Podcast on PFAS

PFAS (poly- and perfluoro alkyl substances) is a collective name for a large group of substances. They do not occur naturally but began to be produced in the middle of the 20th century. There are more than 4700 different PFAS substances. PFAS can today be found in the environment and in drinking water and food. Therefore, the risks of PFAS need to be investigated, especially as long-term exposure to high levels of PFAS is suspected to increase the risk of adverse health effects.

In 2021, the Swedish court ruled in a case between a local municipal water treatment company and the Swedish military. The municipal water treatment company, Uppsala Vatten & Avfall AB, wanted compensation from the Swedish military for the treatment of PFAS. The Swedish court ruled that the Swedish Armed Forces does not need to compensate the municipal water treatment company for high levels of PFAS pollution in the local drinking water source.

This case is the focus of a podcast episode where a discussion is held about the verdict and the upcoming appeal. Participants are Sanne Smith, a doctoral student at the department as well as a member of the podcast production team, and Philip McCleaf, who work as a process engineer at Uppsala Vatten. Participating is also Lutz Ahrens, an associate professor at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, SLU. He has led research relevant to the case and was also involved as an expert.

The podcast episode is the third in a series titled "PFASology", where different perspectives on PFAS are discussed. The language is English and each section is under 30 minutes long. The podcast was created by researchers in the project PERFORCE3 in order to discuss the challenges and solutions associated with the global presence of PFAS. So far, three episodes have been published.

PERFORCE3 is a research training programme, (European Training Network) that aims to develop new methods for detecting and quantifying PFAS. It brings together experts in different disciplines to investigate solutions to problems with PFAS contamination. The project has received funding from the EU's research and innovation program Horizon 2020 under its Marie Skłodowska-Curie action.

PERFORCE3 is closely linked to the research at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment. It provides a high-quality training and research environment for PhD students. The research at the department will focus on solutions to PFAS contamination problems, using innovative treatment techniques to protect the environment and ecosystem services such as drinking water.