b'ENVIRONMENTAL SMX39Given such challenges, Houser stresses the importance ofsites. There are a lot of unknowns right now, he reflects. And constant communication with state regulators. Everything wethe list will continue to grow and grow.have done so far has been approved by the Water Board, heThe PFAS issue does, indeed, extend far beyond airports and says. We didnt just go out there and start drilling holes. WeCalifornia. Consumer products that are grease-, stain- and/or came up with a plan and submitted it to the Water Board for theirwater-resistant often contain the problematic synthetic chemicals. approval. Outdoor equipment such as tents, jackets, boots, etc. include PFAS to help keep users dry. Cosmetics, shampoos and soaps More Work Ahead also often contain PFAS. And the same goes for cleaning supplies Finding PFAS in soil and groundwater is one thing; getting rid of itand stain-resistant upholstery. Grease- and water-resistant food is an entirely different matter. Hastert reports that there are a fewpackaging is another common source. sites in the U.S. that will accept PFAS-tainted soil, but that merely transfers the pollutant from one location to another.Its in almost everything, but its not regulated, Hastertpoints out. We are continuing to do the testing, he says. And we have trace detection of PFAS that will likely require cleanup.Developing ways to mitigate existing PFAS contamination is proving to be a challenge. Its a difficult situation, Houser That said, the FAA still requires SMX and other commercialacknowledges. They dont call it a forever chemical for nothing. airports to use aqueous film-forming foam that contains PFAS.It doesnt react like a lot of other chemicals we deal with, although There is no alternative that is approved yet, laments Hastert.carbon filtration is showing promise. Its probably going to require So technically, if an airplane has an incident now, and we had tomore aggressive mitigation over a long period of time. Were all spray foam, wed be opening up a new site to be added to a listjust trying to figure it out.of areas we need to monitor.Learn how other airports are facing the PFAS issue by checking Despite the ongoing challenges, he remains hopeful that PFASout the July/August 2019 and July/August 2021 issues of Airport cleanup will eventually receive federal funding, like EPA SuperfundImprovement magazine. Full-service. Multi-plane perspective. Achieving your vision. Learn how our full-service team looks at planning from all angles to create innovative, comprehensive and practical solutions. Visit rsandh.com/aviation.AirportImprovement.comOctober 2022'