CHEE Seminar: Jennifer Field
Monday, April 15, 2024 – 10:00 a.m.
Jennifer Field, PhD
Professor, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
College of Agricultural Sciences
Oregon State University
"Advancing the Environmental Forensics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)"
Cesar Chavez Building, Room 400
ABSTRACT
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are classes of contaminants that continue to receive locate, state, federal and international attention. Current state and pending federal limits on PFAS have made identifying the environmental PFAS sources a high priority. Source tracking is the accurate characterization and differentiation of multiple sources contributing to PFAS contamination in the environment. Tracking PFAS sources requires a basic knowledge of their unique chemistry combined with detailed chemical characterization (fingerprinting) of known PFAS sources. Known sources of PFAS to the environment include aqueous film forming foams (AFFF), biosolids and landfill leachate, and municipal and industrial wastewater effluents. The complex data sets (fingerprints) require interpretation that relies on multivariate statistics. The talk will highlight a PFAS forensics project aimed at fingerprinting PFAS sources funded by the Strategic and Environmental Restoration and Development Program as well as a study on AFFF-impacted fish from the Columbia Slough conducted in partnership with the US Geological Survey (Portland), Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the Oregon Health Authority.
BIOSKETCH
Dr. Field has a PhD in geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines. Her current research focuses on the development and application of quantitative analytical methods for organic micropollutants and their transformation products in natural and engineered systems with a focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). She is considered a pioneer in the area of PFAS occurrence and behavior and has focused on groundwater contaminated by fire-fighting foams and PFAS in municipal wastewater treatment systems and in municipal landfills. Current work focuses on the development of PFAS fingerprinting sources, biomimetic chromatography of PFAS, and PFAS on specialized textiles, fluoropolymers and other materials. She served as an Executive and Associate Editor for Environmental Science and Technology.