Are Perfluorochemicals Widespread in Biosolids - Essay Example

Contamination from landfill leachate may also be a contributing factor, though there is little to no data currently available to verify this possibility.The identification of perfluorinated chemicals in wastewater is not entirely unexpected, even if an ultimate source cannot be identified. A 2008 EPA workshop presented data demonstrating the prevalence of these chemicals in wastewater treatment plants, especially in urban areas. The abundance of perfluorochemical precursors, i.e. any chemical which precedes and can be modified into a perfluorochemical, used in industrial work is likely to simultaneously contribute to the observed pollution and stymie efforts to identify individual sources.

Scientists and government officials have been largely unprepared for surveying perfluorinated chemicals in sewage sludge and have only recently begun this investigation. Currently, there is a lack of representative data on perfluorochemicals in biosolids.