What’s in the Water?:Examining Contamination by Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Rainwater

Student: Kyndalanne Pike
Majors: Chemistry, Mathematics
Advisors: Dr. Faust, Dr. Morrison
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging environmental contaminants of concern detected in waters around the world. These chemicals, used for food packaging and firefighting foams, have leeched into the environment, where they don’t degrade. This is of concern as PFAS have been linked to several serious health issues including cancer and neurogenerative diseases in children. This project focused on detecting PFAS in rainwater collected at seven sites during the summer of 2019. PFAS were detected in all of the samples collected. There were higher concentrations detected at some sites than others. This highlights the prevalence of these contaminants in our environment and the importance of local sources of PFAS.

Kyndalanne will be online to field comments on May 8:
Noon-2pm EDT (PST 9am-11am, Africa/Europe: early evening)

Posted in I.S. Symposium, Independent Study on May 1, 2020.

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