The toxicity of PFAS and their widespread application, in particular as fire fighting foams in the force sector armed and mining, have led to large-scale contamination of soil and groundwater at sites around the world.
Due to the possible toxicity of PFAS to both human health and the environment, depending on the level of contamination, treatment of contaminated sites is required to mitigate the migration of contaminants into groundwater and reduce associated risks.
PFAS have one of the strongest chemical bonds (C - F) known, making them resistant to degradation in the environment and difficult to remedy.
The complexity of the treatment is even greater in contaminated soil due to the binding of the PFAS to the soil. Due to this strong bond and high melting point, methods such as heat treatment, chemical oxidation and air stripping are difficult to treat PFAS.
These compounds are persistent in the environment, easily transfer through water flow (water soluble), can travel long distances in both saturated and unsaturated environments, and contaminate both groundwater and soil.
PFAS remain intact in the environment for long periods and accumulate in the flora, fauna and adipose tissue of humans and wildlife.
Since PFAS differ from normal lipophilic toxins, their toxicokinetic profile is still unknown in the mechanism. In humans, PFAS can have potentially harmful effects on the growth, learning, behavior of infants and older children, women’s fertility, cholesterol levels and the immune system, and can increase the risk of cancer.
