Assessing and Investigating PFAS

Assessing and investigating PFAS is complicated by the widespread occurrence in environmental media, potential for cross contamination during sampling, emerging analytical methods, and evolving scientific and regulatory landscapes. That’s why we take a multifaceted approach to PFAS site characterization that combines our understanding of PFAS sources, chemical behavior, sampling and analysis, site characteristics, and applicable regulatory considerations with client objectives. We lead the industry in PFAS assessment and investigation and have successfully executed PFAS evaluations at thousands of release sites across the globe.

Preliminary Assessment and Site Characterization

Our environmental professionals identify PFAS release locations and characterize the type and extent of environmental impacts. We develop representative transport models to assess future exposures and incorporate our patent pending PFAS Evaluation Toolset to inform source identification and site management decisions. Geospatial and digital conceptual site models harness digital tools facilitate stakeholder communication allowing quick reactions to regulatory changes.

Ali Salter-Blanc Emerging Contaminants Community of Practice Lead, Characterization

Project Highlights:

  • PFAS investigations at 85 U.S. Navy installations and facilities: Provided preliminary assessments, site inspections, remedial investigations, and residential drinking water analyses meeting aggressive reporting schedules. Innovative solutions used include:
  • Solute transport modeling to assess future exposures: Applied solute transport modeling to map PFAS plume spread relative to drinking water supply wells.
  • Thermal imaging to optimize sediment sampling: Used thermal camera imaging and temperature measurements to locate groundwater to surface water discharge points and focus surface water and sediment sample collection.
  • Detailed PFAS site investigation, Australian military installation: Characterized PFAS extent in soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment, site infrastructure (such as drain lines and sewers) and biota, including fish and vegetation potentially consumed by livestock. Assessed migration of PFAS from site infrastructure to environmental media and developed strategic management plan for PFAS sources.
  • Preliminary PFAS analysis, California regional airport: Designed and executed soil and groundwater sampling at aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) release areas in compliance with state investigation orders. Minimized analytical costs through strategic sample analysis sequencing.

Solution Highlight: Jacobs Sample Results Viewer = Instant Data Visualization

The Sample Results Viewer (SRV) is a custom application that directly queries location, sample, and analytical data, providing our remediation professionals instant access to results in an interactive, web based geospatial interface.

Streamlining analysis, visualization, and reporting, we can view and analyze data, request figures and tables on demand seeing what locations exceed evolving screening levels on demand, saving time and money.

By the numbers:

release locations investigated

water and environmental samples successfully collected/sampled for PFAS

Risk Assessment

Our human health and ecological risk assessors prepare solutions-oriented risk assessments tailored to client objectives. Whether incorporating rapidly advancing technical changes during project lifecycles or advancing the state-of-the science using New Approach Methods to better understand risk and reduce uncertainties, we provide information to guide site management decisions.

Loren Lund Human Health Risk Assessor

Barrie Selcoe Human Health Risk Assessor

Chris McCarthy Ecological Risk Assessor

Project Highlights:

  • U.S. government clients: risk assessment activities including work planning and qualitative and quantitative risk assessments
  • Confidential commercial client: phased sampling and human health and ecological risk assessment for an actively fished bay, including detailed habitat assessment and selection of reference areas
  • Australian government client: human health and ecological risk assessments using detailed site-specific exposure assessments and tissue analysis of fish and shellfish, vegetation, animal fodder, backyard vegetables/herbs, fruit, chicken and duck eggs

Assessing Sources to Drinking Water

We have completed drinking water risk assessments for utilities, watershed management agencies, federal governments, local municipalities, provinces, and private clients in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Using GIS information, potential and actual sources of PFAS risk levels can be identified, mitigated and communicated via smart graphics. From there, physical sampling is completed and incorporated into the smart graphic. The results are analyzed with Jacobs’ patent pending PFAS Evaluation Toolset to identify specific characteristics and likely contributors.