PFAS risk-assessment tool

With the PFAS risk-assessment tool built by the EMPEREST project, users can identify PFAS pollution sources in urban areas, and they get proposals of mitigation strategies. PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been identified as a group of priority contaminants that are harmful for human health and the environment. They are also extremely persistent and mobile in nature, including the water cycle. PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are very useful because of their properties: they are repellent to water, oil and dirt and they are very durable under extreme conditions. Hence, they are still used in e.g. teflon, gore-tex, cosmetics, construction products, and many more.

The purpose of the EMPEREST tool is to provide local authorities with a guidance for the PFAS risk assessment in a municipality. The tool covers the whole municipal water cycle starting from water abstraction, water treatment, water supply system, sewage collection, and sewage treatment to treated wastewater discharge. The tool is MS EXCEL based and contains the following parts: Disclaimer, Introduction, PFAS Definitions, 8 steps for risk assessment, More (links to our training material videos) and References sheets. It is available in English, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Finnish, German and Latvian languages. The language selection is available in the Disclaimer tab. The core of the tool are the 8 steps (8 tables to fill). After completing the tables, the user will receive proposed mitigation strategies for the PFAS risks.