Project

Call for Partners: Tens of Thousands of PFAS – A Scientific Basis for Prioritization

This call for partners is intended for companies and organisations that are active in the water, soil and food sectors, and service providers (e.g. commercial laboratories, assay developers), who are invited to respond. The aim of the project is to develop a scientific based list of relevant PFAS. Project partners will benefit from a harmonised PFAS list that enables more targeted and cost-effective monitoring. The approach improves data comparability and supports risk assessments, source identification, and mitigation strategies.

The presence of PFAS in water, soil, and food poses environmental and health concerns due to their persistence and potential toxicity. European and national legislation exists. In the Netherlands, all PFAS (> 10,000 substances) are currently classified as substances of very high concern. This makes the elimination of PFAS complex and for effective policies and mitigation prioritisation is essential. Current monitoring programs are not harmonised and typically focus on around 20 PFAS. However, research suggests that less common

PFAS may dominate environmental samples taken at specific locations. Monitoring all PFAS is neither economically nor technically feasible. This project aims to support partners in the water, food, commercial laboratory, and regulatory sectors by identifying a harmonised, science-based PFAS scope of approximately 50 substances. These will be prioritised based on occurrence in the Netherlands, persistence/bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The resulting scope will enable more harmonised and thus effective and relevant PFAS monitoring, supporting future risk assessment, policy development, and targeted mitigation strategies.

Figure. Determination of the PFAS-scope based on occurrence in the Netherlands (O), toxicity (T), and persistence & bioaccumulation (P/B). The orange base layer represents machine learning techniques that integrate the OTP data to define the most relevant PFAS-scope. Laboratories evaluate the analytical feasibility of this scope across various analytical platforms to support monitoring in the water, ecological, and agrifood systems.
Figure. Determination of the PFAS-scope based on occurrence in the Netherlands (O), toxicity (T), and persistence & bioaccumulation (P/B). The orange base layer represents machine learning techniques that integrate the OTP data to define the most relevant PFAS-scope. Laboratories evaluate the analytical feasibility of this scope across various analytical platforms to support monitoring in the water, ecological, and agrifood systems.

This project will define a science-based PFAS scope for future policy and monitoring by evaluating contamination profiles, bioaccumulation, and toxicity.

  1. PFAS in water and fish samples will be analysed using high-resolution mass spectrometry and advanced data processing to determine the current occurrence of PFAS.
  2. Bioaccumulation will be assessed by comparing PFAS levels in fish and water. Toxicity will be evaluated:
    1. using AI tools (e.g. KNIME, Dataiku) to extract data from public sources;
    2. in-vitro tests for immune and hormonal effects;
    3. and predictive models for PFAS lacking reference standards.
  3. The resulting scope will be discussed with stakeholders and implemented in practical monitoring methods.

Partner laboratories will also be trained to apply the scope, enabling them to offer scientifically validated PFAS analyses to clients in the water, soil, and food sectors.

Project partners will benefit from a harmonised PFAS list that enables more targeted and cost-effective monitoring. The approach improves data comparability and supports risk assessments, source identification, and mitigation strategies.

Interested? Let us know!

Interested parties are welcome to join us in this Public Private Partnership (PPP). Especially companies or organisations that are active in in the water, soil and food sectors, and service providers (e.g. commercial laboratories, assay developers) are invited to respond.

Partners are expected to contribute to the project (in cash and/or in kind), which will be doubled by public funding in the PPP construction.

The deadline of this call is 1 September 2025.