A growing sense of urgency nationwide is focused on a new category of “forever chemicals” called PFAS.

Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances include a group of about 5,000 manmade chemicals used in a wide variety of products from fire fighters’ foam, Teflon, water-resistant clothing and stain-resistant carpeting to food packaging and cosmetics.

PFAS chemicals are also included in the proprietary substances used in fracking. The public didn’t have to be informed about use of these toxic chemicals because chemical identification was considered a trade secret by the fracking industry.

Physicians for Social Responsibility reports the use of PFAS in fracking has been going on for a decade and has been documented in more than 1,200 sites in the United States.

Among the downsides of PFAS: it bioaccumulates and is linked to cancer, immune system disorders, hypertension, thyroid disease and kidney disease.

According to calculations by the Environmental Working Group, toxic PFAS chemicals are in the drinking water of more than 100 million people in the U.S.

Noah Sabich, who grew up in Springfield, has watched the evidence mount about PFAS and the sense of despair over its immortal qualities. Sabich is a partner with Cimbria Capital and he’s teamed up with Fixed Earth Innovations in the development of a new way to eliminate this toxin.

Biologist Tim Repas, one of the founders of Fixed Earth, said, “There is a sense of urgency about this.”

He is innovating a process that relies on microbes that consume PFAS and leave no toxic residues or degradation byproducts. The microbes are specific to each location and are grown for each specific site. A process using electrodes, surfactants, oxygen and perforated steel pipes facilitate the process that is scalable and can be applied at locations ranging from former gas stations, landfills and airports to industrial sites.

Repas said he is working at sites in Canada and has expanded to Michigan and Wisconsin. His collaboration with Cimbria is bringing the technology to the Great Lakes region. The process can be applied to pesticides as well as PFAS chemicals, he said.

Cost can be significantly less than other methods used to clean up toxins. It can range from just 10% to 50% of the cost of physical remediation such as removing soil from contaminated sites. Sabich said the technique using microbes can be scaled and applied on a widespread basis to contaminated locations.

So many techniques currently used are stopgap measures. Activated carbon filters, for example, can remove toxins from drinking water, but the toxins remain in the filters that end up in landfills. The technology promoted by Cimbria Capital and Fixed Earth leaves no toxic residues.

Because human health is involved, it is hoped this process can be widely accessible within the decade. PFAS poses an especially complex and alarming hazard because just parts per trillion poses a significant human health risk.

Repas said the microbes are not GMOs and therefore can’t be patented, but the process is proprietary. He is receptive to piloting work at sites in Peoria and central Illinois.

Fixed Earth currently operates from Western Canada. Cimbria Capital is a private equity investment firm based in Texas and focused on companies involved with global environmental challenges.

The Environmental Working Group has measured contaminants in water nationwide and states that federal EPA standards have not been updated in almost 20 years. EWG contends contaminant levels considered safe by the EPA still pose significant health risks. It found 14 contaminants that exceed what EWG considers safe in Peoria drinking water and 13 in Peoria Heights. More information can be found at its website, EWG.org.

Illinois American Water Co. responded to an inquiry about PFAS levels in Peoria’s drinking water with a statement including: “At Illinois American Water, we take water quality and safety very seriously and we are very proud of our water quality record. The science and regulation of PFAS and other contaminants is always evolving, and Illinois American Water strives to be a leader in delivering reliable, safe, and affordable water service. This is one of the most rapidly changing landscapes in drinking water contamination.”

In addition, the statement includes: “We will continue to invest time and effort engaging with other experts in the field to understand PFAS occurrence, fate, and transport in the environment. We are also actively assessing treatment technologies that can effectively remove PFAS from drinking water, because we believe that investment in research is critical for addressing this issue.”

On Jan. 28, 2021, Illinois EPA issued four statewide health advisories for PFAS substances and a fifth health advisory was later issued. At this time, no enforceable federal or state drinking water standards exists for any of more than 5,000 known PFAS chemicals. Illinois EPA is in the process of collecting data to develop a state standard.

Complete Statement from Illinois American Water Co.

PFAS Detected & Related Customer Communications
At Illinois American Water, we take water quality and safety very seriously and we are very proud of our water quality record. The science and regulation of PFAS and other contaminants is always evolving, and Illinois American Water strives to be a leader in delivering reliable, safe, and affordable water service. This is one of the most rapidly changing landscapes in drinking water contamination.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of manufactured organic chemicals that are used in a variety of products for their nonstick properties (e.g., Teflon, Scotchgard), as well as in industrial applications such as firefighting. PFAS have been linked to various toxicological issues and are highly persistent in the environment.
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also established Health Advisories for some PFAS that are more stringent that Federal advisory levels and has undertaken a statewide PFAS sampling initiative. Health advisories provide information on contaminants that can cause human health effects and are known or anticipated to occur in drinking water. Health advisories are non-enforceable and non-regulatory and provide technical information to states agencies and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination.
o Below are the PFAS where Illinois EPA has established health-based guidance levels.
PFAS Analyte Acronym Health-Based Guidance Level (ng/L)
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid PFBS 2,100
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid PFHxS 140
Perfluorononanoic acid PFNA 21
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid PFOS 14
Perfluorooctanoic acid PFOA 2
Perfluorohexanoic acid PFHxA 560,000
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid HFPO-DA 560
We will continue to invest time and effort engaging with other experts in the field to understand PFAS occurrence, fate, and transport in the environment. We are also actively assessing treatment technologies that can effectively remove PFAS from drinking water, because we believe that investment in research is critical for addressing this issue.