Emerging contaminants

Holistic chemical management solutions

Complex chemical structures, impacts to human health and the environment, evolving regulations; but no matter how great the challenge, Wood is confronting PFAS by breaking barriers to develop a new path toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. Imagine using chemicals for years in your daily operations then finding out they are harmful and will be discontinued or diligently obtaining regulatory closure for your project site, and then having to re-open the site to further investigate emerging contaminants. These are very real scenarios for many businesses.

Since 2006, our dedicated community of global experts has been pioneering solutions to evaluate, manage, mitigate, and eliminate the impacts of PFAS, providing services across the entire life cycle, from strategic management to treatment technologies at more than 165 sites in eight countries. Wood, along with our technology partners, designed a first-of-its-kind treatment process using resin filters that regenerate in place, leaving behind a low volume, highly concentrated waste stream for disposal. Another innovation saw the development of a mobile treatment system to allow for point of source treatment of PFAS.

Understanding PFAS

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a widely used class of synthetic chemicals of emerging concern to human health and the environment. These ‘forever chemicals’ have ubiquitous use in commerce including repelling oil and water from clothing, carpet, furniture, cookware and firefighting foams. Rising levels of PFAS in the environment are a growing concern because of their potential negative impact on human health and groundwater sources. Federal regulatory agencies in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe and several US states have developed guidelines related to this emerging contaminant class.

Proactive approach

We start by evaluating your operations to develop an understanding of current and historical chemical use. Our close working relationships with leading academic researchers, analytical laboratories and governing regulatory bodies globally help us drive toward the most economical and time-saving response. We have a strong understanding of the scientific challenges as well as the regulatory trends surrounding emerging contaminants and use this knowledge to quickly and efficiently eliminate risks and liabilities.

We consider the entire life cycle, from raw material inputs through the supply chain to production and disposal so that we can evaluate volume of use, mobility, toxicity, and ultimate environmental, social, and business impacts. As the risk paradigm shifts, we are refining our process to consider unconventional methodology, such as an outside-in approach, to more quickly manage, mitigate, and eliminate risks and liabilities associated with these impacts.

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