Workshop on PFAS in Atmosphere – Sources, Sampling, and Standards
(In-person only event)
Date: November 1, 2023 - November 2, 2023
Event Location: Washington Hilton, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Organized by: ASTM Committee D22 on Air Quality
About the Event
The Workshop on PFAS in Atmosphere – Sources, Sampling, and Standards will be held November 1, 2023 - November 2, 2023. The workshop is organized by ASTM Committee D22 on Air Quality, and will be held at the Washington Hilton, Washington, District of Columbia, United States in conjunction with the standards development meetings of the committee. The language of the workshop will be English.
Objective and Scope
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are either volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). The carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds in PFAS lead them to be very stable chemically. Furthermore, perfluorocarbon moieties in PFAS are both hydrophobic and oleophobic, making many PFAS effective surfactants or surface coatings. Concerns over exposure to PFASs and their potential health effects have increased significantly among researchers and risk managers because of their persistence, developmental toxicity, and other health effects in laboratory animals and their ubiquitous presence in humans, wildlife, and environmental media. Inhalation of air containing PFAS substances contributes to aggregate exposures. Air is also an important exposure pathway that can contribute to elevated concentrations of PFAS in indoor dust, soil, and waterways.
There are significant efforts to develop harmonized and consensus test standards for the measurement of PFAS. While there have been a few PFAS methods developed for water, soils, sediments, biosolids, and biota, there are currently no similar efforts for vapor-phase PFAS in air. There is a need to develop harmonized and consensus test standards that focus on sampling and analysis of PFAS in air.
This workshop will cover sources, sampling, and standards of PFAS from various atmospheres including indoor air, outdoor air, workplace air, and air sampled from chambers during product testing.
Specific topics include:
Sources: Where do PFAS come from?
- Consumer products
- Fire training/fire response sites
- Industrial sites
- Landfills
- And the common environmental degradation products
Sampling (& Analysis): How to ensure good data quality
- Sampling devices and equipment considerations, active vs. passive sampling
- Sample collection and clean-up
- Methods for analysis
- Limits of quantification and detection for commercially available vs. research-grade analytical instruments
Standards: What is needed?
- The development of consensus documents (Guides, methods & practices) as well as the work carried out by regulatory agencies i.e. EPA
- Purity and availability of internal standards
- Data needs for risk managers to make informed regulatory choices
Technical Program
A technical program (presentation times and presenters’ names) will be posted on the ASTM website in August 2023.
Registration
Registration opens approximately 10 weeks before the start of the workshop.
Technical Chair Contact Information
Xiaoyu Liu
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Email: liu.xiaoyu@epa.gov
Phone: +1 919-541-2459
Charles Bevington
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Email: cbevington@cpsc.gov
Phone: +1 301-987-2009
Hotel Information
The event will be held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, District of Columbia. More information on how to make your sleeping room reservation will be posted approximately 12 weeks prior to the start of the event.
Standards Development Meetings
Committee D22 invites you to attend their future standards development meetings. There is no fee to attend these meetings, and membership in ASTM International is not required to attend. For more information about the committee and their future meetings, please visit the D22 Committee Homepage.