Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have warranted increased scrutiny both from the public and the scientific community due to their ubiquity, persistence, and bioactive potential. Furthermore, while PFAS contamination has been documented in aquatic ecosystems worldwide, the majority of available data are for legacy compounds like PFOA and PFOS and focus on species in freshwater environments. Data remains limited for the universe of other PFAS (individually, in mixtures, and degradation products) particularly for estuarine and marine environments. This seminar will focus on our efforts to address key agency needs related to these problems, including to 1) develop eco-effects data and predictive tools to assess PFAS impacts on wild populations, 2) classify diverse PFAS by mechanism and/or effect, 3) support cross-species extrapolation by identifying and understanding impacted molecular pathways.
Dr. Bryan Clark is a Principal Investigator in the Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division of the US Environmental Protection Agency.