The first-ever Great Lakes PFAS Summit will bring together scientists, government officials, regulators, academic researchers, industry, and community organizations on all topics PFAS. The summit is set for October 27-28, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan, will be hosted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

The summit will provide participants with current and reliable PFAS science and policy, explore PFAS research topics, facilitate networking, and share information on the latest research and technology.   EGLE is developing the agenda for this two-day conference.  Topic areas for the Great Lakes PFAS Summit include:

• Treatment Technology and Research

• Rules and Regulations

• Pollution Prevention

• Sampling and Analytical

• Public Health and Communication

• PFAS in Agriculture and Natural Resources

• Materials Management

PFAS contamination is being discovered at sites throughout the United States. Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are fluorinated organic chemicals, which include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).  PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they are persistent and bioaccumulate. Persistent means they do not break down in the environment and bioaccumulate refers to the process of building up over time in the blood and organs.

“Michigan is a national leader in responding to PFAS contamination and we are proud to organize and host this first-of-its-kind summit,” EGLE Director Liesl Clark said in a release announcing the summit. “We’re excited to share what we’ve learned from our work to protect Michiganders from PFAS contamination and look forward to collaborating with fellow regulators, scientists and policymakers on this growing national problem.”

Merit is a leading national PFAS environmental laboratory, analyzing drinking water, soil, wastewater, groundwater, and other sample matrices, including biosolids and sludge. Analytical methods performed by Merit for PFAS include drinking water by EPA 533, EPA 537.1, and EPA 537 rev. 1.1 and soil, wastewater, groundwater, and surface water by ASTM D7979 with Isotopic Dilution. 

Please contact Merit Laboratories for assistance on your PFAS testing needs.