Week 5: Unexpected Discoveries

This week, there was a major advancement in my project, as I received my first set of testing results. The first result came from the benchmark sample I collected in Alexandria, at the same site I tested over the summer. Based on the additional PFAS mitigation measures outlined in the recent AlexRenew presentation, I expected concentrations to decrease slightly. Instead, the result was the highest I have recorded so far at 23.8 ppt (way above the original EPA regulations). This shows that PFAS contamination at this site is still persisting and may even be increasing. This reinforces the importance of my project, as it highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in how local water quality is monitored and communicated to Alexandria residents.

At the same time, I made an unexpected discovery in my home. I tested the water in my own house and found that the PFAS concentration was only 2.7 ppt, the lowest value I have measured so far. I had a hunch that it was because we have recently installed a water filter intended for hard water treatment. After further investigation, I found that the system uses reverse osmosis technology, which is known to be highly effective at removing PFAS.

This is significant because it suggests that effective PFAS filtration may already be accessible to consumers through systems not explicitly marketed for PFAS removal, potentially making these solutions more affordable.

This week, I also conducted a second round of testing in the Occoquan. I made sure to keep all confounding variables consistent, even down to the clothes I was wearing. Hopefully, this consistency will pay off when I get the results back.

While I am still waiting on the first set of Occoquan results, this week has already shown how both environmental data and everyday household systems can reveal important insights about PFAS exposure.