1. We are WSP
  2. What we do
  3. Projects
  4. Managing contaminants risks from PFAS

WSP was commissioned by an automotive client to carry out an intrusive investigation prior to their divestment of the site. The goal was to identify any impacts to the land that their operations may have caused.

Location

  • United Kingdom

The investigation involved examining the likely contaminative uses at the site. Clients with on-site fire stations, or who have fire suppressant systems, as well as those who have experienced fires on-site or have practiced firefighting, could potentially face PFAS and forever chemicals impact. These would be from a time when the likely effects of such products were not fully understood.

Under UK regulations, the ‘polluter’ is responsible for contamination, so clients should be proactive in understanding any risks and how to address them.

An intrusive investigation to understand possible PFAS contamination.

Our work at this location determined that an on-site fire station and its associated firefighting activities may have involved the use of PFAS-containing foam.

An initial intrusive investigation was conducted to assess potential issues. Based on this, it was concluded that there might indeed be an issue with PFAS and forever chemicals contamination. As a result, we have been retained to undertake further work to assess concrete, soil, and groundwater impacts around the fire station.

How we supported our client.

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Examining likely contaminative uses

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Intrusive investigation and analysis

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Identifying any impacts to the land

WSP’s role involved:

  • Intrusive investigation to collect concrete, soil, and groundwater samples.
  • Analyses of samples including PFAS and forever chemicals via an external laboratory.
  • Interpretative reporting to determine the likely level of impact.
  • Our assessment considered whether the impact originated from our client and whether it poses a risk.

The output from our work will assist the client in divesting the site and managing their liabilities appropriately.

The main challenge on a scheme of this nature is working with an emerging contaminant. This includes the lack of clear regulation or direction from regulators and the emerging knowledge of the fate and transport of PFAS compounds.