University of Florida lab studying how weather impact the movement of chemicals in the environment
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University of Florida lab studying how weather impact the movement of chemicals in the environment
Sanneri Santiago is studying how extreme weather events impact the mobility of PFAS. PFAS is an umbrella term used to encompass over 15,000 man-made organic chemicals. They have been used in a wide variety of consumer products as well as military and aviation activities. These chemicals have been linked to various adverse health outcomes, including thyroid diseases, liver problems, and multiple types of cancers. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.Copyright 2025 WCJB. All rights reserved. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org. In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
“Have you heard of forever chemicals? We’re here with UF’s Environmental Engineering Sciences Department to learn more. Sanneri, tell us more about who you are and what you do,” said Bethany Gaffey, host of UF Innovate.
“My name is Sanneri Santiago. I’m a fourth-year PhD candidate here at the Environmental Engineering Sciences Department, and I work under an EPA STAR-funded project, which focuses on understanding how extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and storm events, how these impact PFAS mobility in the environment,” said Sanneri Santiago, PhD candidate at UF’s Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences.
“What are PFAS chemicals, and where do they come from?” asked Gaffey.
“So, PFAS is an umbrella term used to encompass over 15,000 man-made organic chemicals. They have been used in a wide variety of consumer products as well as military and aviation activities due to their chemical stability and unique properties such as resistance to oil, heat, and water,” said Santiago.
“What are some of those concerns about these chemicals being in the environment?” asked Gaffey.
“So, the concerns are the risk exposures to communities since these chemicals have been linked to various adverse health outcomes, including thyroid diseases, liver problems, and multiple types of cancers,” said Santiago.
“How do natural disasters mobilize forever chemicals?” asked Gaffey.
“So, due to the flooding from these natural disasters, all of this surface runoff or other things that contribute and join into that flooding, the PFAS kind of get swept up into the water column through that and then get transported or moved throughout the environment and potentially end up in a body of water. So, my research looks to focus on understanding how extreme weather events impact PFAS mobility in the environment, and also looks into developing a sustainable treatment technology for the degradation of PFAS,” said Santiago.
“What are some examples of those treatment technologies?” asked Gaffey.
“So, some methods focus solely on the removal of PFAS through absorption, and there are other more destructive technologies that include advanced oxidation processes, for example, which is the type of technology that I focus on,” said Santiago.
“If you’re interested in learning more about studies like this, stay tuned for further updates from UF’s Environmental Engineering Sciences Department,” said Gaffey.
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