin E, Camacho C, Bowden J. Aquatic Vegetation, an Understudied Depot for PFAS. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023;online ahead of print. |
R840045 (2022) |
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Martinez B, Robey NM, Da Silva BF, Ditz H, Sobczak WJ, Quiñones KY, Bowden JA. Swimming with PFAS in public and private pools. Chemosphere. 2022:136765. |
R840045 (2022) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), Community Engaged Research (CEnR), fate and transport, water quality, Brevard County Florida, flooding, pollutant exposure, public healthRelevant Websites:
UF Team PFAS Website Exit
Fight For Zero Website Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.