Hiba Baroud, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy, and Climate (VSEC), is co-leading an effort to predict and monitor toxins in Tennessee’s community water systems and to identify communities at risk for contamination.
In response to a 2024 regulation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has awarded the team an 18-month, $352,944 grant.
The chemicals—known as PFAS for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—are found in consumer and industrial products, such as cleaning supplies, cookware, and food packaging. Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not easily disintegrate in the environment, and therefore can contaminate water supplies. Exposure to these chemicals, even at low levels, poses severe health risks, including cancer, liver and thyroid damage, and complications with fertility and fetal development.
Given these risks, in April 2024, the EPA finalized the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation establishing legally enforceable maximum contaminant levels for six PFAS chemicals in drinking water. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and implement solutions to reduce PFAS levels by 2029.