Multi-Scalar, Multi-Stakeholder Environmental Governance of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances(PFAS)

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are one of the most significant contamination crises of the century, impacting the drinking water of an estimated 200 million U.S. residents and inspiring multiple epidemiological, toxicological, exposure, and fate and transport studies as well as action by dozens of grassroots organizations, regulation at the state and federal level, and class action lawsuits. PFAS pose significant risks to human health and the environment because of their extremely high environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and documented toxic effects at low doses.

In response to a legacy of limited federal governance of PFAS, there is unprecedented state and local action, and presently there is a renewal of federal action. A growing number of states have established regulatory limits on PFAS in drinking water, placed restrictions on PFAS use in various products, set up blood and water testing projects, funded remediation activities, and carried out public education campaigns.

This research will aid the public in learning about the wide range of governance actions on PFAS by studying how these governance activities are taking place both at multiple scales and across multiple stakeholder groups. It will help government agencies understand factors involved in PFAS governance. It will inform state agencies of the realm of other regulatory and non-regulatory actions, and enable them to seek and act upon the resources they need.

The publicly available PFAS Governance Database created through this research will allow for broader public and academic understanding of the issue.

The project will use in-depth interviews, observations, and analysis of governance documents to investigate the variety of regulatory and non-regulatory (monitoring, funding, remediation) approaches at federal, state, and local levels taken across the U.S., including the option of inaction. The resulting PFAS Governance Database will facilitate analysis of the diffusion and growth of governance responses across space and time.

The project will further investigate the governance activities of scientists, elected officials, lawyers and court systems, labor groups, corporations, trade groups, activists, and peri-governmental groups such as standard-setting organizations. The project will also identify barriers to coordination and collaboration across governance scales and stakeholders, such as variation in expertise, agency willingness to act, and budgetary constraints.

By examining how these differences impact public health protections, the research will identify barriers to meaningful public health protection and equitable involvement in governance activities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.