“This is sort of the nail in the coffin; this is evidence that it’s there and we should be very careful with these containers,” said University of Notre Dame physics professor Graham Peaslee, co-author of the study.
The study was championed by two environmental groups, the Center for Environmental Health and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which have pushed EPA to crack down on companies creating PFAS through the plastic fluorination process.
Concern around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances being present in the plastic barrels was sparked more than two years ago when initial testing done by PEER found the chemicals in pesticides. Those suspicions were later confirmed by Massachusetts state regulators and by EPA, the latter of which ultimately linked the problem to fluorination processes largely done by Inhance Technologies, a Houston-based plastics and packaging company.
