FY 2022 STATEMENT OF NEED 

Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area 

The objective of this Statement on Need (SON) was to develop an improved understanding of the ecological toxicity and risk associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in avian species at or near Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)-impacted sites. Specifically, the goal was to address the following research needs:

• Improve the understanding of the uptake and excretion rates of PFAS by avian species to include assessment of correlation between effects reported in the scientific literature in laboratory exposures and observed population effects in the field.
• Develop and/or validate modeling tools that can define exposures in comparison to established avian toxicity reference values (TRVs).
• Assess PFAS bioaccumulation and biomagnification throughout a food web with avian species as the receptor.
• Determine whether observed PFAS mixtures in avian tissue, serum, or eggs are correlated with any adverse population level effects.

The projects listed below were selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title.

• Food-Web Exposure and Consequent Effects of PFAS on Birds
  • Lead Investigator: Matthew Etterson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Validation of Food Web Models Incorporating the Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of PFAS in Avian Species
  • Lead Investigator: Jean Zodrow, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
• PFAS Bioaccumulation in Coastal Seabirds from Charleston, SC
  • Lead Investigator: Rainer Lohmann, University of Rhode Island
• Tree Swallows as Indicators of PFAS Exposure and Effects at Selected DoD Sites in the Mid-Atlantic Region, USA
  • Lead Investigator: Christine Custer, U.S. Geological Survey
• Evaluation of PFAS in Higher Trophic Level Bird Eggs
  • Lead Investigator: Christopher McCarthy, Jacobs

Research should lead to a better understanding of the environmental impact of AFFF-impacted sites and direct impact on the DoD’s ability to manage these sites more cost effectively while being protective of human health and the environment.