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Beginning in 2017, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) found unexpectedly high levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in chrome plater effluent, which is generally routed to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for treatment along with municipal sanitary wastewater before discharge to lakes and streams.  In 2018 EGLE asked the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a study to answer the question of whether the "PFOS-free" fume suppressants (also called mist suppressants or surfactants) were really PFOS-free and/or if PFOS concentrations were being generated within the harsh environment of the plating process from the breakdown of long-chain precursors in the replacement products.

EGLE and EPA conducted the study to assist in compliance efforts undertaken by the chrome plating industry in Michigan, where a number of metal finishers have had to invest significant resources to install pre-treatment systems to remove PFOS from their process wastewater, even though they complied with federal requirements to discontinue use of the PFOS-based fume suppressants years prior.  Samples of 9 different fume suppressants and effluent from 11 platers in Michigan were collected in July 2019.  This webinar is to discuss the results and answer questions about the study.  

This webinar is intended for representatives of the metal finishing industry, wastewater treatment, and other interested parties.