A recent review paper seeks to consolidate and summarise current knowledge on the sources and distribution of PFAS, their environmental impacts, and the challenges associated with remediation. The authors, who include members of the PFAS WG, emphasize that detection and characterisation remains problematic. Regulatory control is complicated by the diversity of compounds and the scarcity of toxicity data on which to base environmental and human exposure limits. Knowledge on microbial degradation routes is limited, although some enzymes have shown potential to transform certain PFAS or their precursors.
For details on other publications, and on the EBNet WG’s activities to March 2026, see the updated report which is also available on the WG webpage.
Dr Tao Lyu, who coordinates the WG, said: “Now that EBNet’s formal UKRI funding period has ended, our activities will continue through the Better Water 4 All Network+, and via a Flexible Funding grant from the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre. We warmly encourage all EBNet members who are interested in this topic to sign up for the EBIC and Better Water 4 All mailing lists. EBNet will also continue to post items now and then on this rapidly developing area”.
Comprehensive strategies for the remediation of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Mechanisms, technologies, and future perspectives. Thakur, A., Khusnutdinova, A.N., Navarro-Márquez, M., Kumar, V., Ma, H., Golyshin, P.N., Lyu, T., Yakunin, A.F., Kumar, G., Nithya, K., Soto, G.G., Iqbal, H.M.N., Gutierrez, T., Coulon, F., Para-Saldivar, R. 2025. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 306, p.119374.