** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** EXPOSURE TO PERFLUOROOCTANESULFONIC ACID (PFOS) CAUSES SERIOUS PATHOLOGIES IN HUMANS. THE US EPA CURRENT ADVISORY LEVEL FOR PFOS IN DRINKING WATER IS 70 PPT. BASED ON THIS THRESHOLD, MAINE WAS THE FIRST STATE TO SET THE ACTION LEVEL FOR MILK PFOS AT 210 PPT. AMONG THE THOUSANDS OF PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS), PFOS CONTAMINATES MILK AND BEEF TO A FAR GREATER EXTENT THAN THE OTHER PFAS. THIS IS IN PART BECAUSE IT EASILY BIOACCUMULATES IN CATTLE AND IS RELATIVELY ABUNDANT IN CONTAMINATED SITES. BECAUSE MILK IS A MAJOR EXCRETION ROUTE OF PFOS IN ANIMALS, DAIRY PRODUCTS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO CONTAMINATION. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SHOWED THAT A SELECTED BINDER CAN EFFECTIVELY BIND PFOS UNDER RUMINAL CONDITIONS, WHILE OTHER BINDER TYPES FAILED. WE ALSO KNOW THAT PFOS IS NOT IMMEDIATELY RELEASED FROM FORAGES UNDER RUMINAL CONDITIONS, AND IT IS GRADUALLY RELEASED AND THEN TAKEN IN PART BY RUMEN MICROBES FROM THE LIQUID FRACTION.