Faculty, researchers, and graduate students from Stony Brook University gathered on October 31 for a workshop focused on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and other emerging contaminants in the environment. The event aimed to foster collaboration among various academic departments to address these persistent chemicals found increasingly across Long Island.
“The objective of the workshop was to connect people here at Stony Brook. We have resources here, but sometimes making a connection is more than that,” said Luis Medina Faull, assistant professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and organizer of the event. “The idea of this was to be there, connect with people, hear about what other people are doing and potentially, from those connections, we write some proposals and have some projects and do some research.”
Supported by Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth (C4E) and funded by the Office of Research and Innovation, the workshop included 13 presenters. Keynote speakers Ching-Hua Huang from Georgia Institute of Technology and Mohamed Ateia from Rice University led discussions on current research related to these environmental threats.
Emerging contaminants refer to chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, agricultural substances, microplastic pollution, and others that can enter local waterways or human bodies. Scientists continue to study their effects on health and ecosystems as well as possible solutions.
PFAS are a significant group within emerging contaminants—comprising over 14,000 substances used in products like firefighting foam, non-stick cookware coatings, and paints. These chemicals can pollute water sources through degradation in water, dust, or air. Ongoing research seeks better understanding of how PFAS disperse in the environment or can be removed through wastewater treatment or healthcare interventions.
Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests for 40 specific PFAS types under federal drinking water standards. While limits exist for common variants, regulatory changes are anticipated soon.
Huang explained her research into how certain wastewater treatments may worsen PFAS contamination: “This is not great news because we want to encourage wastewater reuse because that is necessary for the future,” she said. “We need to come up with strategies in terms of how we can operate this treatment better in a way to minimize this reaction from happening, or we have to have a way to remediate PFAS afterwards.”
State Assembly members Tommy John Schiavoni (Southampton) and Rebecca Kassay (Stony Brook) spoke at the event about regional concerns. They highlighted Long Island’s reliance on a sole-source aquifer for drinking water.
“Our regional environment is defined by water,” Schiavoni said. He noted that PFAS and microplastics “threaten the health of our communities and ecosystem.”
“Especially here on Long Island, we get it,” Kassay added. “We get the importance of clean water because we know it is a finite source.”
Kassay pointed out recent progress both in research efforts and state legislation addressing PFAS: “We are, by all means, at the forefront of PFAS-related legislation,” she said.
Schiavoni sponsors Assembly Bill A6095—which would provide tax credits for New York State residents who test their well or wastewater systems for contamination including septic systems.
Stony Brook researchers continue investigating these pollutants with an eye toward ensuring safe drinking water for Long Island communities.
“What we know is big pieces of plastic make small pieces of plastic,” Faull said. “So I think if you can take part in a clean beach effort, then you’re taking big pieces from the ocean, from the environment and that’s going to prevent all these millions of microplastics from going to the ocean.”
