Information for Tribes on Updates to the EPA's Interim Guidance on PFAS Destruction and Disposal (2024)

In December 2020, the EPA issued its initial Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Materials Containing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. The guidance generally describes available destruction & disposal technologies for PFAS-containing wastes with the potential to destroy PFAS or control PFAS release into the environment: interim storage, thermal treatment, landfilling, and underground injection. The EPA is updating the interim guidance with new information at least once every three years until final guidance is issued. The 2024 updated interim guidance is available here.
 
The interim guidance addresses destruction and disposal of PFAS and PFAS-containing materials including:

• Aqueous film-forming foam (for firefighting);
• Soil and biosolids;
• Textiles, other than consumer goods, treated with PFAS;
• Spent filters, membranes, resins, granular carbon, and other waste from water treatment;
• Landfill leachate containing PFAS; and
• Solid, liquid, or gas waste streams containing PFAS from facilities manufacturing or using PFAS.

This guidance is not intended to address destruction and disposal of PFAS-containing consumer products, such as non-stick cookware and water-resistant clothing.
 
The interim guidance provides managers of PFAS-containing wastes with tools, methods, and approaches for considering the impacts of potential releases on communities located near destruction and disposal facilities. It also includes testing and monitoring methods for detecting releases near these sites.
 
This webinar will focus on updates to the interim guidance including new science, emerging destruction technologies, and updated tools. The main presenters will be joined by subject matter experts from across EPA who will participate in the Q&A session.

EPA will accept comments on the updated Interim Guidance for 180 days following publication, and this overview may be useful to tribes in submitting comments. For more information on how the EPA is addressing PFAS, please see www.epa.gov/pfas.

Thabet Tolaymat, Ph.D, P.E., U.S. EPA (tolaymat.thabet@epa.gov)
Thabet, currently serving as an Assistant Center Director at the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, has been an Environmental Engineer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio, since 2004. In his current role, Thabet oversees research activities within the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, assisting in the efforts to develop innovative environmental solutions to address remediation and materials management needs. Previously, Thabet served as an Acting Assistant Laboratory Director for Land and an Associate National Program Director for nanomaterials and sustainability, where he has driven strategic program planning and research prioritization. He also contributed to the National Science and Technology Council Committee, focusing on nanotechnology.

As a researcher, Thabet's focused on sustainable landfill technologies, the environmental impacts of nanomaterials, and the safety and sustainability of end-of-life management of PFAS. Over his career, Thabet has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the areas of materials management, nanomaterials, and more recently PFAS. Thabet is also a co-author of the book "Sustainable Practices for Landfill Design and Operations," published by Springer in 2015, and has contributed to significant EPA reports that have set standards in landfill management and environmental safety.

Currently, Thabet is the subgroup lead for the Disposal and Leachate Treatment sections of the Second Interim PFAS destruction and disposal guidance.

Cindy Frickle, U.S. EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (frickle.cynthia@epa.gov or 202-566-0927)
Cindy Frickle is a physical scientist with EPA's Superfund program where she reviews and propagates technical information to site cleanup professionals through Clu-In, EPA forums, and interagency channels. Prior to joining EPA, she spent time characterizing contaminated sites, coring sediments, studying microbes, and teaching. She completed her Biogeology MS and Geology BS in the University of Minnesota's School of Earth Sciences.

Moderator:

Jean Balent, U.S. EPA Technology Innovation and Field Services Division (balent.jean@epa.gov or 202-566-0832)
Ms Balent is on the staff of the EPA's Technology Innovation and Field Services Division where she has worked to collect and disseminate hazardous waste remediation and characterization information since 2003. Ms Balent manages the Clean Up Information Network website and actively supports online communication and collaboration resources available to EPA. She formerly worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Engineering Division in the Buffalo District. Ms Balent was also a member of the SUNY-Buffalo Groundwater Research Group where she constructed and tested large scale models of groundwater flow. Ms Balent has also conducted research relating to the Great Lakes, environmental remediation, and brownfields re-development. She holds a Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from SUNY-Buffalo and a Master's degree in Information Technology from AIU.

• Slide Presentation for Tribal PFAS Destruction and Disposal (439KB/PDF)
• Slide Presentation for Tolaymat (3.08MB/PDF)

Webinar Slides and References:

• Slide Presentation for Tribal PFAS Destruction and Disposal (439KB/PDF)
• Slide Presentation for Tolaymat (3.08MB/PDF)

Additional Resources:

• Updated interim guidance announced in the Federal Register, Open for public comment until October 15, 2024 Docket link
• Interim Guidance on Destroying and Disposing of Certain PFAS and PFAS-Containing Materials That Are Not Consumer Products
• Information on EPA's PFAS research is available at https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/research-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas

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 April 29, 2024: Information for Tribes on Updates to the EPA's Interim Guidance on PFAS Destruction and Disposal (2024)

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