WEST Center hosts National PFAS Conference tour

The 2026 National PFAS Conference convened more than 400 participants from across the country to share environmental and public health research related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The conference, held June 8 – 10, brought together researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community advocates. 

This was the first time the biennial conference was held in the Southwest, and pre-conference tours strove to highlight issues and efforts unique to the region. Field trips were offered on the day prior to sessions and meetings, and included a trip to the Arizona-Mexico border; a visit to PFAS-affected sites in Tucson; and a tour of the WEST Center.

Image

The WEST Center tour, held on Sunday, June 7, highlighted the National Collaborative PFAS Project and a project evaluating a new PFAS-treatment technology. Dr. Ian Pepper, Director of WEST, presented on the first of these projects which aims to: 1) evaluate the incidence and mobility of PFAS in soils with a history of land application of biosolids; and 2) assess potential crop uptake of PFAS from these soils. 

Dr. Jeff Prevatt, Deputy Director at Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD), took the group of 45 through the WEST Center High-Bay. There, attendees learned about a pilot study aimed at advancing new techniques for removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater. This study, with principal investigators (PIs) Dr. Vicky Karanikola from the University of Arizona and Dr. Jeff Prevatt from RWRD, focuses on the use of foam fractionation and electrooxidation to first concentrate PFAS and then destroy the chemicals using units developed by Ovivo Technologies.
 

More information about other field trips and the full conference can be found in the UA News article, “Researchers convene at U of A to tackle 'forever chemicals' at National PFAS Conference.”