Center for PFAS Research

The Center for PFAS Research is a research initiative, driven by MSU AgBioResearch, for the development of green chemistry and remediation technologies, and a collaboration hub for academic, public health, state, federal, and industry research endeavors surrounding PFAS and emerging contaminants.

To accomplish this, the center will:

• Use an organized framework to unite researchers across disciplines to tackle this complex ecological and agricultural problem. Research disciplines engaged with the center will include biologists, toxicologists, risk assessors, computer scientists, modelers, mathematicians, chemists, physicists, ecologists, and engineers as well as exposure, data, and social.
• Advance quantitative approaches to assist with risk assessment or management of stressors by creating novel computational models that bridge multiple levels of biological organization and incorporate various disciplines to tackle mixture and multi-stressor problems.
• Build research capacity at MSU by creating synergies between researchers and stakeholders, outreach and engagement to broader MSU community surrounding complex environmental issues and establish MSU as a leader in biological forecasting in response to PFAS.
• Gain a better understanding of regulator and decision makers’ requirements and determine policy response options that can be enacted to protect public environmental health.

Why now?

Investment into PFAS research is timely and appropriate because there are no focused and coordinated efforts to explore PFAS impact on agricultural and natural resources in the U.S. There is also a significant investment by the state of Michigan into PFAS-related issues, which is well above the current federal level, and more than most states in the U.S.

An interagency government team called MPART (Michigan PFAS Action Response Team), is performing widespread testing of PFAS in drinking water with some additional fish and wildlife testing. In December 2019, the State communicated a desire for MSU to take leadership on research directions for PFAS, and for MSU to have a centralized and coordinated center with respect to these issues. Since then, several of our Center members have been able to foster positive relationships with MPART and have worked collaboratively to identify gaps where further education, outreach and research efforts are needed.  

Further, the United State Environmental Protection Agency has taken action to designate two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, aka Superfund). With this designation, more funds may become available to address PFAS contamination and the Center for PFAS Research is ready to quickly respond to potential funding opportunities where we can provide sound science to support the identification, risk assessment, and mitigation of PFAS compounds.