ITRC provides updated insights and technical knowledge on PFAS
ITRC provides updated insights and technical knowledge on PFAS
Get updated on the current PFAS knowledge, gaps and emerging issues with the ITRC PFAS Technical and Regulatory Web Guidance Document (PFAS-1).
The Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) has released an updated and expanded version of its PFAS Technical and Regulatory Web Guidance Document (PFAS1), offering its most recent scientific insights, emerging concerns, and practical lessons learned from real-world PFAS projects.
February 25, 2026
ITRC has identified eight priority topics that highlight the most urgent knowledge gaps and emerging issues, offering readers a clear gateway into the complex scientific, regulatory, and environmental landscape of these persistent chemicals. These topics provide essential insight into how PFAS were historically used, how they move through the environment, and what their impacts may be on human and ecological health. They also explain the challenges associated with sampling and analysing PFAS, introduce the evolving field of treatment and remediation technologies, and address the growing concern around PFAS in biosolids as well as their interaction with microplastics. By exploring these eight topics, this document provides a comprehensive introduction to today’s most pressing PFAS issues and highlights the areas where further research and guidance are most needed. This collection of priority topics serves as an accessible starting point for anyone seeking up-to-date information to deepen their understanding of PFAS and to follow ongoing developments in science, policy, and environmental management.
To explore the full update, you can read ITRC’s PFAS-1 guidance.
Dynamics of PFAS transport in the unsaturated zone: Insight from long-term monitoring of an AFFF-contaminated site
PFAS in the unsaturated zone can remain a long-term source of groundwater contamination. A two-year Danish field study shows that precipitation and infiltration, soil composition and secondary PFAS reservoirs control mobilisation and vertical transport, with distinct behaviour for short- and long-chain PFAS.
Microplastics in groundwater: An updated systematic review of occurrence, hydrogeological controls, methodological challenges, and regulatory gaps
Microplastics are increasingly detected in groundwater, yet their occurrence, transport and environmental relevance remain difficult to assess. A systematic review of 82 field studies from 28 countries demonstrates their presence across a wide range of hydrogeological settings. Large differences in reported concentrations are strongly influenced by inconsistent sampling and analytical methods. Standardised monitoring is therefore essential for developing reliable groundwater quality criteria and future regulatory frameworks.
PFAS and the pollution trap: contested knowledge in environmental justice struggles
PFAS contamination is not only an environmental and health issue, but also a challenge of environmental justice and access to reliable knowledge. Based on 25 documented PFAS conflicts worldwide, this study examines how scientific uncertainty, chemical persistence and information asymmetries shape affected communities. The authors describe how the largely invisible nature of PFAS contamination can delay recognition and regulatory action. The study highlights the importance of combining scientific evidence with the experiences and knowledge of exposed communities.
PFAS remediation across Europe: costs and limited impacts
PFAS contamination is widespread across Europe, but removing these persistent chemicals from the environment is technically difficult and extremely costly. This study estimates the costs and potential impact of large-scale PFAS remediation across the EU. Even extensive treatment of contaminated soil, drinking water, wastewater, sludge and landfill leachate would remove only a small fraction of ongoing emissions. The results demonstrate that remediation must be combined with strong control of PFAS emissions at their source.
Accumulation of PFAS in wine from a contaminated area: perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) as a molecular marker of PFAS groundwater contamination and implications of wine ingestion for human health
PFAS contamination of groundwater can also affect agricultural products and contribute to human exposure through food and beverages. This study investigated PFAS in wines produced within and around a major contaminated area in Northern Italy. Short-chain PFAS, particularly perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), were frequently detected and linked to local groundwater contamination. The results suggest that wine may serve both as a bioindicator of groundwater contamination and as a potential dietary exposure pathway.
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