Management of Waste Impacted by PFAS

A proposed ASTM International standard provides guidance on the management of investigation-derived waste (IDW) from sites that may be impacted by perfluoralkyl substances (PFAS). The committee on environmental assessment, risk management, and corrective action (E50) is developing the standard.

PFAS are chemicals often found in products including household items, outdoor gear, nonstick cookware and more. IDW is the water, soil and cuttings that develop during sampling and drilling activities when investigating a likely contaminated site.

“To date, many environmental agencies have only issued guidance on the management of IDW from a site that may have been impacted by petroleum, petroleum byproducts, heavy metals, solvents, and hazardous waste,” says ASTM member, Paul Sonnenfeld, area health and safety manager at Lehigh Hanson. “Most of these guidance documents were issued in the early to mid-1990s and this proposed standard aims to provide additional guidance.”

Sonnenfeld notes that the proposed standard (WK73328) will be helpful to regulatory agencies as well as environmental consulting and geotechnical firms.