Project Grant 20235140240224

1. PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) ARE WIDESPREAD ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS IN THE UNITED STATES (US) AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD. ALTHOUGH PFAS COMPOUNDS HAVE BEEN USED FOR DECADES IN INDUSTRY AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS, SUCH AS IN NONSTICK COOKWARE, FOOD PACKAGING, WATERPROOF JACKETS, CARPETS, FURNITURE, AS WELL AS A COMPONENT IN FIREFIGHTING FOAMS USED AT COMMERCIAL AIRPORTS AND MILITARY BASES. PFAS ARE CONSIDERED EMERGING CONTAMINANTS IN FOODS AND FOOD ANIMALS BECAUSE VERY FEW REGULATORY THRESHOLDS EXIST FOR PFAS IN FOODS. THE US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) HAS PROPOSED TO DESIGNATE PFAS COMPOUNDS AS HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS UNDER THE COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, COMPENSATION, AND LIABILITY ACT (CERCLA) WHICH WILL POTENTIALLY CLASSIFY HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS, OF SITES WITHIN THE US AS NEW CLEAN-UP SITES. CURRENT ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT UP TO 57,000 SITES IN THE US ARE CONTAMINATED WITH PFAS AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE FREQUENCY OF DISCOVERING ON-FARM CONTAMINATION OF FOOD-ANIMALS WILL INCREASE AS TESTING BECOMES MORE COMMON. AT PRESENT THERE IS NO ECONOMICALLY VIABLE RECOURSE FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS WHOSE ANIMALS ARE CONTAMINATED WITH PFAS. TECHNOLOGIES TO TREAT PFAS CONTAMINATION FOR LIVE ANIMALS DO NOT EXIST AT THIS TIME, THOUGH IT IS KNOWN THAT HUMANS GET MOST OF THEIR PFAS CONTAMINATION FROM THEIR DIET. TOTAL REMEDIATION OF PFAS WILL REQUIRE CLEAN UP OF PFAS FROM WATER, ANIMALS. AND SOIL. THIS PROPOSAL IS A MATERIAL THAT TARGETS TREATING AND/OR PREVENTING PFAS CONTAMINATION IN LIVESTOCK TO IMPROVE THE ANIMAL PRODUCTS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.2. TWO STUDIES WILL BE CONDUCTED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO DETERMINE THE PERFORMANCE OF FLUOR MOP MATERIAL AT TREATING PFAS CONTAMINATION AND DETERMINE THE PERFORMANCE AT REDUCING PFAS IN ALREADY CONTAMINATED ANIMALS. BOTH OF THESE SCENARIOS ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR OUTSIDE OF A CONTROLLED STUDY AND THEY WILL EACH PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION. BROILER CHICKENS WILL BE USED IN THE STUDY FOR PREVENTING PFAS CONTAMINATION BECAUSE THEY HAVE RELATIVELY SHORT LIFESPANS BEFORE HARVEST (~7 WEEKS). THE BROILER CHICKENS WILL BE GIVEN CONTAMINATED WATER AND THEN THEY WILL BE GIVEN FEED THAT HAS BEEN MIXED WITH THE FLUOR MOP MATERIAL FOR TREATMENT AT DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS. AT THE END OF 7 WEEKS, MUSCLE, LIVER, AND TISSUE WILL BE COLLECTED AND TESTED FOR 11 DIFFERENT PFAS THAT ARE KNOWN TO ACCUMULATE IN CHICKENS. THIS STUDY WILL ALSO INFORM US HOW MUCH FLUOR MOP MATERIAL IS NEEDED TO KEEP PFAS FROM ACCUMULATING IN THE BROILERS. THIS INFORMATION CAN BE SCALED TO OTHER ANIMALS AND PROVIDES EVIDENCE FLUOR MOP CAN PREVENT PFAS CONTAMINATION.TO ACCESS THE ABILITY OF FLUOR MOP TO REDUCE PFAS LEVELS IN ALREADY CONTAMINATED ANIMALS, LAYING HENS WILL BE USED SINCE THEY HAVE A LONGER PRODUCTION CYCLE AND THE EGGS CAN BE TESTED AS WELL SINCE IT IS KNOWN PFAS CAN PASS FROM THE HENS TO THE EGGS. HENS WILL BE EXPOSED FOR TWO WEEKS TO CONTAMINATED WATER AND THEN GIVEN CLEAN DRINKING WATER AND EGGS WILL CONTINUALLY BE COLLECTED AN,D FROZEN UNTIL TESTING. AFTER TWO WEEKS OF CONTAMINATED WATER, CLEAN DRINKING WATER WILL BE PROVIDED AND FOOD WITH FLUOR MOP ADDED WILL BE GIVEN TO THE LAYING HENS FOR 28 DAYS AT WHICH POINT THE STUDY WILL CONCLUDE. LAYING HENS WILL BE EUTHANIZED AND THEIR LIVER, PLASMA, MUSCLE TISSUE AND PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED EGGS WILL BE TESTED FOR THE SAME 11 DIFFERENT PFAS AS IN THE FIRST STUDY. THIS WILL DETERMINE THE ABILITY OF FLUOR MOP TO REDUCE PFAS LEVELS IN AN ALREADY CONTAMINATED ANIMAL. DURING BOTH STUDIES TESTING WILL BE DONE TO ENSURE FLUOR MOP IS NOT ABSORBED OR RETAINED BY THE ANIMAL.3. COMPLETION OF THESE STUDIES WILL PROVIDE PROOF THAT FLUOR MOP MATERIAL CAN BE USED TO PREVENT AND/OR TREAT PFAS IN CHICKENS/LAYING HENS. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR LARGER STUDIES ON OTHER LIVESTOCK LIKE DAIRY AND BEEF COWS, GOATS, AND PIGS. GOOD PERFORMANCE OF FLUOR MOP WITH OTHER ANIMALS WOULD MEAN IT IS THE FIRST TREATMENT/PREVENTION METHOD FOR PFAS CONTAMINATION IN LIVESTOCK. THIS WOULD MEAN HEALTHIER ANIMAL PRODUCTS FOR PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND WOULD GIVE FARMERS A SIMPLE FOOD ADDITIVE TREATMENT OPTION FOR THEIR LIVESTOCK THAT HAVE PFAS CONTAMINATION, A PROBLEM THAT IS EXPECTED TO BECOME LARGER WITH MORE TESTING.