Theme: 12. Technology Transfer and Stakeholder Communications

Topic Area: 12b. Practice of Risk Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

Formatted Title:

Translating Forever Chemicals: Lessons Learned from PFAS Communication

Background/Objectives:

As PFAS is increasingly addressed at various regulatory levels and better understood with evolving technology, accurate and up-to-date stakeholder communication is critical to maintain public trust. Media coverage has led to public outrage over PFAS exposures, including concerns about the safety of drinking water. This public scrutiny is even more heightened after the release of EPA’s drinking water regulations in April 2024.

PFAS risk communication is uniquely challenging. Technical questions persist about fate and transport, toxicology, analytical ability, and exposure, which has led to differing regulations and guidance between localities, states, and the federal government. Communicating the unknown to the public is a balancing act that should be approached with care to provide facts without unnecessarily alarming consumers.

Federal regulations and guidance have been focused on treated drinking water, but media coverage may elicit public confusion surrounding groundwater, soil, and other environmental media addressed by remediation. Environmental professionals serve an important role in interpreting agency guidance and liaising with the relevant regulators to provide continually updated and actionable resources for the public. This presentation will focus on translating PFAS communication lessons learned for drinking water efforts and applying them to remediation projects.

Approach/Activities:

CDM Smith has developed PFAS communication materials for several utilities focusing on human health risk, generating a community-specific PFAS cycle, describing regulatory status, and providing actionable steps for consumers to reduce their exposures. As the potential for PFAS remediation becomes apparent, CDM Smith is also working with industrial and public clients to address PFAS in groundwater and soil. Communication materials include webpages, fact sheets, and community presentations.

Developing a customized communication strategy includes the evaluation of environmental justice, stakeholder relationships, and communication methods. Following a comprehensive community assessment, key messages are developed with the goal of showing residents that companies and utilities are proactively addressing PFAS.

Results/Lessons Learned:

The translation of PFAS risk communication from the water sector to remediation projects should account for the complexities of PFAS and unique characteristics of remediation sites. Fortunately, lessons learned from water-centric communications can be leveraged and adapted to site investigations and remediation. This presentation will address some of the adaptations required for remediation projects as outlined below.

While utilities may serve an entire city, remediation sites typically impact a smaller community. A targeted community and stakeholder assessment is critical to address the community’s specific needs. Residents may feel especially close to the issue and voice their concerns; therefore, anticipatory communication materials should be developed to prepare for potential community outrage.

Remediation projects often have a known source prompting a remedy, as opposed to utilities that receive PFAS and are not themselves a source. Engaging potentially responsible parties, regulators, and other key stakeholders in PFAS communication materials is ideal to provide the most accurate and consistent messaging to the public.

Technical questions surrounding PFAS may also vary between utilities and remediation projects, so different environmental matrices and regulations should be clearly distinguished. Exposure pathways are site-specific for remediation projects, while ingestion of drinking water or biosolids management is the primary concern for utilities. A conceptual site exposure model is a valuable tool to form the basis of risk assessment, show PFAS linkages, and identify where community members may fit in the PFAS cycle so they feel empowered to take meaningful action.

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Emma Goldberg

Biography