By Blake Jackson
Researchers at Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences have secured nearly $309,000 in funding from the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate how PFAS, commonly called “forever chemicals,” move through agricultural watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay region.
The study aims to provide farmers, watershed managers, and rural communities with better information about contamination risks and ways to reduce environmental impacts.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals that can persist for long periods in soil and water while also entering the food chain. Concerns about contamination have grown in agricultural areas, especially on farms where biosolids from treated wastewater have been used as fertilizer or where fluorinated pesticides have been applied.
According to researchers, these chemicals can accumulate in ecosystems and potentially affect water quality and public health.
The interdisciplinary project will be led by Heather Preisendanz, director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES).
Scientists will study how PFAS travel through rural landscapes, identify possible contamination pathways, and examine their effects on aquatic ecosystems and stream health.
“This project will provide critical information to farmers, rural communities and watershed managers who are facing difficult questions about PFAS contamination and its long-term impacts,” said Preisendanz, professor of agricultural and biological engineering.
“By improving our understanding of how these compounds move through agricultural watersheds and affect aquatic ecosystems, we hope to identify practical approaches that can help reduce risks and protect water quality.”
As part of the project, researchers will collect samples of surface water, stream sediment, and aquatic insects from small agricultural watersheds across the Chesapeake Bay region.
The team will compare PFAS movement with other water-quality indicators such as nutrients and sediment to better understand how the contaminants spread through the environment.
Scientists also will evaluate how PFAS exposure affects aquatic macroinvertebrates, which serve as indicators of stream health.
Field and laboratory studies will focus on identifying major transport pathways and understanding how contaminants accumulate in aquatic organisms. Researchers will also assess how pollutants in water and sediment may impact broader ecosystems.
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