Inside the Laboratory: The Mead Group at UNC Wilmington and the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network

The North Carolina PFAS Testing Network is working on studying the effects of PFAS in the environment to inform regulators so that public policy can help solve this growing problem. Ralph Mead, the lead investigator of the Mead Group at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, is working with the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network to advance the coalition’s aims.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that are often used in industrial and consumer products (1). These synthetic chemicals have a resistance to heat, water, and oil, which makes them valuable for numerous products (1). PFAS are used often in the production of food packaging, firefighter foams, and waterproof fabrics, to name a few (1). However, PFAS do come with a few concerns, particularly in regard to how these substances can impact the health of living organisms and the environment (1). Another concern is that PFAS are long-lasting chemicals, which means that they do not easily degrade (2). As a result, PFAS tend to accumulate in water, soil, and air (2).

The Mead Group at UNC Wilmington studies the occurrence and transport PFAS in wet and dry depositions, tracing their sources to inform regulators. In the first part of our interview, we spoke with Mead and several members of his team about the work they do for the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network and learn more about the network.

“The North Carolina PFAS Testing Network is a program run out of the North Carolina Collaboratory,” said Rachylle Hart, a Program Specialist at the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network. “So all of these researchers are funded by those appropriations from the North Carolina General Assembly, and then that overall goal of our work is to help better understand PFAS to better inform the decision-making of our General Assembly.”

This interview kicks off our last interview series on how North Carolina researchers are using chromatography to study PFAS in the environment.

References

1. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. NIH.gov. Available at: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc (accessed 2025-04-02).
2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS Explained. EPA.gov. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-explained (accessed 2025-04-02).