The project is part of a $15 million, multi-agency effort to study ways to reduce exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds from the food and agriculture community.
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Texas Tech University’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate sources and mitigation measures for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural operations.
The project is part of a total of more than $15 million in grants from EPA to 10 agencies to find ways to reduce PFAS in food, farmland and rural areas. PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals to which most people in the United States are exposed through soil, air, water and food. PFAS have been widely used in industrial and consumer products (e.g. food packaging, anti-soiling coatings) since the 1940s and are resistant to environmental and metabolic breakdown. This allows them to accumulate in the environment and in living organisms, including humans.
In humans, some PFAS have been associated with health effects, including an increased risk of cancer. These environmental and human health risks are why Jennifer Gelfo, associate professor of environmental engineering in the Edward E. Whitaker Jr. College of Engineering, aims to develop strategies to prevent PFAS impacts from occurring in agricultural facilities and to mitigate those that are already occurring.
“PFAS are a growing challenge for those who own and operate agricultural facilities,” Guelfo explained. “The impacts of PFAS have caused issues such as illness in livestock, products affected by PFAS (meat, dairy, produce), and reduced property values. Farmers have experienced health effects, and they also pose broader public health risks if affected products are inadvertently sold to the public.”
There are many pathways through which PFAS can be introduced into agriculture, including contaminated fertilizer, groundwater wells used for irrigation or drinking water, contaminated animal feed, etc. Given the persistence and health hazards of PFAS, it is important to understand how these chemicals can accumulate in agricultural plants and animals and potentially contaminate the food supply.
Guelfo is the principal investigator of the Texas Tech University community engagement project, “Assessing and Mitigating PFAS Bioaccumulation in Plants, Mammals, and Aquaculture Systems,” which includes environmental chemistry professor Todd Anderson, aquatic toxicology associate professor Jordan Crago, environmental engineering assistant professor Evan Gray, environmental engineering dean W. Andrew Jackson, and Center for Water and Environmental Research (WATER) director Shane Walker.
Over the next four years, researchers will:
Conduct detailed investigations and characterization of the impacts of fertilizer and biosolids pre-application treatment or processing through laboratory and modeling studies. Use plant cultivation studies to measure PFAS partitioning and bioavailability in response to soil type and biosolids amendments. Monitor fish aquaculture to measure PFAS absorption, partitioning, and removal from exposure to potential PFAS sources, including water and dietary sources. Analyze data from laboratory studies to develop PFAS management strategies in agricultural environments.
“When facilities are damaged, there are few options for resuming normal operations and in extreme circumstances, people may have to euthanize entire herds or lose property and livelihoods,” Guelfo said. “As an urban area in the middle of a thriving agricultural region, this project represents a unique opportunity for Texas Tech to advance research that can benefit the local, national and international levels.”
“We are pleased to work with local agricultural stakeholders who will review our strategy to ensure it is viable and realistic for their actual facilities.”
Learn more about Texas Tech University’s contributions to this EPA initiative here.
