UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State on Nov. 13 entered into a Consent Order and Agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the presence of PFAS at the State College Regional Airport, which the University owns and operates. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, comprise thousands of human-made chemicals widely used in home, commercial and industrial products since the 1940s, including in firefighting foam that was used during federally mandated airport fire trainings and testing.
The State College Regional Airport, formerly known as the University Park Airport, was — like all other commercial service airports across the country certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — required to use aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a man-made foam developed in the 1960s to extinguish fires. PFAS are some of the primary compounds in AFFF and, until recently, the potential health and environmental effects associated with PFAS were not widely known. The FAA’s mandate to use AFFF remained in place until 2023, when an alternative suppression foam without PFAS was finally approved. The State College Regional Airport was the first airport in Pennsylvania to purchase the new PFAS-free foam.
The airport has at all times adhered to strict requirements and mandates issued by the FAA, including the use of fire-fighting foam, and DEP said it has received no information indicating that Penn State had knowledge of any hazards associated with the use of AFFF at the time it was discharged at the airport.
Under the terms of the Consent Order and Agreement, the University has agreed to investigate and remediate the release of certain PFAS compounds, specifically, PFOS, PFOA, PFBS, PFNA and PFHxS, at or from the airport. The University also has agreed to pay a portion ($564,767) of the past response costs incurred by DEP in investigating and responding to the presence of PFAS around the airport. Part of DEP’s response included providing bottled water and whole-home point of entry treatment (POET) systems to certain residences and businesses where sampling revealed the presence of PFAS above Pennsylvania and/or federal drinking water limits in private wells. The University agreed to sample and maintain the POETs installed by DEP and also agreed to provide bottled water and POETs to certain other residences and businesses under the terms in the Consent Order and Agreement.
“Penn State remains committed to protecting regional groundwater and safeguarding community health by collaborating with DEP and others to develop a comprehensive plan addressing concerns,” said James Crandall, senior director of Environmental Health and Safety at Penn State. Penn State has engaged Roux Associates Inc., an environmental consulting firm, to assist the University with developing plans and the remediation. “Our goal is to uphold our dedication to health, safety, sustainability and responsible resource management.”
For nearly five years the University has been working in partnership with DEP to identify potential environmental issues related to the presence of PFAS around the area of the airport. Penn State has been carefully monitoring these emerging contaminants, which, according to the DEP, can come from many potential sources, such as carpeting, clothing, shampoo, dental floss, and food packaging, including microwave popcorn bags and pizza boxes.
Crandall also added that the presence of PFAS in the environment can be found across the country and Penn State officials hope there is a more comprehensive strategy under consideration that does not require the University to handle costs that manufacturers of PFAS should be paying.
A copy of the Consent Order and Agreement will be made available by DEP. DEP will receive and consider public comments relating to this consent order and agreement for 60 days from the date DEP publishes notice of the Consent Order and Agreement in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
For more information on this issue, visit “Penn State’s Continuous Commitment to the Environment,” at airportpfasinvestigate.psu.edu.